2 Elk Wasted, Poachers.

[tribb]

This is not the first time or place that this has happened and won't be the last!! Solving this problem will be a huge undertaking. A good start might be to incorporate some hunting ethics and responsibilities into Hunter education curriculum. May already be in there I'm not sure. We should have it addressed in public schools but we know that ain't gonna happen!!!! Talk about liberals going crazy I can only imagine!!!

I've found huge bulls with the heads cut off and the rest left to rot.
I've seen multiple bulls shot by the same hunter, as the herd ran past them. They shot a bull and it kept running so they assumed a miss and shot the next bull that ran by. Over and over until there were several on the ground. Then they tagged the biggest one and started cutting.
I've seen shots fired into herds of balled up elk. The exiting bullet striking the elk behind the target elk.
I've seen guys park on private, out of state owned property that borders public. Apparently using onxmaps to determine they out of state owners weren't around.
I've seen big ranches having their hired help herd the elk with quads and trucks and pistols fired into the air to keep the elk on the property and not cross onto public. Charging 10k for a bull elk, and refusing to let the locals shoot a cow elk after they are done with their profit season. Then complaining to Fish and game the wolves are hurting their livestock and they need help from the state, at taxpayers expense, while still refusing to allow wolf hunters onto the property.
I've seen bull elk sick and down for days, that succumb to natural death. Then transplants from blue states/cities, make a fuss and claim poaching while the dead bull still has his antlers. And demanding the rancher removes the carcass from their sight cause it hurts their feelings. to see true nature that isn't National Geographic edited false reality.
I've seen transplants cut up ranchers fences claiming "fences hurt the migration of animals". And then threatening to sue the ranchers for the damage their cows did after they walked through cut fence.
I could go on for hours but I'm out of coffee and have chores to do.
We are forced to live amongst idiots, who ruin and poison everything they touch with their ignorance, greed, and stupidity.
I have no idea's on how to fix the idiots.
I do however have zero tolerance for fools who do things that ruin my rights, access, and lifestyle. I'm originally from Chicago, and I'm not a rat. But I will call in and report any illegal behavior I see when It comes to hunting, poaching, trespassing, or anything else that makes the hunting regulations book get thicker and thicker every year.
I have to drive THROUGH herds of elk, to get to public land to look for elk. Anyone I see who pokes a barrel out of the truck window, shoots towards houses onto land they have no access to, will be in court at the least.
These people will make the anti-gunners/anti-hunters have more photo's and video to use against us.
Follow the law, hunt hard to earn the meat, and have respect for those of us that got out ahead of you, earlier, to be in the rite spot first.
I'm still trying to figure out what to do about hunters that will see me in my spot, and walk 50 yds in front of me, cigarette smoking, talking, laughing and joking, bumping animals out the whole way. And think it's ok.
Lack of accountability and consequences, in every category, is ruining our country. Some people have no respect for anything or anyone.

 

[bubbaonpc]

I had tears of anger and disgust after seeing that picture. I popped a Blood Pressure Pill and I'm back. There is little on this earth that causes me more mental and physical discomfort than POACHERS, Trespassing and animals left to ROT ! As a landowner and a Hunter I despise these people. My wife and I hunt...we do not KILL, we live on the land we hunt, therefore we know the exact animals we wish to take when the season arrives. We also know how many Deer we will eat and that is how many we take. We have shot and donated Deer when asked to help needy families in a One on One basis. We feed and put out mineral blocks year around, with extra corn on those snow covered winter days. We love and respect all our animals...and we hate and despise poachers !
Forgive my rant... But you will soon read why this KILLS my soul. In our lil piece of NC mountains there is a "hunting club", and never has the word "hunting" been more misused. The big thrill for these losers is to put $5-10 in a pot...and at the end of the season, the poacher with the most kills...WINS ! The animal does not have to be picked up...just a picture of the "mighty killer" posing with their dead deer. These lowlifes spend their days and NIGHTS out killing in hopes of being the BIG MAN. We have found multiple poached deer along one of our access roads to the back property...and run out multiple trespassers. ( wish I was in my 20's)... I hate to think that Elk was a $5 bet !!....as a Hunter who will never have the thrill of shooting an Elk...or better yet, HEARING that spine tingling call, it makes me SICK to see pictures like this.

 

[brentru]

This is the Michigan firearm White tail Deer season. Nov 15 - 30. Shots in the woods draw no attention. No way you mistake a Elk for a white tail. The article states the elk seasons, they are draw tags.

And yet people mistake elk for deer or moose every year.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

And yet people mistake elk for deer or moose every year.

^ this. I bet it was an amped up deer hunter, shot it, found it, panicked, and left.

