I helped a young man a few years ago on the ins and outs of trapping. 2012 I think when the cat market was hot. Told him how to manage the cat population, but he went scorched earth after he caught his first on all the ground around me. Won’t make that mistake again. Pretty disappointing

I shot my archery deer early one year told some guys that hunt there they could use my stands that year only, the next year I about had to beat them out of my stands.

I've been bit a few times...dog hunting, trapping, and deer hunting:

One night I pull into a spot that I normally coon hunt on private property. I notice truck tracks in the frost on the grass down to the drop spot. Sure enough, there sits a guy I took hunting a few weeks back. Next year, I can no longer hunt that spot cuz the landowner was having problems with trespassers!

I teach a guy to trap...all of a sudden, he thinks my trap line is his trap line.

We all know the deer hunting tricks....

An old friend told me when I was a young man that there are three things that WILL break the male tribal bond.... money, women and hunting/fishing spots.

He was right. For twenty years I had pretty much solo access to 2500 acres only 20 minutes from my house in a very populated area that was loaded with turkeys, pigs and deer. Lots of my clients in my hunting/fly fishing stores wanted to know where I hunted. I never told anyone and never had the problem. I took one great friend for pigs one night, and he never went behind my back. Guess he understood the golden rule above.

Pete

I used to bass fish professionally.

If you do all the work and then take a friend to fish in a tournament, you can pretty much consider those places will be used against you in the future.

People do these things more than we even know.

Being nice bites you in the butt every time !

yes been there , done that , took some coworker's to a rabbit spot and we did good , next year i go and no rabbits , one guy was talking an I hear him say they went back there and took 50 plus+ rabbit after we were there ,

AND the guineas! lol

I have a talk w/ the people before we ever get in the truck... so far hasn't bit me in the butt yet. If they look you in the eye and tell you they won't back stab you, an do, they aren't much of a friend anyway and I wouldn't mind telling others the deal. A few have gotten that rep around here through the years, most deer and waterfowl hunting... often leasing the land out from the landowner at a high price than the original lease... one state trooper around here was the worst.

Well, I don't like going with people to their "secret spots" on public land... The problem is, if they take me to their secret spot and it's within 100 miles, chances are I already know about it or will find it soon. Most of the spots around here change on a yearly basis depending on adjacent cropping systems. It takes a lot of scouting to know where good spots are on a yearly basis. When I find those spots, I don't want people to think I'm breaking the "unwritten rule", so I'd rather go hunting alone than go with a fiend to a spot I haven't been to before. Nothing worse than a spot-stealer, and I don't want anybody to think I stole their spot.

That being said, I've shown friends spots that they would have never found on their own (not much for scouting) and they go scorched earth after I show them. Typically, if I can swallow my pride and go hunt with them again, I'll take them to worthless spots and consider any hunting success to be extra to the time spent outside.

So, if you're worried about someone stealing your spot, try taking them to a bad spot instead!

I've taken lots of hunters over the years. To me the worst are public land duck hunters. Its been a disaster nearly every time. Worst I remember was light goose hunting. During the first year of electronic calls in the spring CA season, I had two friends wanting to hunt them so I lined up permission on some primo spots. We set close to a.thousand decoys, so help was always something to look for. So we took one extra guy. Pounded them for most of the season. Who gets permission from the landowner the next year, using snow goose sausage from the hunts he was a guest on? Yep I about flipped, but then again, it was just snow geese. Hard to believe a guy would ruin a relationship over snow geese.

Now I don't take anyone unless I know them really well and have a pointed talk with them first. I have a great friend that wouldn't hunt ducks at all if it weren't for me, which works great.

I have the same policy. Not everyone so considerate though.

I’ve seen folks lose their lease over deer. I guess they want to notoriety for their accomplishment and have to tell the world through the www and magazines. Doesn’t take someone long to find out where a deer was killed and a farmer offered 3x the pay to lease the land out from under them. One guys family had been leasing that same piece of property for 15 years...money talks.
Another guy didn’t take into account the landowner would be harassed about leasing his land so he got the boot...and was hunting it for free!!
Keep your mouthes shut except through close friends. Heck word gets out even without telling someone. Someone sees you driving down the road and antlers sticking up out from the sides. Taxidermist talk. Processors talk. I hadn’t even made it home this year and my son called me saying he had already received two calls asking where I’d shot my deer, lol. And he’s the only one I sent a pic to at the time.

Unless you always hunt solo it never ends

I had a sweet deer hunting spot for about 20 years. I asked a guy that was down on his luck if he would like to join me. He graciously accepted and went on to shoot a nice buck. The following year he asked if his daughter could join us. I agreed, and that year they both took a deer. The following year he asked if his handicapped son could tag along, he did and again all shot nice deer.

The following year I had to miss for health reasons, and discovered during the off season the place had been sold. I also found my deer hunting "buddy" had talked to the new owner and secured hunting privileges for himself and his 3 kids. I was told the new owner was very hesitant about hunters and he assured him there would only be 4 hunters total. All sounded good until I found out the new gang was the original guy, no kids, but 3 of his friends.

That was the last time I have ever hunted or fished with anyone besides my Wife.

WS

2 Kings 20:12-15
King James Version

12 At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

14 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.

15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

Been asked many times where I find all my morel mushrooms. Never ever gave up a spot. Lakes, yes but never spots. Most people never hunt deer with me. I hunt areas that ATV's are not allowed and always walk in several miles. I have 1 friend I hunt with and we share spots and the work when we connect. Only trap beaver through the ice and if they want to trap those spots in the spring. Good luck.

Good plan

Yep me to.