Judgement Day

This has been bothering me on and off for a while. I’m looking for opinions here.

A few years back my Dad was bragging about his 30 plus years of fishing and camping at the Third River Landing on Winni, that nothing has ever been taken from the campsite.
Our last day he left a rod leaning up against the truck, it was gone when we came back. After packing up, I walked through the parked rigs and in a topper I spotted his rod. After having Dad confirm it was his rod and lure, I tryied opening the topper. It was locked…but the tailgate opened. Besides the rod, there was gas cans, a chain saw and a case of beer. I reclaimed the rod, and took the case of beer. (if it wouldn’t be for company or my brother in law, a case of beer would last me 2 years…really!)
This has bothered me because I’m just as bad as the guy that took the rod. My thoughts afterwards were to leave the beer….but open all the cans.

What would you have done? (besides not leaving anything out in the first place!) I’m asking, so I should be able to handle the answers I get!

Ps this was before cell phones and town is over 13 miles away.

Being a father I have a saying that I tell my kids and that is that: “2 wrongs don’t make a right.” Sounds to me like you are confessing [repentance] a wrong and therefore deserve to be forgiven. It takes a ”man” to confess a wrong he has done. I have respect for that. Thanks, Bill

What brand of beer?

Seriously, even though most of us try our darndest to live a “good clean life,” we all make mistakes somewhere along the line. Just the fact that it’s been eating at you from time to time, says that in your mind, you know you did wrong. I think that’s the answer to your question. However, I think you’ve “punished” yourself enough. Back in my “more youthfull days,” I’d have left the pole and definitely taken the beer, and not thought twice about it.

i know, two wrongs don’t make a right….but i don’t think you should feel bad about taking a case of beer from some jerk that tried to steal your fishin gear. actually, you probably let him off easy….you should have probably called the cops and got him in big trouble. just my opinion

If this person is going to steal your property then he deserves everything that he gets. I know if someone was to steal my fishing equipment and I found out who it was I would definitely have a “friendly talk” with various parts of the person’s anatomy. Don’t beat yourself up for taking this lowlife’s beer. I’m sure he will just steal some more. My two cents.

Gator Hunter

Maybe someone else stole it, then left it somewhere… maybe this guy just saw it and picked it up, I would it it were laying somewhere (but granted I would prop it up against tree so owner could find)…

I would have left a note or waited for the guy “Im 100% thats mine, if Im mistaken sobeit, if not please return it to me”.

Naw…. I would have taken it back and left a note “this was mine, hope it was not you who stole it”.

Wally

I would get my gear first .Then I would set the truck on fire with the extra gas .Setting the truck on fire would be wrong ,but it would feel so GOOD . Do you think it would be ok if I took a valve stem or two , please

Brian;
Bill is right. 2 wrongs don’t make a right. However, your confession has balanced the score.

It is hard to turn the other cheek. Opening each can of beer, dumping it on the truck, then peeing on the door handles would of been my response. That’s probably wrong too, but it would of felt good. The good Lord doesn’t want to us be vengful, but it sure is hard.

Don’t feel bad for what you did. You settled and made peace just by talking about it. That guy who did that has some serious problems and issues that he is going to have to settle with his maker, sooner or later……….

Tough question. Be glad you have a conscience as some people do not, and then wipe the slate clean. I also tend to lose mine when some one has borked me over.

JUST LIKE THE TIME WHEN I TOOK MY KID FISHING FOR THE FIRST TIME. I CAUGHT A BIG SHEEPER AND IT GAVE ME A GOOD BATTLE. MY BOY WAS ALL EXCITED WHAT A BIG FISH DAD!! UNANNOUCED TO HIM I TOOK IT OFF THE HOOK AND PROMTLY THUMPED HIM OFF THE BACK OF MY BOAT. MY BOY WAS JUST DUMB FOUNDED. HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR DAD? I REPLIED HE IS A ROUGH FISH AND YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO DO THAT. BOY, SAYS TO ME, THAT FISH GIVE YOU A GOOD FAIR FIGHT AND YOU TURNED AROUND AND KILLED HIM FOR THAT? THEN THREW HIM BACK. YOU WILL BE SORRY FOR THAT DAD YOU WAIT AND SEE. THOSE WORDS HAVE STUCK WITH ME EVER SINCE. NO MORE THUMPING SHEEPIES. I WAS SPOKEN TO THAT DAY!!

