Slob "Hunters"?

[flathead willie]

I had to waste one of my buck tags on someone else's deer yesterday. I was out on the mountain yesterday hoping to get a chance at one of the huge bucks that have been seen on the property. Since I already have 4 in the freezer, I was hunting for a nice wall hanger. About a half hour after sunup I heard an ATV going up the mountain. 20 minutes later I heard a high powered rifle go off. ( It's black powder season here.) After a couple hours, I decided to do a little more scouting. When I got half way up the mountain, I ran into my friends brother, one of the land owners. He was on his ATV with a .270 Ruger. I asked him if he had shot one and he said, "Yea". I asked him where it was and he said it had a messed up rack so he left it on top of the mountain. He said he was looking for a wall hanger, too. Well when he left, I continued up the mountain to where I had heard the shot. Laying next to the logging road was what would have been a nice 8 pointer that had half of it's right beam missing. It looked like it had been broken off while in velvet. This was a three year old deer that most people would have mounted if not for the broken beam. I started cussing under my breath. One more season and this would have been a wall hanger in anyone's book.
Well it was getting warmer, so I gutted the deer and put one of my tags on it. I went down and got my friends ATV and dragged the deer out and took it to the processors. In the afternoon, I put my stand in a different place and started calling. Before long a nice 10 pointer came in within 30 yards of me. He wouldn't come out of the thicket, although I know he smelled the tarsal glands I had set out, so I knew he wasn't a dominant buck. With only one buck tag left, I decided to let it go and wait on a chance at a bigger one. I sat there thinking about this idiot killing these 2-3 year old deer, and claiming to be a trophy hunter. He did the same thing the season before last with another nice 8 pointer. It's bad enough to be too lazy to get off the ATV and hunt, but it's a real shame to shoot deer like these and just let them rot. I hated having to give up one of my tags, but at least this time the deer will be eaten. It makes me wonder how many more decent bucks are out there laying around the woods that this fool just shot and left.

[azcataholic]

I agree Billie, It doesn't hurt as bad to hear a person shooting a younger deer, but hear of a person shooting a deer, or any game and not pursuing it, makes me ill. I can't even imagine why he shot it! What may not be a trophy in some eyes is a memorable moment in others. Every animal i have shot will be remembered by me.

[flathead willie]

["I can't even imagine why he shot it!"]

I guess it makes him feel like a "real man" to kill things. This guy doesn't even eat venison.

[jlingle]

Well Willie, when is the game warden coming to pick him up? After all, he just told you what he did, and you found the evidence. You did call the game warden, right?

[rrssmith]

["I can't even imagine why he shot it!"]

I guess it makes him feel like a "real man" to kill things. This guy doesn't even eat venison.
I know how you feel willie, we were dove hunting close to a couple of other hunters and when they left we drove by their spot and they had left a pile of dead doves! probably 20 doves just left there, a complete waste.

[223reload]

That totally unacceptable in my book. I would have turned him in ,in a heartbeat!!! We have a big enough prob here with game hogs killing more than thier limit . This just runs all over me.

[fr8dog]

It just boils down to RESPECT! If you're going to take it's life, then show the animal the respect it deserves, and use it wisely. NOTHING in the outdoors p's me off more than those that call themselves "sportsmen", and then waste the resources the Good Lord put here for us.

You did a good thing by sucking it up and not letting it die for nothing. Reps to ya!!

[bw69r]

ihat is totally unacceptable in my book and he should be held accountable for his actions. should have turned him in friend or not.

[ozzy]

Billie your a better man than him. You did the right thing.

[ozzy]

["I can't even imagine why he shot it!"]

I guess it makes him feel like a "real man" to kill things. This guy doesn't even eat venison.

Sounds like he bats for the other team. Who doesnt eat venison after ya kill it. :confused2:

[on_the_fly]

myself I would feel I was just as much to blame if I know and didnt turn him in. as I was young growning up rule number one taught by dad and gramps never piont a gun at anything you didnt intend to shoot and if you shoot you better eat it or call the law to get that burgler/family threat out of your door way so you didnt let the heat out.

[ozzy]

I know how you feel willie, we were dove hunting close to a couple of other hunters and when they left we drove by their spot and they had left a pile of dead doves! probably 20 doves just left there, a complete waste.

What the H..........? Why even shoot? :confused2:

[catfish kenny]

Yeah know what you mean.....been out several times and found a body with no head & that is just as bad if ya ask me!

