Live hunt....Trying not to "over react"!!!

[Howard]

First time back in my "killing tree" since it's been butchered.... But I am told I am overreacting.

I have had feeder, food plots here for yrs. At farm. A couple cousins age 17ish have started bowhunting and have no lease etc and ask if they can hunt my setup- i tell them sure and they agree to take turns etc... This stand is well set up in top of tree with three perfect shooting lanes. I have never
been busted etc...

I come to check camera and the two boys(16 or 17ish) have taken a saw and cut a few major limbs. One big as you arm full of foilage. From the feeder before you could not see stand now you see this...




this was just some of the limbs they cut



So I was po'd found them out riding the golf cart and told them how peed off I was and stay out. I told them I was so mad I could kick their butts! I told them how DISRESPECTFUL that was and to keep out of my stand- told them they ruined it for themselves!

The next day I calmed down and apologized and gave them permission once again. These boys have daddies and should know better. Then they lied and said I told them to trim some limbs- what..... I spent an hou with a pole saw on the ground and in the air several weeks ago. Yes I kind of have Lease this yr but it's six hrs away and I have yet to go. I gave them full rights to my setup from the start!

Now today I climb in tree to find the limb I attach my camera mount is gone... No where at all now to attach camera- I will have to make mount or screw one by one to tree. I have a buck chasing a die and now she is bedded beside me and no way to film... Plus there are saw marks all over two huge main limbs where they sit here and played..... Come on!!!!

[Tex_Cattleman]

Anger justified, Howard. I think you should cane them.

[Extremebowman]

"No good deed goes unpunished" I've always been told

[Bonesplitter]

This is why you never give anyone except your closest of friends access to your favorite hole!

[Cur_Dog]

This is why you never give anyone except your closest of friends access to your favorite hole!

[Johnny]

That's nuts and I'd be very ****** off! You did right in being a good man and letting them hunt your set up but wow, they put a mark on it didn't they? Since they are family... n the most pleasant way of course, I'd send them packing.

[Legdog]

how did they rationalize that?

[Howard]

Worse part is my wife told me they will mess it up- I thought how can they mess up a perfect setup with a lock on stand.... Then I get to hear I told you so...

one of the dads post here and does a great job taking them places to hunt when he had a lease. Last yr he helped the older of the two that is not his son get his first deer with gun. He owned the best deer land here at the farm and could set him up a stand way better places than I have here... But I did care- I still tell the boys to have at it. He said their just kids... But it more about respecting others stuff. This is a "realtree" pro looking set up- least it was! They should have been thrilled to set here without breaking out saws and hatchets

I am not alone in tree now...



they even cut a 3 ft pine tree down that was growing under this tree totally out of the way- the deer have been rubbing it last two yrs and they freakin cut it down. Then they cut slot of the low branches on front side to walk through tree instead of going around like I did... It would have been perfect for ground blind now you walk through without ducking! But I am over reacting about a little limb and I have a lease anyway...

[Legdog]

I guess the bright side is that it is a hackberry (at least it appears to be) and it will probably split in two in a decade or so... if it were an oak or pecan I'd probably need some time in a staight jacket to calm down.

[W-L-F]

just young kids------------------

[Howard]

The more I look around the more hurt I am... There is not a area within reach they didn't saw on tree- look to right and left of backpack this is on back of tree not even shooting area and they just cut deep in the tree!



come on now they are not like 10 yr olds or 5 or whatever age would think this is ok

[Ron]

That's a hard pill to swallow. It's why I usually don't let folks hunt my place, no one is ever going to treat it the same as you would or understand why it's set up the way it is. Our lease is a different story, also six hours away, and we hunt each others stands all the time.

[AgHntr10]

I would be ****** too

[Howard]

Leggy this is an oak.

[bowhuntntxn]

looks like NOW is the perfect time to show them how to make a BH set up, and the importance of leaving things as undisturbed as possible. I know it is very angering to have this happen, but they are still young enough to learn. And might even get the dad out there too, and show them all what the goal was, and let him see the unnecessary damage they did to the tree. That might turn things around to be a positive rather than a nagging annoyance. Bad about your set up, but it will pass. And from the looks of it, that tree stands a good chance of being dead in about 6 years fro the limb damage done!!