GUNDY

Ouch! Gundy!

That one hit it’s mark!

Thanks all for sharing your thoughts. I don’t think James had an in-depthangling version of Dr Phil in mind when he started this site.
But that’s what make this the best place for information!

I guess my last thought on this is that I wish the fella that took the rod would be bothered as much as I….maybe he is and I just don’t know.

Thanks again!
Brian

Brian,

I would have taken the guy’s license number and called the police. A case of beer isn’t much compensation for the guy stealing your dad’s fishing rod, but the bottom line is nothing was done to change his behavior. I suspect he may be still out there stealing from other fisherman.

Remeber the Duke (for the unitiated, watch a few John Wayne movies). Truth, Justice. The American Way.
Barry

I would have had my partner go find a phone to call the police, and had him leave me there while I waited for the suspect and or my partner to return. The problem is that if a police officer shows up and you tell him that the rod belongs to you, and the suspect says that the rod belongs to him, and there aren’t any identifying characteristics on the rod that you can point out, it doesn’t give the officer any choice, he can’t take the rod from the guy and give it back to you, so maybe taking the rod back was your best bet in that situation, as far as taking the beer, yes it was wrong, but it takes a man to admit when he did something wrong, and the theif can probably consider himself lucky that all he lost was a case of beer, instead of being arrested and charged with theft, or possible getting his axx kicked by someone who didn’t feel like calling the police.

Hard to say what I’d have done…………….or what I’d do today. I’ve experienced change in the past…………and I’ll likely experience it in the future. I think what it boils down to is a value system. When you reach a point of realizing you’ve crossed your own values, you feel guilt and/or regret. Whether those were in place at the time is rather irrelavent……………it’s where you are today, and future path that’s important. It’s good to right wrongs, even if difficult sometimes, and I think you’ve grown an inch or two of character here. Way to go buddy!

Now…………..can we get back to your jig flinging tendencies and address some more personal growth???

I can honestly say there was as day not long ago the cops woundn’t have gotten a call until I was the one in trouble. That being said, it’s not the right way to handle most situations. Although I think if society would just duke it out, dust yourself off and shake hands we may be further along(reference John Wayne above).

Brian,
You definitely did the right thing in getting your dad’s fishing pole back. Taking the beer? Probably not. But once again, tit for tat. I don’t have a problem with it, because you reap what you sow. The jerk who helped himself to something that wasn’t his, doesn’t have the right to complain when the shoe is on the other foot. You punished him, by taking the beer, and you’re obviously punishing yourself by making a public statement of guilt. Don’t beat yourself up anymore, and if you feel too guilty about taking the beer, I’m ssure there are a number of people on this forum who would be more than willing to help you dispose of it. One thing I’ve learned though, is don’t bury it under your floorboards, it will haunt you.
Thanks,
Steve

Getting your pole back is what i would have definately done. Taking the beer may not be right but its the kind of language this guy understands. He probably thought he was lucky that you didn’t take more from his truck like he did from you and called the police besides after getting rid of the evidence. Its right to think that if you couldn’t positivly identify the pole with a police officer that that guy might have walked away with your pole, problem solved with a reminder to him with his beer, maybe call it compensation without a judge and a simple reminder that the next time the guy might kick his a__. Two wrongs don’t make a right , like bill says, but he got off easy, you did the right thing.

One thing I’ve learned: Take your wife’s nail polish and mark your rods somehow. Do something inconspicuous, like in the hollow of the butt-end, so that people won’t notice it.

Odds are if someone steals it, I’ll never see it again, but if I do and can recognize and identify it, especially with something as unusual as a personal marking like that, I can be pretty sure it’s coming back to me.