[xringer3]

Some people are confused between "hunting" and just "killing". Some people just want to go out and kill something and have no appreciation for the animal or the tradition. If the game warden was called, then he could loose his license and rifle for a very long time, but then he'd just go out and kill our game anyway. He's not addicted to hunting, just to killing game! He thinks he needs one that looks like the cover of a magazine to be considered a real hunter, FALSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think he needs to be turned in to the game warden for sure!!!!!

[tofish]

maybe i'm old fashion here, but i feel willie did it wrong. he said "black powder season" an guy was using a 270. then shoot and leave laying and not even hide? turn his arse in. he's probably saying that willie is a good old boy and would never turn him in. yea, the meat might go to waste, but maybe the fine might teach him something.
gary

[THRowSOmeStink]

It sucks when people have no respect for mother nature period. Glad there are a few stand up people out there left. Sorry about your luck Willie and hope you score on your last buck tag.

[Jacksmooth]

I know a few guys like this man. They have been turned in and caught and it has no effect on them. Some of them have been caught more than once. They just keep doing it without the license. Kinda like drunk drivers. Im like you guys I dont like it but sometimes its not worth the troubles of turning them in and then have to deal with the repercussions later.

[bluejay]

Your a better man than me Willie. I would of turned him in. He needs a wake up call!!

[jlingle]

Willie, what'd you decide to do? Did you do the right thing and turn him in, or did you squash your morals and keep your hunting spot?

[lance]

If you kill it eat it . my motto . Least he could have donated it to someone . Lotta hungry people out there .

[45CATFISH]

I agree there are alot of hungry people out there.Totally disgusting act!!!

[Tubby Catfishin]

OK Im going w/ the upper 90% on here. BURN HIM FOR IT! I dont care if its got 1 or 100 points, if your gonna kill it; ILLEGALLY ; at least eat it or give it to someone who wants it! Just shootin it and leavin it cuz " IT AINT BIG ENOUGH" should be jail time. And a loss of your sportsman PRIVLAGES and RIFLES. :angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry:: angry::angry::angry::angry:

[CountryHart]

I can partially understand shooting the buck without getting a good clear view of it's rack.( running or in brush) We don't always have time to score a deer while it's haulin azz up the hill.:wink: The part that i refuse to understand is someone killing a deer and leaving it lay. This will bring the true redneck out in me as quick as anything. Your a better man than i am Billie, i would have likely had to find another place to hunt after i told this guy how i REALLY felt. Sad thing but the world is full of folks that shouldn't even be allowed in the woods.

[spoonfish]

Willie, what'd you decide to do? Did you do the right thing and turn him in, or did you squash your morals and keep your hunting spot?

Being able to sleep at night is worth more than any spot. I agree with the rest, turn his poachin ass in and find a new place....

[Poppa]

I think Billie did the right thing. I have never met the landowner that killed
the deer illegally but I know others just like him. They own property and
they think they own every animal on it. No one tells them when they can
hunt or what they can harvest. They are the most arrogant obnoxious overbearing human beings on Gods green earth. In their minds the sun
comes up only with their permission. The local law knows them and they
do not bother them. The only reason I can think of is the law knows if they
mess with them they would have to kill them. If you brought charges against
this man even if you won you would lose. Your tree stands would be stolen
your vehicle might be burned, may be your camp house burned. And you
would not have any witnesses. You would know who did it and why but you
could not prove it. The best way to handle these people is to avoid
confrontation with them and mind your own business. Most of the time
these people have a conflict with some one else just like themselves and
one is killed and the other goes to prison. I hope you never have to deal
with people like this but believe me they are out there.

[dieselcat]

you need to turn the lowlife in first of all if it's muzzle loader season and not rifle,and second for killing a perfectly good animal and leaving it lay.friend or not i would let the law deal with his ass

[flathead willie]

I think Billie did the right thing. I have never met the landowner that killed
the deer illegally but I know others just like him. They own property and
they think they own every animal on it. No one tells them when they can
hunt or what they can harvest. They are the most arrogant obnoxious overbearing human beings on Gods green earth. In their minds the sun
comes up only with their permission. The local law knows them and they
do not bother them. The only reason I can think of is the law knows if they
mess with them they would have to kill them. If you brought charges against
this man even if you won you would lose. Your tree stands would be stolen
your vehicle might be burned, may be your camp house burned. And you
would not have any witnesses. You would know who did it and why but you
could not prove it. The best way to handle these people is to avoid
confrontation with them and mind your own business. Most of the time
these people have a conflict with some one else just like themselves and
one is killed and the other goes to prison. I hope you never have to deal
with people like this but believe me they are out there.

