I am really pissed off, so allow me to vent for a second. For 9 years I have taken four weeks of vacation for hunting. Two weeks for bow and two for rifle/muzzleloader. Well I've got a boss who got bit with the hunting bug last year and decided to take about eight days to hunt with me. He has gutshot one animal, (Blackbuck), on a ranch in Texas from a condo in a greenfield. Paid for by the company no less! Now he wants to horn in on my solitary time. I hunt on gov't land from tree stands or still hunting. You all know the kind of hunting partner he will be. He's so scared of the .300 Mag he has that I had to do all of his load developement and sighting in. Stupid, Stupid me. I enjoy my time in the woods and if I don't see anything I still had a good time. I usually kill several deer, both bucks and does and hearing me relate my stories got to him I suppose. Now all he talks about is killing more than me on my stands that took years of scouting and hard hunting to developement. To me the killing is a by product of my hunting experience, and I fully appreciate the oneness with nature, and that will be destroyed by by his self invited hunting trip.I guess I'll just have to say the obvious and tell him I'll take him to a local management area but he's not invited on my trip. He's green, and I have already had to firmly discuss some safety violations on the range. Just what I want, shot in the back walking in to my stand before daylight. This will definitly cause some discomfort at work for a while since he tends to be childish and wears his emotions on his sleeve but who the heck wants a fouled up hunting trip. Bring on the advise in heavy doses.

Once he's got his foot in the door, so to speak, it's kinda hard to get him back out the door....if I were in your shoes, I'd try to do things that might discourage him from wanting to hunt with you, yet still keep things ok on the job. Maybe a few lessons from Patick McManus are in order, read his books and mag articles and maybe you can come up with some ideas that may discourage your new "partner". Maybe using a pre-hunt scout trip might do it so you don't mess up another hunting season, otherwise you may have to sacrafice a season to make the future seasons brighter. Good luck.....

Big deal !
Just tell him you prefer to hunt alone.

You might recommend a couple of your secondary places, where you don't plan to hunt, and work with him on his shooting and gun handling skills in the off season.

This stuff won't affect your hunting time, you'll stay in his good graces, and hopefully make a safer, smarter hunter out of him.

Good luck !

Well, you might see it as an opportunity as well. Not only to improve intra-office relationships (remember, you do someone a favour, he most likely will feel compelled to return it) but you can also win a new member for the hunting community.

If you piss him off, there is a chance that he might retaliate somehow, complicating your future hunting vacations.

Perforator

Hard task, make him get a 270 7mm or simular that is easier for him to accurately shot with.

Then try to explain to him that there is more to hunting than just killing. I suggest you take him for a few really hard trips in the woods and do some hunting on your own.

Don't piss him off. We need more hunters, time will teach him more about hunting.

Cheers
/ JOHAN

Tell him you have other plans or your going with another person.I know it's lieing butttt Hunting and your personal safety is worth a little White Lie.Some how you have to break the Cycle of his going with you all of the time in a polite way since you work with him and he is your boss.Wow!!!!

Tough deal.But Hunting is what lifes about for me and know one can ruin it.

Good luck on your hunt and hope it works out.Opinions are like.......Well you know the rest.

Jayco.

Perforator-

This guy sounds like one who is always wanting to compete (he wants MORE deer than you, he wants BIGGER deer than you, etc). So, work his ego back against him. Explain that it took years to perfect your stands, and you prefer to hunt them alone. Then, challenge him to go out, find his OWN stands, in his OWN area, (that you promise not to hunt... ), and out-do you. Make it a contest. He sounds like the kind of guy that would bite. Tell him it's for bragging rights in the office or something along that line.

Good luck!

Just another reason to not mix business and pleasure. I have made it a point my entire career that I seperate the two.

Jeff

You haven't told him also how pretty your wife is by chance? Or how good your dog points? Just tell him politely that your area is getting hunted out. And, even though you've taken deer in that area in the past, looking for a new place to hunt is your main goal. Take him to a place where you "think" there is a really BIG buck. A new "honey hole." It may take a few days scouting around but you might surprise yourself and him at the same time. Deer (big bucks) are like Gold. They are where you find them. And in some of the most unlikely places too. Good luck and I have empathy for you as I know how the situation is touchy. Good shooting! Mike

Accidental discharge.
BANG! Oops.
Maybe you can get a promotion.

You could say you hunt on private property owned by a (grouchy) rancher who limits the number of hunters per season. Tell him that X number of spots are given out and they have already been filled. Say you will call the rancher and try to see if he could join you, even say you'll try to bribe him for another spot. Then you'll have to report the bad news that the rancher will not give anyone else permission to hunt his land, he filled all his slots. You could also have a cousin/brother act as the rancher. If your boss decides he wants to talk to the rancher himself, your cousin/brother can tell him that he's not giving permission to anyone else. Make sure that you have your stories strait tough, because if you say he lets 10 people hunt his ranch and your brother/cousin says 15, your up a creek without a paddle.

