Had a close call a few weeks ago. I was hunting my property and knew the birds were across the road north headed my way. I had decoys out. I wasn't far off the road since that is where the turkeys had been the last 2 days. Vehicle drives by and locks up the brakes then creeps by. I moved closer to see what would happen and used a larger tree as a shield. It goes and turns around. They then come back and stop. Guy gets out with his gun fully camo'd up. I am 20 yards away and say you got permission. He jumps back in and they take off. Then they were dumb enough to go back by so I could get a license plate.
Fast forward to that afternoon. Same vehicle comes back and shoots a turkey from the road.
2nd group of Arkansas poachers I have dealt with in 2 years.
Just the worst kind of people.
Call it in. Hopefully something will be found and charges will stick.
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I did. One ended up confessing.
Growing up where I did it's a way of life for many. I am grateful I was taught better. The older I get the less tolerant I am of such behavior. All a poacher is is selfish and lazy. Someone who cares about nothing other than getting what they want at all costs. As hunters we need to hold ourselves others to a higher standard.
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Ahhh man! That sucks! Nothing worse than that!
We were set up on a big flock here in WV first day calling them across a big field. Once they worked by us and over the rise a guy in shorts and a t shirt pops up from our left and throws his gun up to shoot our decoy which was right in front of us. We waved him off and he took off back the other way, just glad we got his attention, and I'm real glad we didn't have a strutter decoy in front of us!
Can't count the number of times we've been driving down dirt roads in KS and NE and come around a corner or over a hill and found someone parked and across a fence on posted land or grabbing a shot bird out of the ditch.
Found the same pair of CO guys in KS 3 times last year while pheasant hunting - they were always 'looking for a cripple'...stopped and let the landowner know and he tracked them down with the sheriff and gave them a little KS souvenir.
I am so glad that my folks taught me better. I aint snow white but I couldn't even go into the neighbors yard without permission when I was a chap. Amazingly I know folks that look at me funny and condescendingly say...."Why you unloading your gun? Mine stays loaded all the time." My dumbfounded response..."Uhhh cause its the safe thing to do and not to mention it's the law?" :z-dizzy:
That's not way to kill a turkey in my opinion .... sorry person for sure... some people just don't care how they kill one ..these kind of people in my book are not turkey hunters...
I don't get it... I really can't wrap my head around it
few pounds of Wild Turkey meat isn't even worth the gas spent driving around to shoot one. Its all about the experience
Quote from: nativeks on May 26, 2017, 05:21:25 AM
Had a close call a few weeks ago. I was hunting my property and knew the birds were across the road north headed my way. I had decoys out. I wasn't far off the road since that is where the turkeys had been the last 2 days. Vehicle drives by and locks up the brakes then creeps by. I moved closer to see what would happen and used a larger tree as a shield. It goes and turns around. They then come back and stop. Guy gets out with his gun fully camo'd up. I am 20 yards away and say you got permission. He jumps back in and they take off. Then they were dumb enough to go back by so I could get a license plate.
Fast forward to that afternoon. Same vehicle comes back and shoots a turkey from the road.
2nd group of Arkansas poachers I have dealt with in 2 years.
Funny you mentioned Arkansas. I used to guide in Kansas and every poacher and tresspasser we caught was from Arkansas or Louisiana
Quote from: snapper1982 on May 26, 2017, 11:08:24 AM
Quote from: nativeks on May 26, 2017, 05:21:25 AM
Had a close call a few weeks ago. I was hunting my property and knew the birds were across the road north headed my way. I had decoys out. I wasn't far off the road since that is where the turkeys had been the last 2 days. Vehicle drives by and locks up the brakes then creeps by. I moved closer to see what would happen and used a larger tree as a shield. It goes and turns around. They then come back and stop. Guy gets out with his gun fully camo'd up. I am 20 yards away and say you got permission. He jumps back in and they take off. Then they were dumb enough to go back by so I could get a license plate.
Fast forward to that afternoon. Same vehicle comes back and shoots a turkey from the road.
2nd group of Arkansas poachers I have dealt with in 2 years.
Funny you mentioned Arkansas. I used to guide in Kansas and every poacher and tresspasser we caught was from Arkansas or Louisiana
You would get some from Wv also. Ceptin all their wheels are under their house.