Thanks. I did call a friend of mine who is the game warden. However, there are several problems. I just met this guy two years ago, but his brother and sister-in-law have been my best friends for 30 years, and his mother and I are close and she is very old now. They live on the farm, he doesn't. He lives in the city of Lynchburg, 30 miles away. I lived there for 6 years and was the only one that hunted there until two or three years ago. Thanks in part to Bush's budget cuts, we have only two wardens to cover 769 square miles of mountainous land, including a lake with 500 miles of shore line, a lot of which is in this county, several hundred thousands acres of National Forest, and two rivers. I've hunted around here for 30 years and have never seen a warden in the woods. They don't go on private property unless a land owner calls them. Since he owns the farm, he is allowed to carry a rifle any time he wants. The warden tells me that the only way they can prosecute him is to catch him with a deer, catch him transporting one off his property, or see him shoot one illegally. I didn't see him shoot it! Land owners/tenants here are not required to buy a license, so they can't take his license even if they do catch him. If he was caught, he can get around the whole thing just by getting a damage permit which allows him to kill all the deer he wants, even at night, or from a vehicle, and keep doing what he's been doing. I don't think the authorities care much anymore. I don't think a lot of folks even check deer in anymore since we can do it online or by phone. Even when I was a tenant there, I always bought my licenses because it helps support the sport I love.
The warden said he would keep an eye out for him and would stop by "to visit me" if I told him when I would be there, but that doesn't guarantee that the poacher will be there. I am a firm believer in Karma. He will get what's coming to him sooner or later. This guy is not a sportsman, and he is certainly not a trophy hunter if he is stupid enough to kill deer that are one season away from being a real trophy.

[bluejay]

I would at least tell his family about it. I'm having a little thing going on with a step grandson at the moment for something illegal he did. My son can't say anything to his mother as it starts a fight. I told him she can get mad at me all she wants. It is my property and I choose who hunts it. Good luck!!

[Mo.Hick]

I would have turned him in. No matter weather he is the land owner or not. That is the kind of person that gives us that hunt by the book a bad name and makes it hard on us with all the anti hunters.

Tom

[flathead willie]

I would have turned him in. No matter weather he is the land owner or not. That is the kind of person that gives us that hunt by the book a bad name and makes it hard on us with all the anti hunters.

Tom

Until a few years ago when his Dad died, he wasn't allowed to hunt there. That's why I had never met him before. I've told his mother and brother. Maybe they can help put a stop to it. It sure pisses me off to drive an hour to get there, be in a tree an hour before daylight, and then have an ATV come driving up under me an hour after the sun comes up! :angry:

[azcataholic]

Hey Billie, some guys are pretty hard on you on this one, but i believe in Karma also. The big guy may not stop him from shooting himself in the foot!

[flathead willie]

Hey Billie, some guys are pretty hard on you on this one, but i believe in Karma also. The big guy may not stop him from shooting himself in the foot!

Yea, they are. I wonder how many of them would give up 200 acres of the best hunting they ever had because of something like this. I'm not too crazy about starting a family feud so I hope my warden friend can keep my name out of it. My friends wife is dying from lung cancer and his 85 year old mother is on her last legs, also. They don't need this mess.

[lance]

Billie you do as you see fit . I've read the world is full of theese kind of people and know it myself . I took a beating for Legally running some jugs just cause someone else owns All the fish in the river . My grandpa walked me through a cow feild one time and pointed to a pile and said . "the more you stir it up the more you get on you " You talked to the warden and family I myself would leave it alone right there . You walk in your shoes I walk in mine . Take it for what it is .

[Pastor E]

Hey Billie you did thing right thank you:smile2:

[Mi11er]

Billie,
Your in a tough spot, I know it is easy to say "turn him in" but there is some circumstances that would make it hard to turn him in. But, at the very least tell this guys brother. Him riding around shooting anything that moves is dangerous. But, as you know it is easier when your not the one in the situation.

[ozzy]

Willie ya done right, ya filled a tag and didnt ruffle any feathers.Sounds like the other guy has alot on his mind right now.

[bw69r]

Billie not beatin' up on ya brother just saying what i would do. guess there was a reason he wasn't allowed to hunt the property before. and this sounds like the reason why.

[flathead willie]

Billie not beatin' up on ya brother just saying what i would do. guess there was a reason he wasn't allowed to hunt the property before. and this sounds like the reason why.

No, the reason he couldn't hunt is because he didn't help his father on the farm and I did. He didn't start hunting it until his Dad died.

