Poachers....Grrrrrrr!!!

[km101]

Just got back from the deer lease. Shortly after I got there yesterday I found a doe's head (the rest of the doe was gone) about 50 yds inside the fence at the front of the property. Poachers killed her from the road!! This really burns me up. I have spent time and money clearing and planting food plots and creating good habitat for deer. And then road hunters shoot anything that moves out of season! Closest neighbor is about 3 mi. down the road, and he didn't hear anything. Poachers were probably hunting at night with a spotlight.

Then when I get to the house which is a good 150 yds off the road, someone had shot my foam life-sized deer archery target! They had to be shooting with a hi-power rifle from the road, as one shot hit the 500 gas propane tank, which is behind it at that angle. Bullet put a small dent in the end of the tank and left a copper streak in the dent.

They were a good enough shot to hit the archery target twice, but too stupid to recognize that it was foam! I called the game warden and he said that he would watch the area, and notify the sherrif's dept. also.

All in all, not a good day at the deer lease! Grrrrrrrr........ Poachers should be TARGETS!

[montana_charlie]

Road hunters (and 'hunter' is being polite) have been known to shoot deer made of plywood and painted blaze orange ... when they feed too close to the road.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

move that archery target maybe a bit closer to the road and put a trail cam on the road see if they shoot it again

[Gliden07]

move that archery target maybe a bit closer to the road and put a trail cam on the road see if they shoot it again

I saw a show where the Game Wardens had a mechanical deer specificaly to catch poachers!! Pretty funny to watch!! Guy put 3 bullets into decoy and could'nt understand why it would'nt go down!! He was still talking to his friend about it as the Wardens were at his car to get him!!

[x101airborne]

I have a box of 1944 FMJ-AP 06 ammo that I bought for that reason. There are two rounds missing and we havent had poachers since. like someone else said, I will be as mean as you make me. And have no doubt, I can be MEAN.

[Love Life]

Hunt them.

[DaveCampbell]

I have an AR with a supressor and a backhoe.

[punkinlobber]

Take that styrofoam deer. Hollow it out. Put in a bottle of propane. Put it in some brush 10 yards off the road. Sit on the front porch. Drink beer. Watch fireworks.

[Love Life]

Unless the tnak sends out hot shards of metal which end up killing the shooters or starting a large scale fire.

Or the shrapnel hits your family.

or...

[Firebricker]

In that case better switch out the propane bottle for tannerite LOL FB

[texassako]

We have the same problem at our place plus a pond visible to the county road attracts trespassing fishermen all the time. We had to alter our plans of a hunting cabin to a camper we haul in and out it is so bad.

[oldred]

Unless the tnak sends out hot shards of metal which end up killing the shooters or starting a large scale fire.

Or the shrapnel hits your family.

or...

All too true! The last thing a person should do is ANYTHING that might cause these idiots an injury, the person setting the trap (or whatever) would be liable for any injuries resulting from his actions and would almost certainly be held criminally responsible. On another note, back in the 70's in Kentucky where I lived at the time two "night-time" deer hunters were caught shooting at a decoy that had been left to catch poachers but the court, or whoever was responsible for bringing the charges, refused to charge them with poaching because no animals were shot or involved in any way and it was not illegal to shoot at fake deer! They were charged with discharging a firearm from the road and criminal mischief which was a very minor offense compared to the poaching charge they should have been facing, these guys were laughing about it after the poaching charge was dropped. In some places it's hard to make a poaching charge stick unless a real animal is involved if the perps decide to get a good shys......err lawyer and spend the money to fight the charge.

[Jim]

I have a box of 1944 FMJ-AP 06 ammo that I bought for that reason. There are two rounds missing and we havent had poachers since. like someone else said, I will be as mean as you make me. And have no doubt, I can be MEAN.

That's what I'm talkin' about! I've got 50 rounds of that loaded up for my '03. It'll shut down an engine RIGHT NOW.