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I think most instances it's a learned trait. Like we where taught to respect other people and their possessions along with the animals and game laws. Sadly I think they where not. :z-twocents:
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 26, 2017, 10:58:07 AM
I don't get it... I really can't wrap my head around it
few pounds of Wild Turkey meat isn't even worth the gas spent driving around to shoot one. Its all about the experience
They do it so they can brag to their buddies and better yet, post a thousand pics on FB and other social media sites showcasing their ability to kill at all cost. It's a damn shame, but that recognition from others is what drives A LOT of them to do chit like this.
Quote from: Andy S. on May 26, 2017, 11:59:23 AM
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 26, 2017, 10:58:07 AM
I don't get it... I really can't wrap my head around it
few pounds of Wild Turkey meat isn't even worth the gas spent driving around to shoot one. Its all about the experience
They do it so they can brag to their buddies and better yet, post a thousand pics on FB and other social media sites showcasing their ability to kill at all cost. It's a damn shame, but that recognition from others is what drives A LOT of them to do chit like this.
you got it exactly right...validation...got to be the killer everyone thinks that they are
:agreed:
Quote from: nativeks on May 26, 2017, 06:35:17 AM
I did. One ended up confessing.
Nice job! Hopefully this will get him to change his behavior.
It unnerved me quite a bit. My 4 yr old son loves to turkey hunt and I have felt safe on my own property but not anymore. I actually ended up following them around while the warden debated whether he could make a traffic stop.
I live on a dead end road and know all the landowners. They said they were happy we built a house as it might curtail the poaching. I dont know what it was like before but...
Good Job! :smiley-char092:
Glad you got his plate #! Hopefully you wont have any more poaching problems.
Quote from: Happy on May 26, 2017, 11:15:38 AM
Quote from: snapper1982 on May 26, 2017, 11:08:24 AM
Quote from: nativeks on May 26, 2017, 05:21:25 AM
Had a close call a few weeks ago. I was hunting my property and knew the birds were across the road north headed my way. I had decoys out. I wasn't far off the road since that is where the turkeys had been the last 2 days. Vehicle drives by and locks up the brakes then creeps by. I moved closer to see what would happen and used a larger tree as a shield. It goes and turns around. They then come back and stop. Guy gets out with his gun fully camo'd up. I am 20 yards away and say you got permission. He jumps back in and they take off. Then they were dumb enough to go back by so I could get a license plate.
Fast forward to that afternoon. Same vehicle comes back and shoots a turkey from the road.
2nd group of Arkansas poachers I have dealt with in 2 years.
Funny you mentioned Arkansas. I used to guide in Kansas and every poacher and tresspasser we caught was from Arkansas or Louisiana
You would get some from Wv also. Ceptin all their wheels are under their house.
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Not cool , happy ! Just saying :z-twocents:
I was born and raised there. I love the state but I also like to joke. A sense of humor can go along ways. Sorry if it offended anyone from Wv. That wasn't my intent.
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Quote from: Happy on May 27, 2017, 02:04:45 PM
I was born and raised there. I love the state but I also like to joke. A sense of humor can go along ways. Sorry if it offended anyone from Wv. That wasn't my intent.
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Its all good buddy !
Quote from: Andy S. on May 26, 2017, 11:59:23 AM
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 26, 2017, 10:58:07 AM
I don't get it... I really can't wrap my head around it
few pounds of Wild Turkey meat isn't even worth the gas spent driving around to shoot one. Its all about the experience
They do it so they can brag to their buddies and better yet, post a thousand pics on FB and other social media sites showcasing their ability to kill at all cost. It's a damn shame, but that recognition from others is what drives A LOT of them to do chit like this.
Pretty much sums it up. Got to tell their buddies they got one. I told a game warden the other day that every state should have a turkey farm so guys like that can just walk up and blast 3 so they can limit out and stay out of the woods. Even give em a trophy and some window stickers.
Quote from: nativeks on May 26, 2017, 06:35:17 AM
I did. One ended up confessing.
