Poaching

[LogansDad]

Good evening all, I have been cruising this site for awhile and after hunting these past two days I feel the need to vent. This is the first year in the woods for my wife and I during archery season and all in all it has been a great time. I have learned so much about the rut, the movement of deer on our land during this time of year, and passed up my fair share of deer waiting on the "big one" but I left the woods tonight with a sour taste in my mouth. As we all know, tomorrow morning is the opening day of gun season but after hunting these past few days I think that I may have my dates messed up. For the past two days it sounded like WWIII out there. I honestly do not understand what posesses someone to poach deer. Can't they wait one more day? Every time I heard a string of three or four shots I became more and more disgusted. Some of the shooting sounded so close that I radioed my wife who was hunting the opposite corner of our land just to make sure she was still breathing.
I really don't know the point of this rant other than to hopefully hear from others in the same situation. I just know that some of the small bucks that I had been seeing this year will not see another hunting season because of these yahoos. My new goal for next year is to be tagged out before the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Anyhow, thanks for sharing all of your stories and pictures from this years hunting season. I will be hanging around and will probably hit you all up with some food plot questions later. Until then, good luck and safe hunting wishes to all.

Brian

[#hunter1]

Some do start season early, but I think the shooting you are hearing is sighting in there guns at deer camp. :tsk:

[Q2XL]

yea it a sad thing too hear of deer bein poached. but in my opinion until the law gets stricter for poachin it will never stop.i read articles all the time bout poachin and seems like the offender just gets a slap on the hand and then he right back out doin it again.if ya get caught poachin ya should loose all your weapons and huntin rights for life.and get such a fine that ya have too sell all your belongins too pay the fines. i know it will never happen but just my opinion

[eschatts]

I have been hearing alot of shooting the past several days. I believe it is guys sighting in their guns.

Ed

[lennyzrx]

more than likely people sighting in there gun's. Been alot of shooting by me since friday, always is before opening day.

[LogansDad]

I agree that some of the shooting can be attributed to sighting in but not at 7:15 AM on Sunday morning. One of the farmers up the road chased some poachers out of his pasture last night. They actually drove over his fence to get in. I spoke to him this afternoon when I spotted the carcass of a nice sized doe laying in his field. He was waiting for the game warden to come out before he removed it.

[OhioHunter88]

Yes id say it is people sighting guns in, I poped one out of the muzzeloader right before dark, and im sure people thought i was poaching...

[gunrac]

Was you near any water? Deer camp's? The boy's was really rockin my area the last couple day's also. Duck hunter's. A lot of shootin goes on in deer camps too. Maybe rabbit hunters. I'm not saying it wasn't poacher's, but it seem's unlikely to me. Usually just a single kill shot, as they don't want to bring that much attention.

[buckbacks]

question-- when was the early youth season(dates)?

[So. Ohio Outfitters]

Well, I definitely think that there's two sides to the story...There are many of us who are simply sighting our guns in, and just practicing up so we don't miss that "Big One"....but there are guys who do take advantage of the situation and poach them a deer...its a sad thing, and it burns us all, and it happens. I think that the best thing any of us can do is report it..contact the local game wardens and talk to them in person..I know I try to work close with several in our area, and once you get to know them, they can be a very valuable tool..I have a lot of trespassing/poaching that goes on around my properties, and they have been very helpful in these matters...I think that its always been a problem and will continue...usually its only a few choice individuals that like to do the dirty deed, then they pass it on to their kids, and so on and so on..I've seen this happen first hand.

[shrivl]

I was up wiht my buddy last year and his dad, him, and myself were moving a stand for his dad when some guys were sighting in there guns. We were standing in his field and right over our heads you could hear the slugs whizzing by. We all three hit the ground. I don't have an issue with people sighting in their guns the day before guns season but I wish they'd at least have some common sense when doing so. I know they could not see us even though we had blaze orange on. They apparently were shooting through some woods that seperates the landing they planned on hunting. I just wish they would have used some common sense and made sure what was beyond their target. We called the sheriff but never heard anything. In any case I feel your pain when dealing with gun season.

[It's Not A Passion..]

I had to put up with that all week man. Whether the people around me were poaching or sighting in their guns, it still really ticked me off. I honestly don't see why someone can't just sight in their gun during the summer, it's not going to readjust itself in the safe. I think what this basically boils down to is a lack of courtesy for other hunters on surrounding properties. Especially if they know there are others hunting close by. The week of Thanksgiving is the first chance I get to hunt at home each year, and this happens every year. Sometimes I wonder why I even hunt that week, because I know that at any of the properties I hunt there's a good chance that somebody is going to be running through $20 worth of slugs next door. Not only that, but they do it when they get home from work (around the last hour of legal shooting light), and what do you think those deer are going to do when they here that? Come out of their thicket bedding area where they feel safe? I was so pumped about coming home and hunting all week. I did, but only saw three deer total. On the plus side, I did have a little six point come within ten yards of me while I was sitting on the ground along a fence line.

[coonskinner]

Well, I definitely think that there's two sides to the story...There are many of us who are simply sighting our guns in, and just practicing up so we don't miss that "Big One"....but there are guys who do take advantage of the situation and poach them a deer...its a sad thing, and it burns us all, and it happens. I think that the best thing any of us can do is report it..contact the local game wardens and talk to them in person..I know I try to work close with several in our area, and once you get to know them, they can be a very valuable tool..I have a lot of trespassing/poaching that goes on around my properties, and they have been very helpful in these matters...I think that its always been a problem and will continue...usually its only a few choice individuals that like to do the dirty deed, then they pass it on to their kids, and so on and so on..I've seen this happen first hand.

i agree its sad guns are sighted in the day before season...an i hear it on the wayne too where its illegal...they do it a the lil park where we have deer camp(wn)...4 wheelers is another big misuse too on public land...many times i hear a 4 wheeler an see its lights,then a blast from a shotgun in the pitch dark...another poached deer,wonder how many times that happens...:nono:

[Hiller]

I always shoot my gun a little bit a couple of days before the gun season if I plan on going out at all. I know it doesn't change by sitting in the safe, but I am too anal about how my gun shoots to just throw the barrel on and hope it's still good. It's Not A Passion, I have yet to see deer go barreling in the opposite direction merely because they heard shooting on a neighboring property. I've seen people shoot and miss deer and they just stood there and kept on eating. Deer are use to hearing thousands of what we consider out of the ordinary noises everyday, if they ran everytime they heard something that we think would scare them then they would never stand still. Don't let guys shooting next door to you ruin your hunting for you. Deer aren't just going to disappear when they hear gunshots. As much shooting that goes on on our property in the summer while shooting groundhogs it would lead someone to belied that all the deer would up and leave. But every year we never have any trouble shooting nice deer.