Unethical or not?

[backwater]

Apology email sent. We are all human and no doubt emotional people. Thanks to all. I own up to my faults and failures. Actually I wrote. " Set up on other blind" not in. Not that it makes it any better but what I wrote was not a lie.

Well done!   We all make mistakes, glad you were man enough to admit it and make an effort to rectify it...sadly, some never do.    My hunting group only hunts public land, also in Florida, and always have a plan B and C.    We get shined off now and than, no big deal, move on to our next spot.   

[snapper1982]

Apology email sent. We are all human and no doubt emotional people. Thanks to all. I own up to my faults and failures. Actually I wrote. " Set up on other blind" not in. Not that it makes it any better but what I wrote was not a lie.

I may have also written on his card that he hunted someone else's blind. 


This is what you wrote in your original post and if this is what you put on the card then it is a lie. If this is not what you put on the card then you shouldnt have wrote here that it is and people wouldnt have called it a lie. What you wrote here says he hunted a blind that was not his and not that he hunted close to someone elses blind.

[ilbucksndux]

Not to beat a dead horse here BUT setting up a blind to "hold" your spot is not cool. Yes a week or so I set up a blind on public land for youth season. I did it the evening before we hunted and took it down when we walked out. You are lucky the blind was still there.

[turkey buster]

I hunt public ground a lot here at home for not just turkeys but deer also.

I go by 2 rules

1) If someone else is there I leave. I'm not interested in ruining a hunt or being shot accidentally. To me a ruined hunt could simply just be the loss of enjoyment for myself or others.

2) I never deceive anyone. Meaning I don't leave stands, park here but hunt over there, etc. I park where I hunt and carry my stuff in, and when I leave I carry it all out. I tend to live by the rule of do unto others. If I see a truck I back out, and I respect those who do it to me.

[catman529]

I personally wouldn't leave a blind out, actually rarely hunt out of one. One thing I am always prepared to do on public land is move to another spot in case of other hunters.

[Turkeyman]

Regarding public property, permanent stands used to be unlawful here in NY. Reason...as conveyed by a DEC officer...because they denoted ownership. Within the last few years they now allow them...my question to them would be what has changed regarding the "ownership policy"?

[ilbucksndux]

I will admit that a few weeks ago I put out a blind for youth season,we got there EARLY and honestly expected someone to be there and have to move on. I put it up the evening before and took it down the next day.

[dadsahuntin]

I am still reading all your comments and thoroughly feeling the schmuck factor, as I hope all of us had at some point. Reflecting, we both did the right thing and I commend the gentleman for his maturity. I feel I originally handled it properly by backing out without problems, the choice was mine. Even after he got his bird, I congratulated him and we both parted without incident. These are the ethics and manners of which we speak of. It was handled properly.

So now we are all fresh on our public land ethics and what all should do. Isn't this why the forum is here to begin with, to have open discussions. I appreciate the  honesty and really not receiving the berating I deserve for turning Sally after the fact. That is the devil boys, that's how he works. Just when you go and handle things the right way there he is to undue it all.

I know what I will do next time. The same thing, but remembering who I am and not letting anger, remorse and changed plans to have an affect on someone else spirit as well as mine. Thanks again.

[chatterbox]

I personally wouldn't leave a blind out, actually rarely hunt out of one. One thing I am always prepared to do on public land is move to another spot in case of other hunters.

This^^^^^^^

I avoid blinds unless I have a young hunter with me.
Sometimes, no matter who gets there first, there can be potential problems. I always make sure I have a couple places to hunt just in case, and will leave and avoid any confrontation.
If someone shines a light, I'm off to another spot.

[g8rvet]

Couple of thoughts from a fellow FL public land hunter.  First, I was kind of fired up when I read this, but you seem to be open minded and willing to accept a majority opinion.  Although I disagree with how you handled it to start, I am very impressed with how you have handled it since then.  You sound like a thoughtful person and made a mistake out of ignorance, not malice. 

Next, to those saying they always move on when they see a truck, I understand what you are saying, and in my area, where we are hunting 550,000 acres, that is the norm as well (except for the jackarses).  But there are plenty of small public tracts in Florida that hold lots of birds where you would never hunt if that was how you hunted.  Just the way it is in those places. 

Reminds me of me doing this one time - with ducks.  We got into them hard one evening in MS.  We were at the end of a huge oxbow and did not see another soul all day.  So we left our dekes out.  When we got back in the morning, there were some guys there.  We told them we would pick up our dekes and get out of their way - that we were being lazy and thought no one would find our spot.  They seemed surprised and were very gracious and there were only 2 of them and they offered to just hunt together - which we did and had a good shoot.  But we knew when we pulled up that if they had wanted our dekes, we left them and they were abandoned property on public water-we were in the wrong.  Decoys and blinds do not hold a spot on public land.  At least not in MS, FL, GA and MO (the only places I have hunted ducks), but I would suspect most everywhere. 

This guy may have found these birds and accidentally found your blind.  If I had been in his shoes, I would have don exactly what he did.  Set up close enough so there was no doubt if you came in I would see you.  For safety reasons for both of you.  I agree the guy was very cool and I would have been friendly, but would not have offered to leave. 

