hunting roadtrip etiquette question..

[pointysticks]

ok. going hunting. roadtrip!

as the owner of a dependable truck, i get to drive about 90% of the time. my buddy has a high mileage SUV with blown out shocks..i would vomit from the motion sickness long before i ever get to where i need to go. (personally, i would change out the shocks, but i cant tell anyone how to spend $$)

my buddy wants me to go to his house about 30-45 minutes in the WRONG DIRECTION..if i pick him up, i would need to drive BACK right past my house, to get to where we want to go. i need to buy one new tire today..bummer.

i asked him to meet at my place. he wants me to pick him up, so his house will look like there is a car out front, so his Wife will feel more secure. what? my wife wont have my car out front..i dont get it.

i asked if his wife could drop him off..we will see..this is a decent buddy, not best friend. might be my last time hunting tripping with him. he is "different".

[bnsafe]

i would not drive 40 miles in the wrong direction just to pick somebody up. thats a rediculous request.

[elkaholic]

Agreed. If he wants to go he can make it to your house, unless he has a very good reason he can't which it sounds like he doesn't.

[Freebird134]

I think your first problem is hunting with someone you consider a "buddy" in the loosest of definitions. My "buddies" wouldn't ask me to do that without a hell of a good reason and offering to pay the gas.

40 minutes x2 = 80 minutes * 60mph = 72 miles/20mpg = 3.6 gallons * $4/gal = $14.

Is $14 worth the argument? I don't know how far you are driving, but that could be a drop in a bucket of fuel costs.

[MTLongdraw]

I don't agree with that...Thats a ton of extra work, money, and hassle for you. That also means getting up an hour and half earlier and staying up an hour and half later for the return trip. Could work up to an extra three hours you're awake after a hunting trip when your exhausted. That can make a guy miserabel plus how unsafe the drive could be if you're alone and can hardly stay awake. Guy should probably figure it out and realize its a nice treat to have someone drive for you. Especially week in and week out. Don't abuse it.

[easeup]

easy boys.......much to quick to judge the other guy. Here is the other side of the coin.
you're right, he did ask you to go out of your way. He did ask to you give up your time and money to make his life easier. He does ask you to drive all of the time. His stuff is junk and not reliable. In many ways, he is a loser.
So I ask simply, must your friendship be sort of a 50/50 deal or there is no friendship?
Since no good deed goes unpunished (one of Murphys Laws), if he kills out first and nearly all of the time, will you refuse to help him pack out his meat also since he has never helped you with anything?

If you say yes, you will eventually find yourself alone.....nearly all of the time.
If you say no to both, then you my friend are a friend indeed, and the type of guy everyone wants to know.

I know what you are saying, this guy is probaby pretty frustrating sometimes, and wished he were a little different.
Would it make any difference to you if he was your son?

[Bullnuts]

If he was my son he'd know better than to ask....just saying. I think that friendship is a 2 way street and hunting buddies are like married couples. They work together and co-exist in a way that brings harmony to a relationship. If one is not willing to accommodate, yet demands to be accommodated to, that's divorce material. The good news is you won't have to give him half of all your stuff when you do it.

And, since we're talking about it, I've actually had some pretty frank discussions with hunting partners about what I will do and what I expect from them. If they can't share in the chores around camp, come up with their share of grocery money, cook half the meals, clean up after themselves, keep from stomping on my hunting areas, etc, they will be off the list. Nothing personal, but I hunt to have fun, not to babysit someone who is inept.

Last, and so you don't all think I'm a cold hearted turd, I have a few disabled vets that I hunt with and yes, I would drive as many miles as I had to in order to pick them up to make sure they were on the stand or in the blind when it was time for the sun to come up and I'd make sure they got fed and made it home safely.

[bnsafe]

so how did it turn out

[pointysticks]

so how did it turn out

well..i opted to go and pick him up. my wife talked me down.

and you know what? it wasnt horrible picking him up (except when i saw the pile of crap he wanted to bring)..but dropping him off SUCKED. it was exhausting, and somehow we ended up unloading into his garage. for other reasons, he is a less than perfect hunting partner..

but in general okay..i may not do anymore epic trips with him..small local ones, okay.

[bnsafe]

sounds like you handled it well. unless he was a great friend i wouldnt have driven to get him. glad it wasnt as bad as you thought it would be.