[lance]

A little hard work goes a LOOOONNGG way. It helps people willing to work have a place to hunt .

[katfish ken]

Thanks. I did call a friend of mine who is the game warden. However, there are several problems. I just met this guy two years ago, but his brother and sister-in-law have been my best friends for 30 years, and his mother and I are close and she is very old now. They live on the farm, he doesn't. He lives in the city of Lynchburg, 30 miles away. I lived there for 6 years and was the only one that hunted there until two or three years ago. Thanks in part to Bush's budget cuts, we have only two wardens to cover 769 square miles of mountainous land, including a lake with 500 miles of shore line, a lot of which is in this county, several hundred thousands acres of National Forest, and two rivers. I've hunted around here for 30 years and have never seen a warden in the woods. They don't go on private property unless a land owner calls them. Since he owns the farm, he is allowed to carry a rifle any time he wants. The warden tells me that the only way they can prosecute him is to catch him with a deer, catch him transporting one off his property, or see him shoot one illegally. I didn't see him shoot it! Land owners/tenants here are not required to buy a license, so they can't take his license even if they do catch him. If he was caught, he can get around the whole thing just by getting a damage permit which allows him to kill all the deer he wants, even at night, or from a vehicle, and keep doing what he's been doing. I don't think the authorities care much anymore. I don't think a lot of folks even check deer in anymore since we can do it online or by phone. Even when I was a tenant there, I always bought my licenses because it helps support the sport I love.
The warden said he would keep an eye out for him and would stop by "to visit me" if I told him when I would be there, but that doesn't guarantee that the poacher will be there. I am a firm believer in Karma. He will get what's coming to him sooner or later. This guy is not a sportsman, and he is certainly not a trophy hunter if he is stupid enough to kill deer that are one season away from being a real trophy.
Thanks Willie for clearing up a few questions I was wondering about .. That does p!$$ you off and it would me as well. But it sounds to me like you have done every thing you can do. It is sad that there is people out there that has no more respect for wildlife than that. I know people that would have handled it totally different and would have sworn it was a hunting accident.

[derbycitycatman]

Willie I think you did all you could unless you want to take the guy to jail yourself or hold the smoke pole on him for a week until a Game Warden would get there. I found a poached deer on my land this summer and I think it took a week before a warden could even get there. ONe didnt even answer his phone or return the message I left. It was nothing but a waste of time and my patience. Once the GW got there he said there was nothing he could do but "maybe" stop by once a month.

[ozzy]

Shoot Willie, invite him here. Maybe education is the thing.

[Kansas Tree Rat]

Very upstanding thing to do Willie. Makes you wonder were this world went wrong. How could anyone be proud of a trophy on the wall that they POACHED?

[flathead willie]

Willie I think you did all you could unless you want to take the guy to jail yourself or hold the smoke pole on him for a week until a Game Warden would get there. I found a poached deer on my land this summer and I think it took a week before a warden could even get there. ONe didnt even answer his phone or return the message I left. It was nothing but a waste of time and my patience. Once the GW got there he said there was nothing he could do but "maybe" stop by once a month.

That's the way it is here. You never see a game warden unless you stop by the office. The first time I hit a deer with the truck, I called the police, they called the game warden, and I waited for two hours. No one showed up! The law says you have to call it in and get the deer checked in if you want to keep it. They stop by some of the fishing holes once in awhile, and are usually on the lake, but I never see them check hunting licenses or catching poachers.

[kennylee]

Willie, your not the only one with slob hunters. Missouri, almost the whole state is under a 4 point antler restriction, a deer must have at least 4 points on one side of its rack to be harvested.

I haven't see it myself because I only hunt on my ground or my good friends ground, but what I am hearing from friends of mine that hunt public ground, people are shooting small bucks mostly 6 pointers and leaving them where they lay when they walk up and see their not legal bucks.

Most of the hunters in MO wanted the chance to shoot bigger bucks and thats why the regs. have gone this way, but regs. effectively but an end to the hunting hours of 1/2 hour before sunup and 1/2 hour after sundown. In these low light times it is very difficult to see antlers much less get an accurate count of them,IMO.

Unfortunately for me these regs. also apply to bow hunting. I hunt a large grain farm thats 95% field and the deer don't move out into it until sunset, and most of your shoots come in the last 10 to 15 minutes of shooting hour. I have had to pass on bucks that were in my bow range (30 yards or less) because I could not be 100% they were legal bucks.

[Bill in SC]

That's a bad deal, Billie. You did the RIGHT thing. It is a universal problem as you will have this in every area of the country.
Bill in SC