You might also say you have tags in a coveted zone by hunters that requires an early application and has limited tags available. (This is the X zones for CA) Ask him what tags he has and then tell him your sorry they are for a different area. Don't suggest next year, he might just remember.

I think the second suggestion is better. The first might work, but it will take a lot more effort than the second. Good luck, hope you find a way to get rid of him. Just try not to make him hate hunting. We need as many pro-hunters as we can get.

Sevens

(I'm glad I didn't have this problem when I asked my family if I could go elk hunting with them in Montana. I got quite the opposite, everybody wanted to go hunting with me.)

This is some good advise and I really don't want to discourage the man from joining the hunting community, but he needs to learn some basic concepts that most of us take for granted. 1) You don't invite yourself on a hunt. 2) You educate yourself so as not to endanger yourself or those around you. I thought we had started off right, as he enlisted my help after he got his rifle to try to get the best loadings for his rifle. Had he ask me, I would have steered him towards a .308 or .243 but nooooo, he had to have a .300!! It evolved into him deciding to take advantage of my good nature. Maybe I can get him on some short hunts close to home and coach him a little on field ethics. We'll see.

perforator -



there is a short booklet/pamphlet out which is titled BEYOND FAIR CHASE, by jim pozewitz?



in any case, your local fish&game ofice should have it or know how to get it. you might pick one up and have him read it.



better yet, here's a link. the companion book, inherit the hunt, is also very good.



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/102-8499373-4599317

You are indeed between a rock and a hard place. What I would perhaps do is sacrifice one of your weeks of hunting to him. Explain to him that you really preferred hunting alone but "just for him" you would take a week to "show him the ropes" and get him started so he could find his own places to hunt and work up his own outfit. Then, during the week, be an absolute boy scout. Be a little Happy Holiday. But use the smallest tent you have, no air mattresses, only freeze dried food of the real bad, slimey sort, no booze, etc. And make out the whole time that this is the way you do it and you're having a great time. Get him up early and stay up late and walk his ass off. Brag about how some folks like to bring a lot of stuff with them but you like it simple and primative. Point at the tent and say, "I think next year, I'm gonna leave that sissy shelter at home...etc" Load him up with all the gadgets and "stuff" folks say you've got to have: gps, topo maps, compass, at least two quarts of water (can't drink out of the creek, you might get beaver fever), emergency packet, lunch, 200 rounds of ammo, extra jacket, rain suit, dry socks..... you get the picture.

Teach him how to read a topo map and show him "your" territory and make some small suggestions about where he could start scouting to find his own territory.

On the way out, talk about next year when you plan on really getting down to basics........

Who knows, you really may find someone to ride the river with. If not, he'll probably be too busy to go next year but he'll remember you as one happy, tough son of a bitch that knows how to cope. Might be a good career move.

IMHO, this is not the time for deception, or even a little white lie. Many of us have worked for people we do not care for as friends or partners in anything, and hunting is no exception. Tell him sincerely that hunting alone is so important to you that you would likely loose interest in hunting is it was regularly a partnership or group thing. Then, spend some time helping him hook up with someone else.

If a new job is out of the picture, total honesty in a friendly manner is appropriate. Find a contact for a hunter safety course/gun handling course, and incorporate that into the discussion. I did mention a new job, right?

This could be really sticky depending on how secure your job is and since he is sensitive, you probably don't want to cause too much of a problem. First thing, I'd procrastinate my way out of any more load development/sighting in - start the weaning process now. And if you want him to get rid of the magnum, surreptitiously set that scope back about an inch . And tell him flat out, "listen, I've been helping you out, but any more safety violations, and we're done, period, point blank, the end". That'll let him know that you are a serious sportsman and he'll have no excuses if you blow him off - you may also want to invest in a little LED flashlight and a hunter orange vest. Then, I'd take some of the earlier advice - tell him you've found this new "honey-hole" and invite him along one weekend to scout it out. Meanwhile take your stands down temporarily for the "new" spot. Then proceed to walk his legs off - 5 miles per day should be sufficient and the hotter the better. Then do the same thing the next weekend and insist that he needs to buy the lastest-greatest climbing stand (without a harness ) that weighs about 30 lbs. and strap it on his butt and walk him some more. Show him some little old rubs and scrapes. Keep pushing till he hollers "calf rope". In the mean time you will probably have found some new spots yourself and gotten in better shape. I've found that part of the fun is finding new places to hunts - it's all about having options. Also, your boss will either round into a sound outdoorsman or he'll find something a little more entertaining. We you mention another "scouting trip" and he passes, you'll have won . Then, don't talk about hunting around him any more.

