I have had all sorts of bad incidences from people that are jealous because I have hunted Worldwide. Some of these people I have known for years and some that have the money to hunt anywhere if they weren't too tight to go. I have had 2 instances in the last year that turned really ugly when the persons wouldn't let it be.

Hawkeye47

Hawkeye47, fortunatly no. most are to some degree envious, but mostly in jest, such as" lucky bastard "ect. I know these same people can afford to go themselves, they just cant justify the expense because they are simply to tight with the "green stuff". I am certainly not going to my grave a financialy rich man, but i sure am going to go rich with memories of adventure!

From my perspective, it really depends on how the far off Hunting stories are presented to the listener. If you tell a good story with lots of details so the listener can get a good mental image of the entire Hunt, then it can be absolutely great.

If on the other hand you come across as some poorly-educated, loud-mouth, blow-hard, braggart, then you come off as "attempting" to talk down to the listener. And the air of supposed Superiority is foul. It ruins the story for anyone who catches on to what is actually happening and makes the story teller look like the fool he is.

I sure enjoy a well told Hunting story and the people that tell them. And I detest the braggarts.

hot core is 100% right, but, I've never yet heard anybody on their deathbed say - I sure am glad I didn't go anyplace

I had one about a year ago. A person with DTS syndrom (Dumber Than S^&T) was giving me crap about this. He said how could you spend that much just to hunt in Africa. I promptly looked at his truck that was lifted with big tires and said. "You musta spent about $600 bucks a piece for those tires + Rims, whens the last time you've taken it off the pavement and had fun with those tires(I know he hasn't)...Seems like a waste of money to me....At least I am having fun with MY money" That ended the discussion.

Being in the construction trade I run into folks at both ends of the financial spectrum. I don't talk about my hunts with either clients or crew until I know them better.

The fact that I drive a 10 year old truck, don't spend money on drinking and partying and work 60 plus hour weeks on occation doesn't always register with people who are not used to the idea that someone might really want to do some activity enough to sacrifice other aspects of their lives to do it.

Hot Core, I know what you mean. I work with one guy who claims to be hunting here and there, and buying this gun and that, always selling and making a profit. He never seems to have details or an understanding of the subject. Maybe its me, maybe not. But I always figure work reflects what a person is like away from work. Lots of steam and no action tells me they are full of it. I could hunt more exotic places if I didn't buy this gun or that, spend so much time at the range working up just the right load. Managed two bear hunts in Montana in the same year, no bear and try to make it to Florida once a year to fish...will I retire with lots of money...nope, will I be able to say I enjoyed life....Heck Yes and I ain't thru. Most who complain are jealous

I believe Hot Core hit the bulls-eye. I carry that a step further. In 45 years I've never met anyone that objected to the fact that I'm a hunter. I've heard some people on this forum talk like it happens to them on a daily basis. I suspect it's the guy doing the bragging that starts the ruckus. I would be as insulted by some fool getting in my face about what a great hunter he is just as much as I would some idiot bragging about what a great "anything" he is. I just hate being around mouthy braggarts that can't stop talking about themselves.

Hot Core,

Most of the time the confrontations have come when I have been in a conversation with a friend and some other party starts mouthing that's not part of the conversation. My biggest problem has been over swapping hunts with people from other Countries. some of the locals
resent the fact that people from ustralia,Ireland,Spain,Argentina,Austria,France,
and Russia are hunting on my Ranch and they aren't allowed to. I have Never bragged about my hunting trips and Never say anything about hunting unless someone says where you going next or have you been hunting this year? I always say how Lucky I have been to have gotten to hunt Worldwide and that the Good Lord has blessed me tremendously. Like one of the other posters I don't Smoke or Drink and I don't spend extravagantly on anything but Guns or hunting equipment. I did build a trophy room on my Ranch House that is really bnice but I did 99% of the work myself and I don't have it 100% complete yet. The local paper came and did a story about my hunts and I think that has caused some bad feelings but 99% of the time people have been very nice. It doesn't take but a couple Loud Mouth A!!Holes to cause a bad scene.