[429421Cowboy]

We own or lease over 10,000 acres of land and manage for big bucks which makes us a target for poachers. It really burns me up the things people will do on your land, then act like they are jealous of you when they get caught! Hey man, it is not my fault that we work hard to manage land for bucks and i'm not just a rich rancher that was blessed with land! Everything on our place, as on yours, has been hard won with good old fashioned work and is not for all to come ruin after that. Glad nobody was hurt in the propane leak, it was lucky that they didn't punch a hole!
Our bird season starts here soon and i expect to have to make 2-3 calls to the game warden within the first few days. Asking people to leave and stay out only goes so far, we have went to a tresspass ticket and chat with the warden, word gets out quick.

[km101]

Some of these posts started me thinking of the best way to catch these poachers. I have 2 trailcams, some home-made spike strips and some AP .30-06 that I can use in several combinations. And I have the game warden on speed dial. I may just go out there for 4-5 days and keep a low profile and see what comes by. I would love to catch someone actually killing/butchering a seer.

1st shot in the engine block, and hunker down and see it they return fire. LOL Could get interesting!!

[blademasterii]

Officer I was just out admireing my 3d deer decoy when someone took a shot at me. I of course returned fire being in fear of my life.

[Goatwhiskers]

Hide by the road, get lucky and the village idiots come by, when they stop and shoot, put a couple of .22 shorts in their radiator. Guaranteed to get the message, engines are expensive. On the other hand, I got a shotgun, a shovel, and 100 acres behind the house. GW

[Plate plinker]

It is always fun to explain how to read the no trespassing sign to some moron.

By the way what is the current dollar amount of damages required to incure a felony?

[tomme boy]

I know I would like to do the same things you guys are talking about doing. But, if any of you actually fired at these people or their property, you would also be going to jail. The poachers would be issued a ticket and you would be sitting in jail for at least a week before you could bail out. If they even let you bail out. I know, it sucks, but they will have more right than you.

Take pictures an call the LEO. You firing on them makes you just as bad as they are. Be the responsible one.

[largom]

Friends of mine , a farmer and his son caught two guys shooting deer on their property at night, out of season, and trespassing. One dead deer in their truck. Cops were called but before they arrived a scuffle occurred and one of the poachers got punched. Case went to trial, the poachers got off scott free and the farmer got a fine for assult.
Moral, don't call the law, call a friend with a back-hoe.

Larry

[imashooter2]

I know I would like to do the same things you guys are talking about doing. But, if any of you actually fired at these people or their property, you would also be going to jail. The poachers would be issued a ticket and you would be sitting in jail for at least a week before you could bail out. If they even let you bail out. I know, it sucks, but they will have more right than you.

Take pictures an call the LEO. You firing on them makes you just as bad as they are. Be the responsible one.

And after you are convicted of your felony, you never get to touch a gun again.

It's not the odds, it's the stakes...

[DIRT Farmer]

I like the tannerite, always wished morter flares were legal.

I get really ticked when I get my cattle shined by spotlighters.

[punkinlobber]

I was sort of joking when I spoke of stuffing a styrofoam deer with a propane bottle but be advised that in most states if they are trespassing and you use deadly force on them they have the legal right to use deadly force to defend themselves.

[Gliden07]

Friends of mine , a farmer and his son caught two guys shooting deer on their property at night, out of season, and trespassing. One dead deer in their truck. Cops were called but before they arrived a scuffle occurred and one of the poachers got punched. Case went to trial, the poachers got off scott free and the farmer got a fine for assult.
Moral, don't call the law, call a friend with a back-hoe.

Larry

No common sense left in this country!!

[MT Gianni]

I like the tannerite, always wished morter flares were legal.

I get really ticked when I get my cattle shined by spotlighters.

I don't care much for the tannerite or propane idea. The situation here should not be to reward the poachers with a show while possibly damaging your land but to prevent them from returning.

[x101airborne]

Friends of mine , a farmer and his son caught two guys shooting deer on their property at night, out of season, and trespassing. One dead deer in their truck. Cops were called but before they arrived a scuffle occurred and one of the poachers got punched. Case went to trial, the poachers got off scott free and the farmer got a fine for assult.
Moral, don't call the law, call a friend with a back-hoe.

Larry


Plan ahead..... Have the graves already dug. Prior Planning Prevents P!$$ Poor Performance.

