When did you know a hunting partner wasn’t going to last? I’ll go first…

[kodiakisland]

Real nice guy from church had been wanting to go moose hunting and it just happened that my regular buddies were previously engaged for the time I had set aside for the hunt, so I said sure, why not.

He said he had a good 4 man tent and we should use it as mine were all 2-3 man lightweight tents for goat country. Sure, why not.

We fly from KI to Dillingham, then take the bush flight out to the lake we will be on for the next week. I like to get camp situated first, so we try putting up his tent. He seemed confused on the process so I took over, but something just wasn't right. The tent poles seemed too short for the tent. I ask him WTF was up and he said he didn't know. It was a borrowed tent that he had never taken out of the bag. Thankfully I brought one of my own tents for food/gear storage so we had a good tent to sleep in.

Things went downhill from there. Suffice to say neither of us got a moose and we never hunted together again. Still remained friends but did not discuss hunting.

 

[Steiny77]

Lifelong hunting partner since I was 9, taught me the basics of hunting and instilled in me an appreciation and desire for the outdoors. The kind of partner you feel comfortable telling anything to.

When I was 24 his dad died and I was in a position to move in with the widow and help take care of the place. No less than 3 separate times I was verbally assured this would ensure the 250 acre Ohio farm stayed in the family and “I would be taken care of.”

I move to Montana at the age of 27. A year later the widow dies, hunting partner gets the farm with his brother as discussed and planned. Within a year he’s complaining of all the maintenance with mowing - dudes retired so it was hard for me to understand as I’m working 40+ hours a week how him mowing 5 hours a week for 5 months is such a chore, but whatever. I suggest no less than 3 distinct ways to mitigate it - renting, leasing, or just hiring. None of which he pursues.

Fast forward to when I’m 34ish. Find out he is giving everything to his wife when he dies - not what was discussed. I confront him over the phone and again in person when I visit and he provides zero explanation and claims to not recall any of our conversations from when I lived with widow and the verbal promises made. He stops calling me, we lose touch.

2 years later I’m 36ish he files lawsuit against his brother to force the sale of the farm. Farm gets parceled up into 9 pieces auctioned off for the tune of $2.5M with another 10% on top to the auctioneer.

Now for the kick to the nuts - that hunting partner is my dad and that was our family farm for over 200 years . I told my wife I could walk in to her screwing another man on our bed and would feel less betrayed. Haven’t spoke to him in 4 years and likely never will.

He not only screwed over my uncle, my two cousins and myself but also his two other siblings and their children (literally his entire living family and IMO his dead parents - my grandparents) as my grandma redid the will when I was living there to ensure just my dad and uncle got the farm to “keep it in the family” because the other two “just want money.” All 4 siblings got $50k cash when grandma died but then my dad and uncle also got the farm account with like $60k and ultimately ended up with over $1M each when it was all ultimately sold not even a decade later. Crazy and sad to me the auctioneer ended up with more inheritance than my aunt and other uncle.

Lesson learned. Never trust anyone with an alcohol problem, which they both had. Sure makes me appreciate public lands though!

There is a lot more to the story and a lot more history there with my dad cheating on my mom, divorce, and losing a piece of the farm my grandpa gave him and his mistress during that marriage which he then lost in their divorce but then he remarried her.

This scenario and similar things play out on a routine basis every day in farm country, I see something similar going on right now with a close friends family.
You say you got screwed, but in reality it was his ground to do with what he wanted. Lesson learned - If you don't hold the title, you don't have Jack sh#t to say about the ground.

Waiting to inherit ground is a losing proposition. If you really want ground, you need to get serious about it young and buy it yourself.

 

[ODarrow]

Best advice I ever got, when someone asks if you want to go hunting say “you bet! Where are we going?” If they want company, at least the first time, go to their spot.

I like this. Ive never invited people over for food and shown up to their house…haha

 

[ODarrow]

My wife and I had a talk recently. She wondered why I hunted alone so much, and why I didn’t hunt more with a certain friend and his kids. I teach all day. I have little desire to teach and be patient in the field. I know that sounds terrible and I have a ton to learn myself.

I’m getting there. I love taking new people out, but in reality I’m new to hunting myself. Everything I know now is learned from the library or watching YouTube videos. I didn’t grow up with it so that’s the route I took but I hear a lot of people use that as an excuse for not getting into hunting and to me that just seems like a lack of motivation.It’s a lot of work just to go hunting in itself let alone babysit. It makes a lot easier when someone is really motivated, but even then it is Work.

 

[Big Sky Guy]

My wife has a road named after her in Livingston… should have had a nice piece of land her family has owned for generations.
Her dad’s entire inheritance was yanked away by a greedy sister. He’s passed now and any legal push to right the wrongs has come to a halt… sad deal. I’m sorry about your pops and the family farm…

Thanks, sorry for your sister too. I think it’s easier being 1700 miles away and having 30 million acres of public land to hunt and explore. If I still lived in Ohio I’m sure I would be depressed to lose the only place I ever really hunted there every year.

This scenario and similar things play out on a routine basis every day in farm country, I see something similar going on right now with a close friends family.
You say you got screwed, but in reality it was his ground to do with what he wanted. Lesson learned - If you don't hold the title, you don't have Jack sh#t to say about the ground.

Waiting to inherit ground is a losing proposition. If you really want ground, you need to get serious about it young and buy it yourself.

I agree with you more or less. Perhaps betrayed would have been a better word than screwed as I understand it sounds entitled idk.

The farm was going to be sold by my grandma when grandpa died as she didn’t want to live there alone. That’s when I was asked by all 3 of them to move in with her to prevent sale. When you give your word (especially to your family and your only son) things are going to be one way I do think you should do your best to uphold it. Or if not, communicate why.

None of us were waiting for anything per se but there was certainly an understanding and expectation - because it was told to our faces numerous times and we were all present for those conversations.

It’s abundantly clear to me now I was just a pawn, purposefully or incidentally I do not know, to my dad and step mom.

Perhaps the idea of a generational family farm is just pie in the sky in 2026, but the expectation for each generation to start from zero and amass enough wealth to purchase these now record high commodities from their own parents that was gifted to them does not really seem quite right either idk. I would feel differently if there was a mortgage involved my dad and uncle were paying and worked for but maybe that shouldn’t matter either idk.

Clearly something has changed in the past generation or two as you state you’ve seen and I’ve seen more and more are sold every year now that have been historically been held for generations.

 

[TheTone]

One year of elk hunting where it was very clear that I was basically just caller and packer. The year before we hunted the area and I’d say hunted as a team, I killed a spike and he went home empty handed. The next year back to the same area is when things kinda fell apart. As we were setting camp I spotted a bull a few hundred yards off and he was adamant I don’t go after it. 5 or so days later when he killed a bull I did almost all the work quartering it for who knows what reason. The next day after we had it all back to camp he was immediately ready to break camp and head home despite us both having a couple more days vacation. There was never a time on year two where he called for me, where I was set up as shooter or decisions were made as a team. In hindsight I still might have done the trip but not bought a tag of mine own so I could have hunted at home. Super weird deal all the way around, we haven’t elk hunted together since that year

 

[Nick87]

Waiting to inherit ground is a losing proposition. If you really want ground

Unless your a weasel, seems to work pretty good.