Hawkeye47

quote:

Originally posted by Hawkeye47:
...Most of the time the confrontations have come when I have been in a conversation with a friend and some other party starts mouthing that's not part of the conversation. ...

Hey Hawkeye, I hear you, they are everywhere. They don't seem to be "as bad" in the places I normally hang out, but they can show up anywhere.

I try a couple of things to deal with them. I ask them questions about either their hunts or why they "don't" hunt until they simply talk themselves into a corner as I smile. And I save the story for when the time is more appropriate.

I'm not a big fan of the above, but I have to use it when escorting a Lady friend of mine to some of her parties. She understands hunting, but some of her close frineds don't. I just try to turn the conversation back to where they are doing the talking, and I can nod.

When not in the situation above, I look forward to having fun making fools of them by just asking the correct questions. They normally just implode. As their arguments are being voiced, it is quite fun to watch their eyes and notice when they come unglued.

If they become obnoxious, sometimes it requires a bit stronger persuasion to keep them in line. Here the quick movement is blocked by their body and the folks only see me attempting to help them up. I'm getting to old for this method, but it still works.
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Had a lady approach my best hunting buddy and me(in our camo) as we had just sat down to eat one day. She wanted to know if she could ask a question and of course we were only too glad to help her out.

She wanted to know if we were hunters, and we responded that we tried our best to be. Then she wanted to know why we weren't concerned about someone being hit by one of our bullets. (It was easy to tell by her accent that she was not a local.)

I explained we just walked out to where we wanted to hunt, loaded a HUGE amount of ammo in the rifle and began firing in every direction possible. Then once the shooting stopped, we just listed to see if anyone was yelling. If not, it meant everything was fine and we could hunt.

She darn near choked and we broke up laughing. Then we calmly explained why the chances of anyone getting hurt on the property we hunted was very low. If someone was trespassing, it might happen, but that was also low risk because we were shooting "down" into the ground.

Even invited the Lady to go spend a few hours in a Stand so she could see what it was all about. Ended up that we thought she understood, but had just never been where hunting occurred.

But, you meet all kinds. Rudeness is still unacceptable wherever I am, but I have to pick how to deal with it depending on the circumstances.

We all just have to prepare ourselves and deal with it the best we can.

I'd be real interested in how other folks deal with the fools, especially if they have a good way that works.

One of my responses has always been -"If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand."

Hawkeye, If ignorance is truly bliss, then there is an answer why so many people are "happy" out there! Don't sweat the likes of those without the fever, they cannot understand the passion.

Hawkeye47:
I enjoy a good hunting story it is one of the reasons why I read the forum. I get a lot of info about others hunting experience good & bad from all over the world. There are just too many envious people out there I wouldn’t pay to attention to them let them rant and enjoy your hunting adventures.

Although envy does come into play I don't think it's always the cause of conflict.

There is a guy in town here who hunts quite a bit. He has spent money to go to Ak and S.A. that I know of first hand. The thing is he can't tell the "hunting story" without sounding like he's bragging about his wealth. The truly wealthy that I know don't even mention the cost of things. This guy sounds like he's a cost per action reference guide!

I don't care how much he paid for his bullets, scope, bino's, knife, airfare, ect. You get the picture. If I were interested I'd ask.

What I like are the stories that suck you in. That make you feel the urge to go yourself. The description of the smells in the a.m., campfire, cowboy coffee, the smell of the sage your're crawling through. How sharp the rock was digging into your knee's. How hard your heart was pounding. Paint me a mental picture.

When it includes each detail of expense it has no flavor for me. I know what most stuff costs and don't care. If I don't want to afford it I don't. I can kill with a factory rifle, factory ammo, ( heaven forbid ) and a Weaver just as well as his "Black Beauty" (Jarrett built .300WM) with the Swarovski any day.

Class doesn't come with money, and obviously can't be purchased! Nate

So, those of us that responded seem to like "good stories". Here is one I consider well above good written by Digital Dan on the Small Game Board under the Title "I hate Hogs". He also has flicks of the Paper Jacket Bullet which killed the Hog.