[madsenshooter]

Tsk, tsk. As a former poacher, I take exception to some of your attitudes. Jeesh, folks gotta eat and I restrict my activities to public hunting areas. I can understand "not on my property", the rest of you guys can keep your attitudes to yourselves. I have a higher than normal genetic need for protein, I have a right to life, to feed that need. Just because I'm too poor to get the licenses your forefather's foolishly allowed the state to burden you with doesn't mean my right is void. I don't like profiteering poachers, but I'll always be one to feed the need of others. Someday, I won't have to worry about a license at all, for anything...still can't understand how John Q. Public allowed the state to get into the licensing business.

[oldred]

Tsk, tsk. As a former poacher, I take exception to some of your attitudes. Jeesh, folks gotta eat and I restrict my activities to public hunting areas. I can understand "not on my property", the rest of you guys can keep your attitudes to yourselves. I have a higher than normal genetic need for protein, I have a right to life, to feed that need. Just because I'm too poor to get the licenses your forefather's foolishly allowed the state to burden you with doesn't mean my right is void. I don't like profiteering poachers, but I'll always be one to feed the need of others. Someday, I won't have to worry about a license at all, for anything...still can't understand how John Q. Public allowed the state to get into the licensing business.




I truly hope you are just being sarcastic, poachers are scum regardless of their self-serving reasons which are nothing but lame attempts to excuse their behavior!

[Tom W.]

Propane bottles won't explode with bullet impact or perforation... but they will spin wildly out of control...

Yes, I tried it...

[tomme boy]

I don't see anything wrong with it IF you are feeding your family. Most farmers around here would let you shoot as many as you wanted if you would just go ask them. Especially if they knew it was for food for you family. What they get pissed at is you would not ask.

[Plate plinker]

Right - O. Tommy boy. I know ranchers who would love to have a couple dozen deer removed. All one needs to do is ask about.

[3006guns]

Naahh........I like the decoy stuffed with Tannerite. Now that WOULD be funny! A good trail cam should be used also as the results will end up on "World's Dumbest Criminals" and you'll get paid for it!:bigsmyl2:

[Lefthandshooter]

I knew a guy back in the early 1980's that told raccoon hunters 3 times to stay off his property.

The forth time he took a shot at them at 300 yards using a .22-250.

They carried off their dead $400 hunting dog, never to return.

Not that I agree - wasn't the dog's fault.

[bowfin]

I have an AR with a supressor and a backhoe

Goodness, they can put anything on those quad rails these days!

[oldred]

Propane bottles won't explode with bullet impact or perforation...

..



Of course they will! It's obviously caused by lead bullets making lot's of sparks fly from anything they strike, even trees and wooden buildings. I'm surprised you don't know this, don't you ever watch TV?

:kidding:

[gandydancer]

I like the old code of the west. and you all know what that is.

[Junior1942]

I once made the mistake of shooting a 1 lb propane bottle. I put a flame behind it. It made the damnest fireball I ever saw, and it set the woods on fire. I'm talkin' fireball! Two of us barely put out the fire.

[Gliden07]

Of course they will! It's obviously caused by lead bullets making lot's of sparks fly from anything they strike, even trees and wooden buildings. I'm surprised you don't know this, don't you ever watch TV?

:kidding:

Yeah but all they would have to do is take cover behind a car door and they would be perfectly safe from explosions and gun fire!! And they would never have to reload!!

LOL!!!

[contender1]

madsenshooter,,, poaching is illegal. No matter the reason. If you can not work a little overtime, or sell scrap metal or do SOME kind of job to afford a hunting liscense to be legal, then you are just another crook.
You mention you need to eat. Well so does every other human. You are no different. THe differences in most of us is we respect the laws, work to buy the necessary items required, and abide by the laws. Liscense fees are NOT so high for any resident of any state to where you can't work a little to buy one. You may disagree with the fact that the state charges a liscense fee, but you must realize that the fees paid are not enough to cover the actual costs of managing wildlife. Besides,, you bought a firearm to poach with,, ammo, spotlight or whatever else you use. BUY A LISCENSE & hunt legally.
You would not like it if a stranger came upon YOUR property & took from YOUR family would you? A burglar or thief steals your truck, ATV, computer, (an item you bought that you could use the money to buy a liscense, as well as paying for internet service.) you'd be pizzed for sure.
Sorry, I worked for my land, my property, and I invest work into my place to be able to enjoy it. I hate a thief no matter what "excuse" he gives for his crimes.