Good for you!! I have and will do it every chance I get. No love for DBs
Quote from: Andy S. on May 26, 2017, 11:59:23 AM
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 26, 2017, 10:58:07 AM
I don't get it... I really can't wrap my head around it
few pounds of Wild Turkey meat isn't even worth the gas spent driving around to shoot one. Its all about the experience
They do it so they can brag to their buddies and better yet, post a thousand pics on FB and other social media sites showcasing their ability to kill at all cost. It's a damn shame, but that recognition from others is what drives A LOT of them to do chit like this.
I've dealt with a neighbor feeding turkeys corn all season for years. They only hunt it twice a year...opening morning and the second to last weekend for some reason. They only hunt for 30 minutes a year and it makes us work our tails off just to shoot one. Makes me so mad :angry9:. The law is watching and building a case though.
The "hunters", as they call themselves, seem to never stop amazing me. I really find it quite amuzing how these folks will brag about the greatest calls, weapons known to the modern world and comes to find out they will let pressure to be the center of attention override their integrity. If any competitive format accepts this as a norm than our sport is doomed. I am really concerned when pics of these "hunters" include their children showing their illegal harvests. Awesome message to convey. Strong believer in sooner or later it all comes around and you will be served a big helping of JUSTICE.
Definitely sucks! I'd say around here a good 10-15% of the turkeys are shot in a manner that is illegal or at least "in the grey area". Bad part is, around here lots of land owners (that allow hunting) could care less. Last year I stopped to talk to a fellow that owns a farm close to mine. He asked how I made out with the turkeys. He said "you just weren't driving by at the right time. ____ got 2 on here without ever getting out of the truck!" He laughed and said "boy, I thought you were smart enough to get things done the easy way".
I don't get it. Hey I hunted hard yesterday, had multiple encounters & didn't get to shoot. Get in the car go down road about 10:30 headed to the other side of property & wouldn't you know right down the road from the farm is a Tom & a hen 50 yards from the road. I just watched them & wouldn't think about shooting him there, but I bet others would, I just don't get it, you get no satisfaction doing something like that. Mike
Not sure how guys have the nerve to do these things? Even when I have permission i still worry about getting in a landowners way or being courteous to other hunters. Maybe that's why it took so long to get a bird?
When you put the bird above the hunt bad things happen. Just shooting a turkey cannot be the only reason you're in the woods. It's scary what I've seen some people do for trophy deer.
We just busted a pair of guys on our favorite spot and found out they were hunting our own small tiny piece of land too I couldn't believe it. Too bad they left a monster trio of long beards there. Maybe if they weren't so busy sneaking on land and got permission they could've got one too.
State warden stopped by. The ended up charging one guy and he plead guilty.$608 fine plus court costs. In exchange for the guilty plea they took off a couple other charges.
Warden said he was 2 weeks out of the academy when this went down and was his first case. Knowing what he knows now he would've stopped them right away and he said could've made a better case and more charges to stick.
Poachers are nothing but thieves, and should be treated as such. If you don't pay attention you can get shot by them. They are lazy, unsafe, good for nothing lowlifes and now let me tell you how I really feel.......... :angry9:
greencop01 said it best! Back in the 1990s is when I saw and heard the most wild turkey poachers in Sterling Forest,NY. This all happened in the month of April before the May 1st NY Spring opener. I would be out scouting and hear a magnum shot in this direction - then another in that direction- but further off. Since the 1990s- poaching has fallen off, I think because alot of hunters are now out scouting in April.
I remember one morning in the month of FEB in the 1990s-- there was about 1" of snow down-- perfect for a morning of wild turkey scouting and hopefully to see a bunch of 4" gobbler tracks. I did see see turkey tracks--everywhere. I rounded a bend in the old woods road and 2 guys were right there. Looking for rabbits- one of them said. I took a quick look at a scoped rifle- just a quick look- while the 3 of us are standing in wild turkey footprints. They moved around that bend going the other way and speeded up their walking. Think they were more nervous then me! Glad, I don't hear magnum shots anymore in April or encounter would be turkey poachers anymore. Be back next Fri..
I am loath to be criticle of another's hunting methods.
Quote from: silvestris on September 10, 2017, 02:46:46 PM
I am loath to be criticle of another's hunting methods.
I understand that, until it's actually illegal. And I think that shooting from the road would qualify. Ryan