If you like it, click on Small Game and let him know. I did through a PM.
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I Hate Hogs by Digital Dan

I was still hunting per ususal, spring creek bottom, or what passes for bottoms hereabouts...bottoms bein' as high as the ridges and such. Deep in the swamp amidst cypress, tupelo and the odd oak tree older that Moses. Water flowin' by without a sound, the woods quiet in a light rain. Was movin' like smoke along the border of a 5 year old(more or less) clear cut, just inside the swamp. Light breeze out of the north northeast.

Had a grey fox trot by on a deer trail about 20' to my left...an armored-diller following maybe 10 minutes later. Considered a ballistic test on that one but didn't...safety back on, slow step and pivot, high step over log, soundless...flowing...Zen trance ON. 60*...humidity, well...all of it, starting to develope a dew which is something I can do when it's 40* while still hunting...

90* turn to the left in the border, shortcut thru the clearing then back into the margin...a pile-driver woodpecker screams and flies off into the darknss of the swamp, insulted by my presence scant feet away when I shake his tree a little...few more steps and I put my hand on a 5" thick sapling and...

...it is rotten, dead, and breaks off quietly at ground level, leaving me holding a 12' log upright in my right hand. I ponder this briefly, not a big thing really...try leaning it against an adjacent tree but it won't quite balance...wanting to roll free and crash the silence. I decided to lay it down, looked back down to ground level to see where I could put it...there are 4 hogs but 30 yards away, moving directly toward me on the trail upon which I stand.

Now perhaps it is BECAUSE I still hunt that I spend moments in odd contortions, even is compromising circumstance, and because of that I shoot sometimes in odd ways. I've shot deer one handed with rifles twice, a bobcrat too, but that one had the barrel under my right arm as the shot was behind me...I'd not really considered the likelyhood of the position I found myself in however...gun in one hand, dead rotten tree in the other...

I raised the gun, distance closed to 20 yards...little piggies were steppin' right along don't ya know...tried to shoulder it with the butt on the outside of the tree that was now in the hollow of my right shoulder...that ain't gonna work...move it quickly to the inside, and that ain't gonna do the trick either. Distance down to 15 yards...lead pig is the largest though they are all relatively small...range of 40 to perhaps 90# I think...put the butt ON the log...kinda like an extra long recoil pad...squeeze head and hairy eyeball into place in a round about way, red dot finding lead pig, settling on the point of its shoulder as it takes a small jog to my right...could not have asked for a better aspect for a bullet test...about 25 feet away...BOOM...flop...dead. Three little piggies squeal in terror, abandoning their erstwhile leader in flight, helter skelter into the darkness squealing...snorting...the boom rolls thru the ancient cypress, a shred of echo in the falling rain and fading light. I let the dead tree fall, looked around briefly then back at my vanquished quarry. "Take that ya fat bastard!" I thought.

Reason for no pic...no camera with me in the rain. Did this with premeditation...had to take my Stainless Synthetic for the same reason, not Ravage...time for that later...porky didn't bleed a drop from the shot, a common event with their kind if you don't get a thru and thru. And I don't haul innards out of the woods...slice and dice as she says. Lungs were pretty much pudding, right shoulder shattered at the top...bullet entered precisely at the point of the shoulder hitting bone on contact. 5 ribs also shattered, liver cut almost in half. The little boar weren't as tough as he led his friends to believe. We left as darkness settled on the swamp...that is to say most of us did, for the most part.

So, still hunting still works, dead rotten trees will break off in your hand if you touch them sometimes, and they make good recoil pads too. Paper patch bullets work really well from all appearances and the buffet starts tomorrow at noon...

Dan

Pres., TYHC
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I felt like I was right there with Dan.

Thats what I'm talkin' bout! Nate

quote:

Originally posted by Hawkeye47:
I have had all sorts of bad incidences from people that are jealous because I have hunted Worldwide. Some of these people I have known for years and some that have the money to hunt anywhere if they weren't too tight to go. I have had 2 instances in the last year that turned really ugly when the persons wouldn't let it be.

Hawkeye47

Stories can be like jokes, some folke can tell them better than others.....if you understand what I mean?

I noticed that you called them "people" and not "friends"! Cause if they were friends, this wouldn't have happened!