[mtnman31]

I'm sorry, but too poor to buy a hunting license? America's idea of what qualifies as poor has changed a little too much. How many times do I see a "poor" person talking in their iPhone and driving a nicer truck than I have. I don't think so... If you want to use poverty as an excuse for poaching, you better be living off the land. As in, living in a shack in the mountains somewhere with no modern conveniences such as electricity, running water or a computer where you can get online and try to justify a lame reason for poaching...

Poaching really gets under my skin. If I were a landowner, I'd have no qualms whatsoever about putting a few rounds into the engine or body of a poacher's truck in order to let them know that I don't appreciate their actions.

[clintsfolly]

Years ago the poachers would park on my buddy,s dad,s land and hunt. We kid found that sidecutters work real good on valve stems(2-4 tires works good) then add a gallon of water to there gas tank really add to the pain and lesson. The funny part most would come to his house and ask to use the phone!! One guy came back three times Clint

[Lefthandshooter]

If I was planning on doing anything illegal I don't think I'd post it on the internet.

Too many "non-gun" folks read these sites for fuel for their fire.

[crowbuster]

I tell ya guys, most of us have been on hard times at one time or another, and most of us didnt resort to this kind of thing. We have friends that I am sure could leagally shoot us a deer or help with some meat. And if I hear times are tough one more time when people are talking about all the breakins and stealin, im gonna puke. Excuses, excuses

[Moonie]

Us hunters are the ones that put hunting seasons, bag limits and licensing in place, that's who. We did it so we would have game to hunt.

And it is US hunters that get pissed off over poaching! Subsistence hunting is a whole different animal and we hunters have no issue with it. I suggest you sell your computer and get a hunting license, or at the very lease give up your internet connection for the money, you can do without for a month or 2...

[Jim]

That's what I'm talkin' about! I've got 50 rounds of that loaded up for my '03. It'll shut down an engine RIGHT NOW.

I've caught up with the entirety of the thread. Truth be told, I wish I had not posted what I did. Reason being, I KNOW that doing that would be breaking the law just as much as what a poacher would be doing.

I've thought through this and I've come to this conclusion: I think if I actually encountered somebody illegally hunting on my place, first I would most certainly arm myself with something more than a handgun. I would then call the Sheriff's office and let them know what's going on and where.

I can't imagine a poacher approaching a residence, but if that were to happen, I would lock my door and hope he doesn't try to get in.

I'm not gonna pass judgement on anything that has been posted so far except what I said. And what I suggested is a very stupid thing to think of. Puttin' a round through somebody's engine block would only result in massive legal problems for me. If he don't come up to my house and threaten me, I'll let the law handle it.

[Lefthandshooter]

Can't argue with Jim on that one!

[rr2241tx]

If you have land you will have tresspassers and poachers. You don't have to make it safe for them but you can't set traps to injure them either. About all you can legally do is make sure the Game Wardens all know that there's coffee and a place at your table anytime they are in the area. It completely blows that your neighbors have so little regard for private property but it is a fact of life in the country. Maybe we should stop complaining about the poachers and start roaming through their houses at odd hours of the night and drink all their beer.

[Love Life]

If you have land you will have tresspassers and poachers. You don't have to make it safe for them but you can't set traps to injure them either. About all you can legally do is make sure the Game Wardens all know that there's coffee and a place at your table anytime they are in the area. It completely blows that your neighbors have so little regard for private property but it is a fact of life in the country. Maybe we should stop complaining about the poachers and start roaming through their houses at odd hours of the night and drink all their beer.

As a public service to all sportsman I will volunteer for this duty.

[Jim]

Livin' in the country is totally incomprehensible to those that don't and never have. People know what property you can go on without gettin' caught. On the other hand, word gets around about places you DON'T wanna go.

I've been told that people say "If you go up to Jim's place and knock on the door, he'll invite you in and hand you a cold one. If you go up there messin' around, he'll have that place covered up with blue lights in a New York minute." It seems a lot o' folks are findin' out I know the sheriff and most of his boys.

