Nightmare trip

[GregB]

Personally I would hunt with the guy one more time, untill I have enough evidence to seal his fate with the Game Warden. Then hike out and let the Warden know which tree you left him tied to.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Sorry to hear, guy sounds like a tool and bummer for his son.


I have one main hunting partner for the adventures who is solid, we're 99% on the same page, feed off each other when one or the other is done, feel driven to perform and not let the other down, know how to go into grind mode and slog through as needed. We've been through enough hard/shitty/long/crappy situations to put things to the test, glad I got lucky there it sounds like! There are some other guys that I'm fine hunting with from trailhead camps or day hunts but they're not as suited for back country hard stuff.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

that is a nightmare!! wow.

so how did it end? you tell the kid goodbuy, good luck, flip off dad and hike out?

I packed my stuff into my backpack (Thank God I had a huge Kifaru!) while the dad and kid argued. The dad got aggressive with the kid, shoved him a few times, and I thought he was going to hit him. I pulled out the phone and filmed them, and told him to leave the kid alone. He came over and threatened me, got in my face, spitting and yelling. I was a bouncer for over a decade, so I used my calmest voice to tell him to back off, and asked him what I could do to calm him down. That apparently confused him, because I refused to get into a fist fight in the wilderness. The location made it a day for big boy rules.

I asked the kid if he was ok. He said he didn't feel safe staying. The dad told him that he didn't need him, he had a daughter. The kid asked if the dad was really wanting to burn a bridge with his son over such a stupid disagreement. The dad said F*CK OFF! and stormed into the tent. The kid, with his pack and gear confiscated by his dad, threw his hobo bindle over his shoulder and we started to walk out together.

We got about 150 yards from the tent, and heard a single pistol shot from within the tent. I told the kid to stay put, and went back, expecting to see his head splattered on the wall of the tent. The kid, in a strange, calm voice of acceptance said, "if he did it, hit the SOS on your inReach." I walked to within about 50 yards and was able to see the dad sitting up on his cot, apparently uninjured. He shouted "I thought you guys didn't care!" at me. I didn't say a word, just walked quickly to the kid, and we started down the trail.

I used my inReach to contact the dad's girlfriend (commonlaw wife) and let her know he had lost his marbles. The kid pulled me out of the meadow and behind a boulder while I was sending the message. He said "Dad still has that 7mag in camp. I feel like we have a big target on our backs". He was genuinely afraid his own father was going to shoot him or me with a rifle.

We hiked out together, sometimes in silence, sometimes sorting through our confusion, and sometimes griping that my pack was heavy and that a hobo bindle isn't the ideal way to carry two pairs of cowboy boots. I drove us home to my place, and we talked through what the kid was feeling, and his next steps. It was late when we got to town, so the kid crashed in my guest room. The next morning, we had breakfast, I told him that if he needs anything he can call me any time.

I have checked on him about once a week, just to make sure he is coping ok. The dad has unfriended/blocked both the kid and I on all forms of comms, and hasn't said a word to either of us since the trip. I'm ok with that.

 

[bsnedeker]

I packed my stuff into my backpack (Thank God I had a huge Kifaru!) while the dad and kid argued...

That poor kid...thank goodness he has someone like you around to help him sort through having a piece of garbage for a father!

 

[Antarctica]

You're a good man Gunnersdad49. Well done, well played. That is the craziest story I've heard in a long time.

I know you said its been a bit, and I bet you're still decompressing from it and wanting to distance yourself from the whole thing. But... on the upside, you might have just found the best hunting partner ever in that kid. I know from the little you've said here, that if it were me, given my limited perspective on the whole thing, I'd be calling that kid up next year..

Again, my hat's off to you on how you handled all that. Well done.

 

[Azone]

I've been lucky so far with partners. I met the guy I go with at a poker game at our deer camp 5 or so years ago. We have been in some situations that would qualify as life and death, never once has there been arguing or panic. Finding a person that can stay calm when it all hits the fan miles from help and the road is a rare bird indeed. We have had tense or awkward moments from time to time but we never take the bad moments personally. Every trip so far has ended with cold beers, hand shakes and the words let's give her hell again next year.
BMW's (b_ _ chers, moaners, and whiners) never even get considered for a trip, no matter how great they say they are. Most of us hoard our vacation days for hunting season so there is no sense wasting our precious time with jerks, or idiots. A person's character and mental strength are at the top of the list when it comes to choosing a backpack hunt buddy. Luckily all my dealings with knuckleheads were in basecamp settings where I could drive away in my own truck and not have to deal with them anymore.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

WTF... did the kid have any clue what was going on with the dad? Sounds like he's having some sort of breakdown or something, that whole pistol shot for attention deal is way more than being a jerk...

 

[Coach529]

Talk about unstable. Crazy. Thank God you were there for the kids sake!!