IMHO, the worst thing you can do it lie to him, even a little. If you are caught, any goodwill you might gain from an honest discussion of the ground rules (if he gets pissed, it's his problem) is gone, and he has a right to be mad. Don't givehim the upper hand or moral high ground, be honest, and be firm! Then, help him to independance, and stress all the fun you had SEEING animals, downplaying the joy of SHOOTING them, and you might get lucky! Finally, if you get backed into setting him up in a spot, make sure the cover is tight, so his only shots will be short to minimize the change of wounded game. Good luck!

You could always charge him for your services. He is probably your boss because he worked up to that position and has the qualifications (maybe). You have more qualifications and experience than he does and if he wishes to use your experience, stands, and time, he might as well pay for your it (he is your client).

Vacation time is to get away from your boss, not to have him join you. Ask him if he would want you tagging along to join him on his trip to Hawaii. If he is going out golfing, ask if he would show you how to golf and give you lessons each weekend. Play a little role reversal on him. He sounds like the type of guy who wont want to take the time to teach you to golf.

Best of Luck,
Sevens

I think Hot Core nailed it. Sounds like Great advice to me. You might want to tell him he needs a "Firearms Safty Certificate" to hunt with you. Here in Minnesota you cannot purchase a hunting license without one (any age). Even if your state does not require one, he should take the class anyway and learn how to hunt safely, legally, and ethically. This might take some of the teaching burden off of you.
My hunting partners and I solved this problem 15 years ago when we built our hunting shack. Right from the start "Shack Rules" rule #1 Nobody can deer or bear hunt out of this shack except the 4 of us and our children. NO Exceptions None Zero!!!. Anybody can come to our shack and stay, have a drink, eat, play cards what ever but NO Hunting. This rule has given us an out on many occations. Can I stay at your shack and do a little hunting? Sorry, no offence Shack Rules.
Is the fact that this person is someone you work with a BIG part of your frustration? I know for me when I take a week off of work to go hunting, the last person or persons I want around are fellow employees. If that's the case then alot of the advice given here on this forum really won't help much. If you absolutly do not want ANY co-workers around you when you go hunting, then I think you need to tell him so. If being a boss or co-worker isn't a big deal then I think you have some great advice here, and like I said Hot Core nailed it.

Don't give the guy the run around, it always backfires. Simply tell him you got too much time invested over the years finding your "secret" hunting spots and your keeping them to yourself, however, you will do him a favor and help him out, showing how to set up a tree stand etc, what places are good spots, help him find a hunting area for himself if you have to, do what ever you reasonably can to put him on a deer of his own, but once hunting season comes it is up to him. Make it clear that your hunting time is your own. He will respect you a whole lot more in the long run if you don't play games. If he is the type of person who won't respect you for this, then you should already have been looking for a new boss long ago.

Well you've been given a lot of advice in both directions. Keeping him hunting may/will be good for him if the teacher can stand him long enough. I agree with taking him for long walks, and dificult hunts. If he learns to appreciate hunting for hunting and not the shooting he'll develope. If it all about shooting a bigger animal than you I'd be puting him on a "prime" stand and then walk off in a circle taking a much needed piss every 15 yards or so! After some very long dissapointing days sitting in a stand he may not want to come back.
Suggest some guided hunts. Tell him you're checking out new area and make him come along for the work part. Giving him your stand was not a good idea from the sound of it.
If he's childish don't piss him off he'll make work hell. Let him stuggle a little on his own, he'll either learn and love it, or dissapear.

Well I have surely appreciated the advise. I've started to formulate a plan that I think will be fair to all involved. A couple of years ago when I was plotting rubs, scrapes, etc. I took a lot of pictures. Don't ask me why I took them but this is going to be a good test for his fortitude. Most of the pictures show briar patches and cut-overs that even I don't want to go through again. But this type of cover has consistently held lots of deer in my area and he will have to be willing to struggle through it if he wants to hunt in my area. After a couple of days to read the responses and reflect on this situation, maybe I've reacted a tad to harshly. After all, we were all new hunters at first and probably made blunders that we didn't realize at the time. I'll just lay out the conditions of the hunt with a comparison to the only type of hunting he has done, (shooting house in a green field) and hopefully he will realize that my daylight hours are spent in the woods hunting hard. If he's game then he'll probably turn out alright. If not then he won't go with me. I didn't think about downloading his .300 and that's a good idea. I just need to get him to shoot whats left and not wait for me to burn them up. Friday is the day so I'll post the results then.