[kenyerian]

I'm usually pretty reasonable about letting people hunt if they have the courtesy to ask ( I own 90 acres) If some one is confused and wanders on my property that usually OK also unless they try to run me or my family off of our own land. That really upsets me. I about had a heart atttack when someone shot over my head at a turkey that I had called in . He was too far away and the turkey took off flying right over top of me while he emptied his gun at it. I jumped up and started screaming at him and he took off running for his car which was parked along the road by one of my No tresspassing signs. Didn't stop to see if he had hit me or nothing. Just ran as fast as he could. that just about made me quit turkey hunting. If you are not safe on your own land then where are you safe?

[x101airborne]

[B]Livin' in the country is totally incomprehensible to those that don't and never have. People know what property you can go on without gettin' caught. On the other hand, word gets around about places you DON'T wanna go.B]

Like a long winding road with a washed out bridge, barbed wire across the road, and a run down cardboard shack with a lot of newer vehicles parked in the yard and the smoke house just a goin.

And enter the second refrain of "Dueling Banjos".

You boys want to stay for supper?

[oneokie]

Best deterrant I have found for uninvited fishermen is to call their house and ask what time the evening meal of fish will be served. Best to ask their SWMBO.

[Jim]

Like a long winding road with a washed out bridge, barbed wire across the road, and a run down cardboard shack with a lot of newer vehicles parked in the yard and the smoke house just a goin.

And enter the second refrain of "Dueling Banjos".

You boys want to stay for supper?

Except for the cardboard shack, you'd be surprised at how close you are to how it is up here in these hills.

[oldred]

Except for the cardboard shack, you'd be surprised at how close you are to how it is up here in these hills.


Sounds a bit like my place, I live "up on the ridge" in East Tn and my 3/4 mile long dirt driveway looks a bit uninviting to say the least. My nearest neighbor is over a mile away and when night comes it gets dark here, there are no lights visible in any direction except for that confounded cell phone tower with it's flashing aviation warning lights but then a person must go out behind the barn to even see that. With this description it might seem solitude would be assured but unfortunately that's not always the case and I get my share of beer bottles and other trash that is evidence of night-time visitors but I now have the reputation for being quick to call the law so the problem has lessened to only occasionally now. Would I confront these people with my shotgun? Why risk a confrontation that could turn ugly when I can just call the police and let them handle it? I guess tough talk makes some feel good but while shooting someone's engine block may seem like a "good enough fer em" idea at the time these people may think otherwise and retaliate, maybe without ever knowing who they are. Sure a tough guy attitude may work and the poacher, or whoever, may never be heard from again or if they are maybe a person can deal with that too but again, why risk a situation that can rapidly get out of hand and very possibly turn into a life changing (or life ending!) event? As long as intruders are not an immediate threat it just makes better sense to let the law handle it IMHO.


Of course all this means nothing if the perps are a possible threat instead of poaching or just trespassing, in that case I would not hesitate to meet them with whatever force necessary and it wouldn't bother my conscience in the least!

[Defcon-One]

I have this problem every year in my lower field. I considered sitting out in the field a few nights and watching, possibly shooting back if they shot "at me". But I assume that I'd be the bad guy in the Sheriff's view, so I never did.

The County Sheriff said that he could not watch the field, but if I called him when I saw them, then he would come out. I just couldn't figure out how best to get them to hang around.

A herd of fake deer, a "free beer" sign, traps in the road....... maybe I should shoot back?

They often shoot, get nervous and take off, leaving me the dead deer which I find a week later! (Rotten meat anyone?)

[firefly1957]

I had trouble with one guy trespassing to rabbit hunt he shot my Garage, the farm house and the neighbors dog before he "QUIT" the area. I caught him pulling in one day to hunt and when he saw me he took off. With a fresh snow on the road I followed him three miles and talked to him then went to the nearest house and he called in a trespass complaint against him. He has not been in the area for a couple years now.

I like the tannerite idea not sure of the legal issues as each state is different. I have had road hunters at night out here but a trail camera did not catch them as there was to much distance from the camera to the road. When I see a spotlight a couple of loud shots retires them to a new area as they do not know if the DNR is in the area.

