I went out to my main hunting property today to shoot my bow. I hung a new set about 30 feet up and I wanted to practice shooting from that height due to the shot angle being greater at closer distances. When I arrived, the landowner came over and talked to me and told me that someone shot my Glendale Pre-Rut buck with buckshots. I have it between some trees about 100-125 yards off the road going through the property, Earlier this week around 9PM, he heard a vehicle outside and then heard a shot. They jumped in the vehicle and fled off. I mean really? What a Total @ss! This is a Private road and they were pretty brave to do this. The landowner is a gun owner and has no problem shooting a trespasser. It didn't do a lot of damage to the buck. They shot high. I put a Covert camera on a tree surrounded by a holly bush today. Totally hidden about 3 feet off the ground. If something like this happens again, I am ready. Earlier this year he had someone drive on his property and fire 3 shots late one night and then fled off. I always have my .45cal with me and I have not had any incidents. I just hate Dumb, Stupid @ss People!! He and 2 of his children have houses on this property. He wanted me to know so I can be aware. I am the only one that hunts this property. It just infuriates me that someone would be So Stupid and Brazen!
People suck. That decoy would be destroyed and feel like Richard Simmons at San Quentin in one night here.
Ya know what does fix stupid? If logistically possible on the property, 1x8 pieces of wood with nails pounded through them, laid along the entire length of the property near your deer. You can't see them at night, but tires can't avoid them. If they drive onto the property, they won't drive off.
I understand your anger but please get the law involved before you or the land owner shoot somebody. unless of course they are trying to shoot you first.
Not sure about how your set up looks , but is it possible to be road poachers? I mean maybe those 3 shots earlier were at a deer. Oh course if your target is all shot up like a gun range then my theory is crap. Just saying that if it looked more like potential poaching a game warden might be more helpful than a trespassing report.
There are a lot of stupid hunters out there. Put a rifle in their hands and they get even stupider. I had one landowner who I've hunted his land for years... tell me that he would feel better if I stayed at least a half mile off the road when hunting his land during rifle season. I was hunting with bow. He was afraid the road hunters would shoot me even though his land is posted. He was especially afraid I would get shot on the walk out at dark. He really felt I should get out of there well before dark for my safety. One evening on the walk out, I saw a vehicle come to a sliding halt not 100 yards from where my truck was park by the road. It was just starting to get dark but I could make out with binocs... one guy shooting over his roof of his pickup on the driver side while the other two were standing on the passenger side shooting. I could see the muzzle flash from all their rifles. There were shooting in my direction !! I ducked down behind a knoll and waited for them to stop shooting. Once they quit, I walk back up the knoll and peeked over. They started shooting again and I ran back down behind the knoll. I was a little pissed to say the least. Not only did they have no regard that my truck was sitting there and they KNEW someone was hunting in that area... the one guy that was standing on his pickup using the cab roof to shoot off of... was shooting over the heads of the other two guys shooting. That was just flipping insane !!! I waited until they drove off before going back to the truck. I talked to the landowner a couple days after that and made a mistake of telling him about it. He almost wasn't going to let me hunt his land with bow until after rifle season ended for fear I would get shot. He said he has worried about it for years with the way I hunt. I had to do some fast talking to change his mind. I had to tell him where I was hunting on his land for each hunt after that. Thought it was strange as usually he doesn't care. I figured out why on the next hunt. Him and his son would drive up and down the road in the area I was hunting from a half hour before sundown until I got back to my truck. As soon as I got to the truck, they would leave. He was going to make sure I got out safe as illegal road hunting is a huge problem during our rifle season since it is so flat and open here. Thought that was pretty darn nice of him but finally I just hunted other land so he wouldn't have to do that every night for the remainder of the season. I don't need no baby sitter although the wife sure liked it cause she worries about me too during rifle season. LOL It really does suck to have to change where and how I hunt because of the damn illegal road hunters. Tim
Wow. Maybe you can still use it. The other deer may think he's a tough "S.O.B" & only the biggest baddest bucks will come in & check him out? ;-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wow. Thanks for sharing that Tim. Those guys were pure idiots. Nice of the landowner and his son to look out for you. Where I hunt is heavily populated. This place is a hidden gem in Raleigh. When you come out of the road leading off his property, you are directly across from the main Social Security Building. Along that road are several businesses, stores and a church. I think it is someone looking to score an easy kill. Now that the leaves have fallen off, it is easy to spot my decoy from the main road. I moved it yesterday. It appears to be random, but I am going to leave the camera up from now on.
Do the wardens set up decoys for road hunting? If so, invite them out for a setup. We did this 15 years ago and word spread thru the "hood".