Whistle Blowers

I tell my hunting partners to go ahead and do whatever they want because I can use the reward money! They know I'm serious but I'm getting the message across in a friendly manner.

There are parts of USA where poaching is more wide spread than others. It probably is related to tolerance and lack of public support for game laws.

Jack
 
California Experiment

Some years ago California did an interesting experiment. They wanted to see how many people would report poaching.

They would have wardens dress up like your average hunter. Then they placed fake deer along major highways. They were near enough to the road that motorists would have to see them. The undercover warden was then positioned with a rifle as though he was about to shoot one of these deer. They did this experiment in the late spring and early summer figuring some people know hunting seasons generally are in the fall.


To quickly wrap this up, not one person phoned any authority to report this activity. If this had been a real poacher shooting at a real deer, he probably would have went unpunished. When poachers are not held accountable, they punish the rest of us law-abiding, honest sportsmen!
 
Unless they were doing gross harm (read slaughtering a whole herd for fun etc.) I wouldn't snitch on them. Taking a single game animal out of season...maybe the guy is having trouble feeding his family or something? I try not to be judgemental.

It might strike a nerve with me if I seen it, but only because I know I couldn't get away with something like that. My lucks not that good and I jealously guard my record & rights. I wouldn't begrudge the man the meat though.
 
IMHO, probably opinion on this depends where your at to some extent. Laws on taking game out of season are there for a reason. Its hard for me,in todays time, to think somebodies starving enough to poach. To much legal help out there today. Poaching goes on around here in a big way,usually deer found dead,out of season, with racks cut off and rotting carcass. Holes size of baseballs blown in em. Last late summer 5 total found piled in ditch by county workers:mad:. Turn in a poacher-in a heartbeat!
 
I don't hold any hatred for a hunter who makes an honest mistake and breaks a minor rule (say, shoots 5 minutes early but in light that he can see well in or something like that). However, when I read stories like the recent one of the 120-odd Caribou massacred up by Point Hope, AK or the endless stories of grotesque poaching in Africa/Asia/India my heart burns with a black rage to see those soulless parasites swing from a tall tree with a short rope.

I'm not the type who "relishes" the opportunity to tattle on somebody, but if someone is brazenly breaking the law and demonstrating reckless disrespect to the land, animals or fellow hunters then I'd be happy to call and do ANYTHING I can to make life as miserable as possible for them. I would think that if you saw someone illegally taking game and really wanted a quick response call the tip line anonymously and tell them what you saw and that you're heading over to hold them at gunpoint until help arrives then hang up. I bet the cavalry would come charging in over that, I wouldn't be surprised if they showed up in a chopper. It's not like you're providing false information, you could just say that you thought better of it later and decided to leave it to the professionals.

I saw a documentary a long time ago that always stuck in my head. It was on a guy in Africa who was some kind of game warden. He had a background in special forces (maybe SAS) and he would actually hunt the poachers and he had the authority to kill them if necessary. THAT would be awesome. Those kinds of scumbags deserve to die for the kind of poaching they do. I bet it would make a lot of them a little less apt to go running around out there at night slaughtering white zebras or whatever knowing there's a total bad@ss hunting them! I googled around a bit, but couldn't find any solid reference to the guy I'm thinking of. I want to say it was in Kenya, but it's been so long since I saw that. They should hire teams of guys like that to wipe out poachers.

If you are a poacher, go suck a tail pipe you worthless piece of dung. You know who you are.
 
I use to. Then I had a conversation with a county sheriffs deputy. They are usually the ones to respond here. He said " WHO CARES, I HOPE THEY KILL ALL THE DEER":mad:. I gave up.

Now I just report trespassers to the property owners, and let them deal with it. If they are on my area and I know they are not suppose to be there, I will take a couple practice shots and call it an early day.
 
Before anyone gets the notion that po'folks don't need to hunt out of season let me put this out for you...
I *know* of a family of 4 with a total cash income of -18k per year.
Rent is $9600 of that.
Car insurance is $1200
Electric is +$1800
cable, phone, and internet is $1200
Food is +/-$2400
Totaling 16,200
These expenses do not include gasoline, clothing or medical needs to name a few. my food bill estimate is on a very low end of 50 bucks per week for 4 people. My wife does her best but for the last 2 years milk is a luxury and I am forced to supplement with wild game meat.
Evil I am not. Nor will you see me wait until hungry to hunt. The law of attrition says you should provide before need is equal to life or death conditions.
Brent
 
Poaching

I have never headlighted anything but would hold the light or pull the trigger for a otherwise honest working hungry man anytime.
 
Po Folks

Should we also ignore poor folks that need to rob a bank? After all, they might need some cash too. What about someone that runs a red light because they are ruuning late for work, after all, no work no money? Do we give financially strapped academic cheater a break too, better grades should increase cash flow. We could make an excuse for every crime under the book. Shooting a deer out of season is wrong, immoral, and illegal. If seen by me it will be reported.
 
I've always obeyed the game laws, but it irks me to know the state mandates hunting practices on private land. I feel the landowner should manage his or her resources as they see fit.
 
Feeding Family

I have no problem with a man feeding his family wild game out of season if needed. We have a few families around here like that. But they do it on their property and they only harvest what they will eat.

I do have a problem with a feller in a nice big new 4 wheel drive poaching out of season and any where they please such as county roads or private property not their own.
 
I have dominion over the animals of earth... As a taxed license holder I have as much ownership of those deer as the next guy unlike the cash in a bank which belongs solely to individuals and companies... but the bank robbery is on a different level (violent) than my knockin' down a deer. I also agree with the management of an individuals land should be up to him. I would have many folks let me get a deer off their land to provide sustenance for my family.
Brent
 
Dominion?

Let us say this poor fellow has a wife and four kids. They are on the verge of starvation and about to be on the street. This guy has a large basement and decides to grow some marijuana to keep food in his family's bellies full and a roof over their head. Should this go unpunished?

This activity is on his proerty and is nonviolent. He is not taking your money. So, should he be given a free pass?
 
Should we also ignore poor folks that need to rob a bank?
Click to expand...

I guess some of us are not telling you what you want to hear. Now come the exaggerated examples. I consider "poacher" to be a dirty word and I would never want to be one but the bottom line is that there is no shortage of deer, anywhere. A hundred years ago when there were no game management laws, there was a shortage. So today, I see no problem if someone wants to pop one out of season IF (big IF!) the meat is consumed. Especially if it's on private property but certainly not for a trophy or killing just to be killing. Killing for meat is not a morality issue. It may be a legal one but game laws are a recent invention.

Personally, I think you're being a bit of a busy body.
 
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