All Was out the other day (Saturday morning) and saw nothing in a we hunt very infrequently. ALWAYS see stuff there, usually does, and was really surprised at being skunked. This is on a spot with trees on three sides about 350 yds from the driveway. Private land (320 acres) and the only way in is a low maintenance road; very isolated. I don't live there but have a trailer set up just for hunting. After sitting for about an hour heard someone behind me cough/sneeze. this is before sunup but getting to be prime time. When this guy got to within 60 yds of my stand he stopped, turned around and ran back the way he came. When i got down and started to walk out noticed a pretty good blood trail. Followed it to a small 8 pt. WHen I backtracked I found where the hit was, and this guy was sitting in my stand when he made the shot! The deer ran about 100 yds before piling up next to a small beaver pond. Called the conservation people and was told there wasn't much they could do, which I pretty much understood, but DAMN am I pissed off!!! Since this guy wasn't going to take this deer, asked if we should take it, and wardern said if I did it would have to be tagged, so now I get to burn my tag on this. The worst is the shot was quartering away, through the gut into lung, so meat was pretty bad when I cut it open. Tried to clean it and get him in, but too far gone to do anything with. That REALLY pisses me off!! NOTHING came out of this animal, and i'm really having a hard time with this. I know other people used to hunt this farm before, and not living there I know there are people out there hunting without me knowing it. I don't like it, but what can ya do??? But this deer died for NOTHING!! That's what I can't get over. Poachers suck!!
I feel your pain and anger!!! I got a call last night from a neighbor that hunts my Property asking if I was in the stand last night and if I Shot anything. to make a long story short I was not in the stand and he heard a shot from my stands direction (which I am only bowhunting this year). He went to investigate and found where someone had fielddressed a deer about 200 yards from my stand. I am so pissed, Called the GW they said they well step up patrol in our area there has been an increase of complaints about poaching and firehunting in my area.
Here is something worth trying. If you do not own this land then talk to the owner about this. Post some No Trespassing signs and then when you catch him/her on the property you call the cops not the game warden. Get him for being on the property not a hunting violation. Game Wardens these days are out numbered so they pick the battles they think are more serious. Which is sad. I think there should be more of them that way all these dead beats get busted. If the meat was spoiled I would of never put my tag on it. I would of drug the deer off somewhere to return to nature then come shed season I would of picked up the skull and reported that. You did not shoot it so they are wrong for telling you that you have to use your tag.
I must concur, this situation sucks all around. I'm really surprised that they didn't do anything, and I would not leave it at that. I would call whoever heads your fish and game commission and talk to them about this. It is unfair that you should be forced to blow your tag on an animal you did not kill, but rather found.
I'm new to deer hunting, and by new I mean been bowhunting for 5 years, but one thing I learned real quick is that there is always people out there that will hunt your stands that are not suppose to be on your property. Sure enough, every year it has been a problem.
Good call on calling the cops. Didn't think of that. One update, I did get another tag issued due to meat being spoiled. I just couldn't leave that animal there and not try and "harvest" it. It ended up in a dumpster, and I literally had a tear in my eye when they threw it away. Not sure why but it really has me bummed out. My son and I tracked a single lung hit he made a couple of years ago, we found it after 2 days, and the coyotes got to it, but we found it. We did tag it and register it because we killed it. But this just sucks all the way around. Thanks guys.
its sad to say but poaching is being done on a record scale now. I leased a parcel in pulaski county last year and during firearms season the dnr caught over 40 out of state hunters with no tags or lincense hunting on private lands that they had no permission to hunt on. When you talk to locals its evident that people are spot lighting deer from the road and shooting them with a rifle.
Not cool. Me personally, I'd be worried about getting my ares shot if I was poaching on someone else property. Seriously, who's to say if someone mistakenly put a field tip through one of these guys legs. Just say you were shooting at a squirrel or stay down and let the guy limp off never knowing who shot him. Can someone delete this post? I'm afraid it may incriminate in the future:-)
The reason they said you would have to use your tag is, there are people who will shoot a deer, call the GW and say they came across it while hunting and get a deer that they didn't have to use their own tag on. If they had said that to me and I was in the least little bit concerned about the quality of the meat, I would have dressed and checked it in the field BEFORE tagging.
A buddy and I were out one time sitting on the porch of his hunting cabin and saw a couple guys spotlighting from the road. The passenger had the spotlight and when they stopped to take a shot from the passenger's side, my buddy lit the driver up with his spotlight. Funny how fast they got out of there (and did not take the shot). With today's economy, I believe poaching will get worse.
I agree completely with Iowa Veteran. I'm sure GWs have heard it all and you were just another guy calling in with just another story trying to get a free buck tag. Also, let's face it, tags are getting very expensive and well the price of food is as well. Lastly, we live close enough to Indy where some of the locals here have issues with people there just not knowing any better. They don't fully understand the concept of land ownership and just assume you can go sit in any woods. Sounds odd, but they've caught people before in that shape. Most of the time it's just an apology and you give them an education on how to find state land. other cases they just run. Ethier way it is a tough spot to be in. I only have a handful of acres to hunt, like 10, but it's in a great spot and I regularly go look at a couple areas i don't hunt but other people could get in just to make sure.
Be careful with this because i had a trail camera and 2 tree stands stolen (at the same time) off of private land not even close to a property line. At least 300 yards from the nearest border
1. Lack of income to feed self & family; 2. Don't want to comply with the law; 3. Previously busted for poaching and cannot get a tag; & 4. Greedy. That would be my top 4 guesses.