[Blacksmith]

If you live in the country the best thing you can do is become a respected member of the community which means you are an important person to your neighbors. If you are respected and important to them, then your important to you neighbors will watch your back just like you watch theirs. When any of the respected and important people in the community have a problem or make a suspicious person call it will be responded to. The word gets around that you don't mess with certain people, make sure you are one of those people and most of your local poaching and tresspass problems will go away and you will only have to worry about the outsiders that everyone is keeping an eye on. But the respected and important people in the country are not like the ones in the city.

How do you become respected and important in the country? You earn it by how you act, what you do, what you don't do, how you treat others, helping a neighbor, taking time to listen, getting involved, showing respect for others, realizing how much you don't know, being there when needed, being a man of your word, standing up for what's right, and generally helping your community.

[oldred]

If you live in the country the best thing you can do is become a respected member of the community which means you are an important person to your neighbors. If you are respected and important to them, then your important to you neighbors will watch your back just like you watch theirs. When any of the respected and important people in the community have a problem or make a suspicious person call it will be responded to. The word gets around that you don't mess with certain people, make sure you are one of those people and most of your local poaching and tresspass problems will go away and you will only have to worry about the outsiders that everyone is keeping an eye on. But the respected and important people in the country are not like the ones in the city.

How do you become respected and important in the country? You earn it by how you act, what you do, what you don't do, how you treat others, helping a neighbor, taking time to listen, getting involved, showing respect for others, realizing how much you don't know, being there when needed, being a man of your word, standing up for what's right, and generally helping your community.




Exactly, tough talk such as "backhoes" etc, is just absurd because taking someone's life for an offense such as poaching should not even be in a discussion such as this! IMO poachers are low life scum and should be prosecuted to the maximum allowed by law but poaching is obviously not a capital offense and while tough talk may be a means for someone to vent their frustrations it comes across the wrong way.

[ErikO]

Livin' in the country is totally incomprehensible to those that don't and never have. People know what property you can go on without gettin' caught. On the other hand, word gets around about places you DON'T wanna go.

I've been told that people say "If you go up to Jim's place and knock on the door, he'll invite you in and hand you a cold one. If you go up there messin' around, he'll have that place covered up with blue lights in a New York minute." It seems a lot o' folks are findin' out I know the sheriff and most of his boys.

I seem to have that same reputation in my urban neighborhood.

I did get a somewhat funny story out of a conservation officer buddy of mine in WI. It seems there was a local poacher that nobody would turn in as he also was a big mean fellow with a horrible temper and the morals of, well, a poacher. One afternoon he had decided to teach his 12 year old son the 'family business'. He was driving the truck while the kiddo had the rifle out the window. The kid couldn't hit the doe after five shots so Daddy lost his temper and rammed the deer.

While they could never get anyone to press charges against him so that he could be fined, there was some satisfaction that the damage he caused to his truck was three times the fines he would have had to pay.

[10x]

A game camera is your friend. Get one of the new ones with the invisible flash. Modern poachers have I.R. night vision - the kids set of I.R. night vision is available from Cabellas for about $70.00 and it picks up the I.R. flash of a game camera.

It is real nice to be able to give the police photos of folks who trespass and poach on your property. I have had a game camera up on my property and I am amazed at the number of folks who use that property for recreation without permission...
Also your poacher may well be a long term resident or neighbor who has traditionally hunted that land. For some folks they grew up poaching and they continue til they're caught. And they really do not understand they are poaching or why it is wrong.

[ShooterAZ]

Here in the State of Arizona we have this, with rewards for those helping catch poachers. If you see it, report it!

http://www.azgfd.gov/ogt.shtml

[gew98]

I knew a guy back in the early 1980's that told raccoon hunters 3 times to stay off his property.

The forth time he took a shot at them at 300 yards using a .22-250.

They carried off their dead $400 hunting dog, never to return.

Not that I agree - wasn't the dog's fault.

Shot a few dogs in my day. I cannot personally see the need to have a dog to hunt for you...too lazy ?. Have had dogs from wherever chasing deer and rabbit out of the blue in my woods that resulted in their demise toot sweet. I hear barking hounds/dogs and I'm locked and loaded...don't like them and never will as they chase off the things I like to eat.

