Grounds for getting kicked off a deer lease

[Sam Colt]

Nobody starts out an expert. Show leadership not by punishing, but by coaching. In retrospect, I can't believe the dipshittery I exhibited decades ago in my early hunting days. The lease masters must have rightly been livid with me; however, on several occasions it became clear that they expected me to know what they meant and not just what they said. Instead of coaching, I'd get bawled out. That would leave us both mad, and me no wiser.

Be clear what your issues with them are, and require them to demonstrate understanding. Make it clear you demand safety and ethics at all times. Hunt with them. Coach. We need more good, honest hunters in the world.

 

[Paul_E_Hunter]

clear rules at the onset seem important. I'm all for recruiting new hunters, so if you can work with those folks and get them in a proper frame of mind that'd be great but if they're not open to that then...time for someone to move on.

 

[KHNC]

Make sure they have at least a 500 post count on one of the hunting forums. Then you will know they are seasoned.

 

[boonez40]

Some of you guys absolutely have no clue on how to treat others, especially new people while others have a lot of great ideas and I applaud you.

I have worked behind the counter of a gunshop for about 20 years before giving it up. Even the most experienced guys have either laps in judgement, over confident or just plain know it all. This all leads to very dangerous situation. Before the bashing starts, I am one of those people to.

In the shop, it all business and every firearm is treated as if it is loaded. Every gun i have ever checked in was, "oh its not loaded" . And then the wide eye about to pop out deer in the headlight look when a live round flys out of the chamber, " how did that get in there ? "
But at home one day, I became laxed. No one home so I decided to change a scope on my varmint gun.
Had that 243 in a vise for over an hour, pulled the bolt out, set new rings and lapped them. Put the new scope on and torxed everything to specs, bore sighted it. Threw bolt back in it and pulled the trigger. As the roar of thunder and the sound of that ballistic tip impacting that big picture window my heart just sank. And to think, I knew everyone of my guns in my house is always loaded.

So I tend to remember, even the best of us makes mistakes, my latest one, involved 60 foot of chain, one truck in the drive way and one stuck in the back yard after I decided to back a 20 foot trailer down in the yard after it just rained.

Education is the best option, first thing is marksman skill test for everyone before joining your lease. What ever they plan to hunt with, rifle, bow, x bow or muzzleloader. You must prove you can shoot.

The rest, you pretty much know what they did or did not do, do educate them. Turning them loose with out the knowledge is just as unethical as what they did because you are knowingly letting them go unchecked to do the same thing to someone else.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Behlftball]

That's some pretty bad stuff. I would kick them off. Can't imagine not shooting a crossbow beforehand and then shooting at an animal.

 

[7LRM]

they are just Red neck, let them do their redneck way!

 

[blazingangel09]

Thanks for all the replies.

Update:
Some context that I neglected to mention is that I manage this lease on behalf of the owner of the company that I work for so I have the authority and responsibility to make sure things are done correctly.

I settled on taking a mentorship tactic rather than a punitive tactic.
They will be required to show a minimum proficiency demonstration with any weapon they intend to hunt with:
rifle (3 hits in a 4 inch circle at 100 yards with a hunting rest), shotgun (turkey pattern at 30 yards) and archery tackle (3 hits in a deer vital target at 20 yards). I will take the opportunity to personally inspect the equipment for reliability and safety while observing their handling practices and teaching appropriate etiquette.
They will be required to listen to a brief hunting ethics and tactics course by other experienced lease members to make sure we don't take any "everyone knows that" info isn't taken for granted.

These two guys are really good guys and aren't intentionally causing trouble. Its clear that they just don't know and don't know that they don't know. I am hopeful that we can educate them into better hunters in the future.

 

[EdP]

Good move, and as I said previously, make it standard for every new member and known up front.

 

[wytx]

I'm not sure I would want to be responsible for making sure their weapons are reliable and safe, might open you up to some issues if anything happens with those weapons.
Otherwise sounds like you all are willing to work with and educate the newer hunters, good for you.

 

[Boarmaster]

I split a hunting lease with some friends and friends of friends. Later year we had some issues with 2 new hunters making some uniformed, unethical choices: using an unreliable rifle (SKS with a homemade scope mount shimmed to fit), shooting at moving deer (insufficient skill to justify that shot), lost wounded deer, hunting with a crossbow they had never used prior to going into the woods (no sight in shots, no broadhead testing). All of these issues are worrisome and should be below minimum common sense but I want to cut them a little slack as new hunters learning the ropes.

What would your require of them to renew the lease for this year to avoid future issues?
At what point would you kick them off of the lease?

You get rid of them when they decide they dont want to learn how to do things properly. If they dont know anything then you can train them up how you see fit.

 

[Boarmaster]

On the other hand you can teach skills but hard to teach common sense. Good luck.

 

[Herdbulll]

Good luck and hope it works out for everyone......