 

[nmbarta]

We had several trophy bulls killed in the bull mountains this year, I believe they just caught the guy. He had no intentions of taking antlers or meat, just shooting big bulls and leaving.
We found a dead bull in the area while antelope hunting a few weeks ago, he had a hole behind the front shoulder and had clearly struggled for a bit before passing (grass and dirt kicked up around his legs) we called fish and game and reported what was found and gave exact gps coordinates. The game warden hiked about three miles to the kill site a d inspected the dead bull.
He said it was clear the bull had been killed by another bull and therefore died of natural causes. He removed the antlers (340 ish bull) and packed them out, then called us back to come get the antlers. Because the bull died of natural causes it was legal for us to take the antlers. He was thankful for the report and understood why we suspected poaching.
I'm looking forward to the sentencing of the poacher they caught. The regulations value a trophy bull at 6500.00 for restitution. That's not including fines.
I hope they make an example out of him that includes some time behind bars.

 

[CVCOBRA1]

$10,000 fine....loss of all firearms and loss of hunting rights for life
That's what it should be....

 

[hogheadv2]

And yet people mistake elk for deer or moose every year.

Took a side scenic seasonal road from my house to dads, saw a big whitetail body dropped off not even gutted, head chopped off.i do not recall if the heard of neighbor's drunk relatives that came when (as many doe licenses a day up to 10, 10 every day if you wat in zone 452. TB zone. ***40 years never have seen this = Thank you for responding to this thread. Tom

 

[hogheadv2]

Some of my dearest Friends have Gone to The Endless Hunting Ground. With all of the Love and Support , and now companionship of their wives. We all have our styles, ideas, interest. Keeping our groups tight not divided is what will help us all be better shooters. Raise, Teach, and Be better Sports persons....
> I will Freely admit testing the flight path of a ramrod, Pulls a but of Yaw as slows back though the sound barrier.... Cuts a target clean in half. Bullet 12" or so high, rod hora- zonal at bottom. ..... [-1 Range rod] salvaged the rest of the afternoon with the original rod... I will be the first to claim my mistakes... Make my share and more. Pass around the Ice tea and almonds when I actually got something spot on! I take all the credit.

**Thank all of you for the input, This is the broadest group of minds I have to tap for perspective. Tom, aka DAMMIT-MAN

 

[Tiny Tim]

As most have said, poachers usually take something. Likely sloppy hunters. I've found carcasses that people couldn't find because there was no snow or a 1 foot wide path of blood to follow. In the early 90's in Wisconsin, I believe a woman shot a moose (maybe an elk) with a bow and arrow, claiming she thought it was a deer. AT BOW RANGE! In northern Wisconsin at that time, that would have likely been inside 40 yards. People have shot dogs, cows, and people. Can't fix the fallenness of human nature with legislation.

 

[hogheadv2]

As most have said, poachers usually take something. Likely sloppy hunters. I've found carcasses that people couldn't find because there was no snow or a 1 foot wide path of blood to follow. In the early 90's in Wisconsin, I believe a woman shot a moose (maybe an elk) with a bow and arrow, claiming she thought it was a deer. AT BOW RANGE! In northern Wisconsin at that time, that would have likely been inside 40 yards. People have shot dogs, cows, and people. Can't fix the fallenness of human nature with legislation.

Saddens me,**Inevitably these are the Lightning Rods, the media will find next mental breakdown enhanced with firearms. **

 

[DCAN]

Honestly I don't even want to post where I hunt elk. The out of state hunters are the worst. And I don't want to encourage any more of them to come here and pillage. Just like migratory birds, they are here just long enough to crap all over everything and then they are gone.

For what's it's worth, I feel your pain. After spending about 30 years dealing with hunters in Oregon, from a LE perspective, I know what you are talking about. Been there, seen it. Camps left in the hills which resemble a garbage dump, headless critters left to rot, so on and so on. I'm not for one second saying these were all out of state hunters. That would be false. Oregon has no shortage of culls calling themselves hunters. I never really saw them as hunters, simply culls who hunted.
Seemed with social media came the need to be cooler than your buddies. Post anything and everything to be the stud. Doesn't matter how you killed it, just the selfie you are going to take with it.
I helped teach hunter's ed. for several years and tried to stress ethics to the next generation. What an eye opener that was. The best students were, without a doubt, the girls. There is hope...……...

 

[DCAN]

OK. Someone please help get me up to speed. What is a 'Rule 1 Violation". I used the "E" word? Seriously?

 

[Frog4aday]

Yes,
E
T
H
I
C
S
Is a no no on here. Can't talk about it. It's in the forum rules you agreed to. No cussing either. Go to the bottom of this page and click "Terms and Rules".

 

[Riflehunter1776]

2 Elk wasted in a week. I have to wonder if anti-hunters may do this to instill outrage in the public. Proud sportsman have there deer propped up so the antlers show above the pickup bed. Send photos to there friends. Sports-people are not doing this. The one shot Tues. the 19th was a 7 x 6 ... Prize for ant Michigan sportsperson.

View attachment 159357

I agree. anti-hunters. poachers would have cut off the heads