Turning tail and letting the other guy who is obviously breaking the law, never is right.
Who said anything about turning tail and letting him get away with it?
One of my least favorite things about this forum is when people try to slant an argument by putting words in the other person's mouth. It's only the internet, but it's dishonest and a chickensh** tactic.
I know you gave the OP advice, and I did too. I think that your advice about taking another person's stands down was BS and wrong--that is messing with another person's property, and it's taking the law into your own hands, which is not a good thing. If you see a guy poach a deer in the backcountry, are you going to ride in and execute a citizen's arrest? When you see a guy weaving in traffic, obviously drunk, do you try to pull him over?
Even thought the outfitter is breaking the law,you are also messing with his livelihood by taking his stands, and that is 100% guaranteed to escalate the situation. You can go in with your guns blazing and all, but the last thing I ever want to do is have to shoot another man over something as trivial as a tree stand.
I've been in a similar situation, armed and confronted by a drunken dickhead (also armed)who I would have been 100% justified in killing with my pistol, and believe me, I could have. I never want to be in that situation again.
