So let's review what we've learned here:
Larry, you make some good points and forever onward my response to this sort of situation will be different. There were definitely some lessons learned. Where I failed is, to think I could reason with this person and I didn't leave room for the X-factor. This person was NOT there to reason...he was there to punish. I may have just been the last hunter walking out that night...or parked closest to his [supposed] property line. Someone very well could have crossed his property and I took the blame?
Overall, I think most well adjusted people want to keep things civil and therefore expect most other people will react in a reasonable way. Many times this is true, but on those occasional encounters with "whack jobs" as you put it....this attitude can slow our internal alarm system and prevent us from taking the most prudent course of action.
I was so confident that my GPS track would be the end of the discussion and prove my innocence that I hadn't left room in the back of my mind that this guy wasn't going to accept the evidence.
What I can say, is that I'm glad even after getting sucker punched that I was able to diffuse the situation. At that point I was severely disadvantaged and based on the fact he was arrested with a loaded gun in his car...I highly suspect he was carrying that night. If I would have charged him, I do believe he may have used it.
In the moment this happened so quickly it was hard to think ahead to what to do next. However, in hindsight, I've had much time to consider and puzzle out every second of this encounter leading up to it, during and after.
Why wasn't my headlamp turned on?
How I could have been more prepared ?
What should I have in my pocket or on my hip belt?
Why was my high power flashlight still in my pack?
What words I could have said differently ?
What tone should I have taken?
Why did I let him get in such close proximity to me ?
Why didn't I take my back pack off so I was more mobile?
When I saw his vehicle from a distance, why did I continue to walk towards it and not stop to think what this might mean?
Why didn't I pull out my binos and observe the situation from a distance?
Why didn't I have my camera ready?
Could I have approached my truck from another direction?
There are many more questions I ask myself...and scenarios I have played out. The bottom line is that most of us don't think we will ever be in this situation and when we are ...it hits you in the face (pun intended). Only the few who have had previous aggressive encounters or specialized training are equipped to know when and how high to raise the internal alarm bells. I encourage all hunters to play out a similar situation in their heads and consider how they would react, what their physical limitations or capabilities are, what gear they carry (or don't), what training they have, and on and on. Mentally prepare yourself before you encounter this in the field!!
As hunters we often feel like we are on the offensive and that we are the predator...but we need to remember there is always a bigger meaner dog out there and mother nature accepts no weakness. We should know and be ready to switch to defensive mode when neccessay and ensure we are around to hunt another day.
Thanks for your comments and observations...luckily I'm starting to get the first tints of gray on my chin so hopefully I'm on the downswing for these sorts of interactions.