Sounds like everyone learned a lesson that was involved.  I do not think he was in the least unethical to set up that close to a blind. Not a bit and I would not use another man's blind - only set up close enough I could see them come in.

[ilbucksndux]

Hey I have flipped out and screamed at people only after thinking the whole thing over,then realize that I was the one that was dead wrong ......it happens

[NYlogbeards]

The only time I told off a hunter was when he knew I was there calling a gobbler and he started to head in the direction of the gobbler into the woods on the other side of power lines he got busted by the gobbler and he came walking out looking like a dumbass, I told him what I thought and he apologized but I feel like he should have known better... Oh well thats public land for ya and if you do take a turkey on public land it very rewarding.

[dadsahuntin]

Couple of thoughts from a fellow FL public land hunter.  First, I was kind of fired up when I read this, but you seem to be open minded and willing to accept a majority opinion.  Although I disagree with how you handled it to start, I am very impressed with how you have handled it since then.  You sound like a thoughtful person and made a mistake out of ignorance, not malice. 

Next, to those saying they always move on when they see a truck, I understand what you are saying, and in my area, where we are hunting 550,000 acres, that is the norm as well (except for the jackarses).  But there are plenty of small public tracts in Florida that hold lots of birds where you would never hunt if that was how you hunted.  Just the way it is in those places. 

Reminds me of me doing this one time - with ducks.  We got into them hard one evening in MS.  We were at the end of a huge oxbow and did not see another soul all day.  So we left our dekes out.  When we got back in the morning, there were some guys there.  We told them we would pick up our dekes and get out of their way - that we were being lazy and thought no one would find our spot.  They seemed surprised and were very gracious and there were only 2 of them and they offered to just hunt together - which we did and had a good shoot.  But we knew when we pulled up that if they had wanted our dekes, we left them and they were abandoned property on public water-we were in the wrong.  Decoys and blinds do not hold a spot on public land.  At least not in MS, FL, GA and MO (the only places I have hunted ducks), but I would suspect most everywhere. 

This guy may have found these birds and accidentally found your blind.  If I had been in his shoes, I would have don exactly what he did.  Set up close enough so there was no doubt if you came in I would see you.  For safety reasons for both of you.  I agree the guy was very cool and I would have been friendly, but would not have offered to leave. 

Sounds like everyone learned a lesson that was involved.  I do not think he was in the least unethical to set up that close to a blind. Not a bit and I would not use another man's blind - only set up close enough I could see them come in.

Wise words sir and thanks for taking the time. If I did not park there I would have less than a handful of other options. The parking deal there I believe is accepted. I do wish I had said ok you stay there and call and I will sit and take any leftovers.

Lessons were learned by me today, but not had I opened up to opinions. Down deep I knew I went astray and I guess it turned into confessional. I guess we know the answer to the title question.

[Happy]

First off congrats on accepting the criticism. I always have admired people who can admit when they screw up and to be honest all of us have. I have played the public land game for many years and I have been there to a T. Well all but the blind part ha ha. That being said I think with a little more age and I would like to think a little more maturity from my younger days I have been able to handle it much better. Just this past opening day of deer season I reached my chosen stand location a full hour and a half before dawn. When I got there a woke up a young man who had come in sometime in the night and was sleeping there. After apologizing for scaring the crap out of him I got to talking to him and he had driven all day from Pennsylvania I believe it was and hit the woods as soon as he arrived. He was a great fellow and offered the stand back to me since I had marked it with a reflective tack. I couldn't do it and didn't want it. He had beat me hands down and he deserved it. Back when I was younger I would have circled him and short stood him just out of childish anger. That's not something I am proud of but it's the ugly truth. There are a lot of people who are pretty crappy out on public land and I just walk away anymore. But sometimes if you slow down a little and don't let your initial emotions get the better of you then you meet some really decent people.

[SteelerFan]

I am still reading all your comments and thoroughly feeling the schmuck factor, as I hope all of us had at some point. Reflecting, we both did the right thing and I commend the gentleman for his maturity. I feel I originally handled it properly by backing out without problems, the choice was mine. Even after he got his bird, I congratulated him and we both parted without incident. These are the ethics and manners of which we speak of. It was handled properly.

So now we are all fresh on our public land ethics and what all should do. Isn't this why the forum is here to begin with, to have open discussions. I appreciate the  honesty and really not receiving the berating I deserve for turning Sally after the fact. That is the devil boys, that's how he works. Just when you go and handle things the right way there he is to undue it all.

I know what I will do next time. The same thing, but remembering who I am and not letting anger, remorse and changed plans to have an affect on someone else spirit as well as mine. Thanks again.

Couple of thoughts from a fellow FL public land hunter.  First, I was kind of fired up when I read this, but you seem to be open minded and willing to accept a majority opinion.  Although I disagree with how you handled it to start, I am very impressed with how you have handled it since then.  You sound like a thoughtful person and made a mistake out of ignorance, not malice.