[gew98]

On the subject of poachers directly ; I have only had one instance of bonafide poaching. A friend and his girl asked to hunt in my woods and they did. He shot at a little spike buck an dmissed at less than 40 yards...yeah he was a wee bit of a bad shot. It went into an adjacent wooded property ( less than 20 yards ) and was promptly shot by some yahoo on a 4 wheeler. I heard that guys shot after my buddies shot and new it was bad karma.... the rebel yell of the miscreant pretty much gave him away. Well knowing the landowner well of the adjacent 80+ wooded acres and knowing that guy does not allow people to hunt on his land it was no small task to await the jackarse on the 4 wheeler to exit the woods a couple miles down the road ..with the deer on his ATV at the only place a 'poacher' could do such. He gave up the meat and was persuaded to go back to white trashville where he came from in short order.
A dear friend of mine in Grayson County has had multiple run in's with poachers on his 170 acres there over the years...none which ended violently thank god , but he had to point his 300 ultra mag at a few to encourage them to go to hell somewhere else ASAP. As well he has had several tree stands stolen to include the perps chainsawing the tree down to get them !!.

[Lefthandshooter]

Npt poaching but trespassers on snowmobiles cut a fence so they could cut across my parent's farm to get to the neighbor's farm. Since they did not have permission ro be on either, we simply repaired the old run-gown fence they cut with new barbed wire but only the bottom strand - 6 inches off the ground. We had called the sheriff and he told us "Just fix the fence.", so we did, but forgot to place red flags on i like he said.

The next day it snowed, and the day after we walked back to find pieces of fiberglass, metal and oil all over the place, and some drag marks across a field to a set of truck tracks.

We walked over to the neighbor's house and told the son we had some problems with trespassers snowmobiling on our posted property. He said a few bad words and walked away. Later we found out he was with a group of about 7-10, and one had hit the wire doing about 45, flipped, and the snowmobile hit a tree about 4 feet off the ground. Guy had a broken collar bone, several bruised ribs, many cuts and bruises, and a expensive pile of scrap. Seems that high strength barbed wire really did the trick!

To add salt to the guy's wounds, since we had reported it to the sherriff, the guy got a ticket for tresspassing (he landed in our property and the damage was done while committing a crime) and property damage, his insurance company refused to pay for the totalled snowmobile.

That was in 1978, and we have not had a snowmobile on our property since.

[10x]

Like a long winding road with a washed out bridge, barbed wire across the road, and a run down cardboard shack with a lot of newer vehicles parked in the yard and the smoke house just a goin.

And enter the second refrain of "Dueling Banjos".

You boys want to stay for supper?

My family farm is 12 miles from the nearest village of 400 people. It is thirty miles from the nearest police station. I used to use the house as a summer cottage until the looters and the vandals did too much damage.

The roads there are not winding but straight and laid out on a grid.
If you go and visit that area in June, July, August, or on a damp day in september you will not hear a motor or any sound made by humans. Same with November through till April. When I go there to hunt in the fall, it is unusual to have a vehicle pass the farm at any time and I have spent several days there when I have not seen or heard a vehicle or farm equipment move or even heard human activity.

Yet my place still gets looted,

Oh, and the old timers that are left, and the folk who I went to school with, and some of my relations will go there for the memories - but they are not vandals or looters. I usually get " Been out to your old place, yer lettin' it go. To bad, lot of good memories from there". In a way it is a monument to the hardship and trials of the 1930s - the hardships that lasted right into the 1950s in that area.

It is amazing how someone will break into the house and take a family photo off the wall, then put it on ebay as an antique... I found my McCary wood burning range in a pawn shop listed for $2500.00 - when you use a stove for most of your life you get to know the bumps in the enamel and the little things that over 40 years of use make it unique.

Got 160 acres right next to the gun range here about 10 minutes out of town. THere are days there are a dozen or more moose grazing on the alfalfa /mixed hay crop in the fall. On those days I will get a half dozen calls requesting permission to hunt there. I have yet to hunt a moose on that land myself. Some folks hunt there with my permission - old friends and a couple of neighbors. - they tell me when they get a moose. The poachers with out permission take as many or more moose as the guys with permission. Game cameras are your friend.