Do you say something or just roll your eyes?

tynimiller

New member
So I was at Walmart earlier tonight and low and behold it's one of the few that guns are coming back to...and that my friends is when this happened:

-Me, standing at the shotgun stand turning it slowly looking at the prices, more or less just out of curiosity...you know trying to itch that itch we all have.

-Guy at near by rifle rack: "Excuse me, you hunt deer much?"

-Me: "Yeah, as much as I can every year."

-Guy: "Which would you recommend the .270 or the 30-06?"

-Me: "Well I'm more of the bowhunter type, but here in Indiana's firearm season if I do hunt with a gun I use a muzzleloader."

-Guy: "Well I wasn't happy with my .243 last year, wounded 3 deer last season."

-Me: "That sucks, where were you hunting?"

-Guy: "Oh just down the road a ways actually on County Road -----"

Okay at this moment what do you do? This guy clearly broke rules,rifles illegal in Indiana no matter when, wounded deer and was planning on doing it again this season now!!!!

I'll be honest I was nice but I kinda read him the riot act. To which he got extremely defensive and stated I needed to chill out. He stated at one point, "It's up tight hunter's like you who ruin it for all of us?"

To which I responded, "You've got to be kidding me?! You're the one illegally hunting, using rifles during bow season (learned this through the fact he said he wounded one in October) and have absolutely no respect for the animal you hunt or the other hunters you cast a idiot shadow over. It's because of hunters like you that all of us real hunters have to put up with people attacking us! Because idiots like you take to the woods every single year!"

Now it may have been slightly different but that's what was said exactly I'm pretty sure. Have any of you experienced this at a gun store or out inter-mingling with other "hunters"?
 
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okiewita40

New member
If it had been me. I would have been a lot more rude than you were. Besides I would have told him that he had no business hunting anything. After that I would have probably told him that if I ever caught him hunting I would shove his rifle where the sun doesn't shine.
 

bswiv

New member
I feel your pain.

If we let folks like that define us we are lost!

Don't know if SHAME works in this society any more as a molder of behavior but he certainly needed to be SHAMED......
 

Pahoo

New member
We are all connected

I usually ask a bunch of questions that reflect their ignorant ways then let them know what I truly feel and it can get a bit ugly. .... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 

Discern

New member
Even when we are upset, we all need to keep our emotions in check. Did he do things that were wrong? Yes, based on what you have said. Could you have handled it better? IMO, yes, based on what you have said.

When I was growing up and learning I did things that were wrong and stupid, but my dad never lost it. Instead he corrected and taught. IMO, responses should be different for someone who has not been taught and wants to learn (he was asking) vs. those who know better but refuse to do what is right. How about showing him the rules from the hunting regs book at the counter, suggesting he gets a book so he can read and understand the hunting regs, suggesting he find a mentor (even suggesting someone you know if possible), suggesting he joins a rifle club, suggesting he takes a rifle course (NRA Basic Rifle Course would be a good one). He may have used the wrong bullet or did not have good bullet placement. It appears he was trying (maybe not the proper way) to take actions to prevent what he had done before. There was an opportunity to help him become a knowledgeable and ethical hunter, and we need to take advantage of those opportunities.

Would you have handled it any differently if he was a bow hunter? Just asking.
 

jimbob86

Moderator
Granted, slob hunters are the enemy.

So destroy your enemy by making a friend of him.

I like the idea of asking him questions that expose his ...... problems.

"You do know that October is bow season, right? And the fine is so not worth waiting 2 weeks (or however long)?"

You know they run stings with robo-deer on roads, right? And that the fine is ........"

"Where did you sight the rifle on at?" "What range do you practice at?" "You know you could save quite a bit on practice ammo by loading your own......."

You get more flies with honey than vinegar.
 

jgcoastie

New member
Unless you're willing to come to blows over it and figure out who's right by who's left, handle future encounters similar to what jimbob suggested.
 

tynimiller

New member
Discern...valid question about the bowhunter thing. I will say that bowhunters have kinda of a brotherhood for sure, but my allegience stops at any illegal activity. I'd like to think it wouldn't have matter 100% whether he was a bow hunter, ML hunter, shotgun or rifle. I know I'm a bow before gun type guy, but not everybody rolls like that.

I do wish I hadn't "blown up" slightly and maybe guilted him into hopefully checking his behavior and illegal hunting tactics, but when he said I was the problem for hunters I was done with him to be honest: "Stupidity at a point stops being logical" as my grandpa used to say.

No one will accuse me of being one of the bad apples, no one. I strive every year to brush up on better techniques, practice shooting every weapon I plan on using and practice proper deer management.

I guess the one thing I should have added was this guy was clearly older than me, although I'm quite young still at 25, he was closer to 40. I guess I'm guilty of just assuming he knew better and just didn't care. Especially when he stated the whole "it's up tight hunters like you..." line.
 

Art Eatman

Staff in Memoriam
I'm not sure what I would have done. However, based on what he admitted, I'd have to figure that he was just too bleeping stupid to be able to learn much, regardless of efforts at polite explanations...
 

shortwave

New member
Don't know the laws in Indiana as far as poaching goes, but in Ohio, they catch you poaching and you'll loose bigtime. Everything you have on your person including the vehicle your in, you can count on as gone....that doesn't include the fines , possible jail time and never again being allowed to purchase hunting/fishing license.

I like the idea of 'going over to the counter and getting him a copy of the hunting regs' . Along with asking him the value of the vehicle he hunts out of...if he uses a quad and those type of questions , letting him know just what that deer he's poaching will cost him.

Course, if he's that dumb to openly admit poaching to a perfect stranger in the middle of Wally World, I'd have to think either he was BS'ing you, is an anti-hunter just telling you this to see your reaction or belongs on "The Worlds Dumbest Criminals" show.
 

hooligan1

New member
Some people are just thick, and it's hard but we must lead even thick people through the fog. Maybe he really was an anti hunter checking to see exactly the way you felt........ Don't be suprised at what lenghts people will take to dump on us!:mad:
 

Daryl

New member
I'd have said something like, "Well, if you can't shoot a .243 accurately enough to kill a deer, what makes you think a harder kicking rifle will help your shooting skills?"

Then I might have mentioned that rifles were illegal to hunt deer with there, but that's not a problem in my state.

Daryl
 

jimbob86

Moderator
I'd have walked off and let Darwin take care of it....

Darwin can cause a lot of collateral damage, at least in the immediate term: the life you save may be your own!

"Well, if you can't shoot a .243 accurately enough to kill a deer, what makes you think a harder kicking rifle will help your shooting skills?"

This is constructive criticism, and if the guy could grok that, there is hope.
 

Cowboy_mo

New member
The "teacher" in me would have to try and inform the guy he was hunting illegally and the consequences of his actions. I would have tried to do that without demeaning his actions. Now, if he wanted to argue, I would have to give him my very best 'WHATEVER' and walked away. If the guy was truly trying to learn, that is one thing. If not, I always remember Ron White and "you just can't fix stupid".
 

x3m

New member
being me I would have made friends with him , found out where and when he was going to hunt again and called the cops :D with a little insider information. The arrogance he has talking about wounding an animal , butchers lke him should not be allowed to shoot at animals.
 

publius

New member
I would have asked him where he hit them with his .243 then told him that I had killed dozens with my .243 but was too afraid to use it in Indiana because rifles are illegal for hunting.
 
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