 

[AdamW]

Well this thread took a turn for the "WTF?" really fast. That guy needs serious help.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Sounds like the father has emotional/mental disorder or substance abuse...possibly both in concert. In any event this sounds like a classic example of someone who has no business owning a firearm. Whether using one to intimidate people or bring attention to himself...that's a classic danger sign and BIG red flag for sure.

Suddenly I'm seeing a much bigger picture which explains the overall behavior of the guy.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

This is real simple. You have to vet a partner rigorously before heading out. Work out together. Plan together. Backpack together on short overnight trips to scout your area. You should have multiple information points before committing to a hunt. Above all, take responsibility for yourself and if things don't work out as you'd hoped then deal with it without creating more drama.

 

[Crippledsledge64]

Geez, sounds like a miserable trip. Like someone said, most of us horde our time off for hunting season, too special to spend it with whiners and jerks (or the unstable in this case). Its hard to find a good partner, even in the eastern states, let alone in the back country. All you can do is make sure you're not the guy no one wants to take I guess.

 

[DoveBlaster]

Dang, and I thought my hunting partner was crazy! In all seriousness that's a wild story and im glad you and the kid made it out all good. Sounds like his hunting ethics (or lack thereof) were the least of your worries that week

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Dang, and I thought my hunting partner was crazy! In all seriousness that's a wild story and im glad you and the kid made it out all good. Sounds like his hunting ethics (or lack thereof) were the least of your worries that week

It was like a switch inside him flipped. The ethics stuff was all red flags, but the crazy just came out that morning. All of this went down at 11 am, no drugs or alcohol on board that I could tell.

 

[Antarctica]

...no drugs or alcohol on board that I could tell.

Maybe that was the problem...

 

[geebee]

Jeezzzus!!! You said nightmare but this could but the worst person ever not just hunting partner!!!

I packed my stuff into my backpack ...................................

I have checked on him about once a week, just to make sure he is coping ok. The dad has unfriended/blocked both the kid and I on all forms of comms, and hasn't said a word to either of us since the trip. I'm ok with that.

 

[Huntnfmly]

Took my oldest daughter out for her first hunt at 12 after passing her hunters ed class. We took one of her friends and her friends dad who was wanting to go ended up he pushed my daughter out of the way to shoot at a buck she found he missed and i almost put him in a hole in the ground for that never hunted or spoke to them againThat's why my daughters are the only ones I hunt with except for guided hunts we've been lucky there always great people.

 

[IdahoElk]

I packed my stuff into my backpack (Thank God I had a huge Kifaru!) while the dad and kid argued. The dad got aggressive with the kid, shoved him a few times, and I thought he was going to hit him. I pulled out the phone and filmed them, and told him to leave the kid alone. He came over and threatened me, got in my face, spitting and yelling. I was a bouncer for over a decade, so I used my calmest voice to tell him to back off, and asked him what I could do to calm him down. That apparently confused him, because I refused to get into a fist fight in the wilderness. The location made it a day for big boy rules.

I asked the kid if he was ok. He said he didn't feel safe staying. The dad told him that he didn't need him, he had a daughter. The kid asked if the dad was really wanting to burn a bridge with his son over such a stupid disagreement. The dad said F*CK OFF! and stormed into the tent. The kid, with his pack and gear confiscated by his dad, threw his hobo bindle over his shoulder and we started to walk out together.

We got about 150 yards from the tent, and heard a single pistol shot from within the tent. I told the kid to stay put, and went back, expecting to see his head splattered on the wall of the tent. The kid, in a strange, calm voice of acceptance said, "if he did it, hit the SOS on your inReach." I walked to within about 50 yards and was able to see the dad sitting up on his cot, apparently uninjured. He shouted "I thought you guys didn't care!" at me. I didn't say a word, just walked quickly to the kid, and we started down the trail.

I used my inReach to contact the dad's girlfriend (commonlaw wife) and let her know he had lost his marbles. The kid pulled me out of the meadow and behind a boulder while I was sending the message. He said "Dad still has that 7mag in camp. I feel like we have a big target on our backs". He was genuinely afraid his own father was going to shoot him or me with a rifle.

We hiked out together, sometimes in silence, sometimes sorting through our confusion, and sometimes griping that my pack was heavy and that a hobo bindle isn't the ideal way to carry two pairs of cowboy boots. I drove us home to my place, and we talked through what the kid was feeling, and his next steps. It was late when we got to town, so the kid crashed in my guest room. The next morning, we had breakfast, I told him that if he needs anything he can call me any time.

I have checked on him about once a week, just to make sure he is coping ok. The dad has unfriended/blocked both the kid and I on all forms of comms, and hasn't said a word to either of us since the trip. I'm ok with that.

Wow,that guy has serious issues and needs professional help.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Wow,that guy has serious issues and needs professional help.

For certain. Likely professionals would include law enforcement, attorneys (both prosecuting and defense), a judge, psychiatric staff and corrections officials.

 

[unclericco]

So snoring is a deal breaker? One of my hunting buddies snores non stop all night long. I make him bring his own tent but I don’t consider that a deal breaker