Poachers...

[OkieKubota]

As with every year we have this late Holiday Antlerless Rifle season for 10 days running from the Friday before Christmas we get a lot of this in Oklahoma as many of our “Hunters” cross the line to “Poacher” because they simply cannot let a nice buck pass them by. Any season that is designed for does only is gonna be a failure because it gets turned into another reason to be in the woods with a deer rifle and when people with weak restraint policy are out there you are going to lose a lot of the base antlered population. Some will check them as archery kills since archery is also still going on skewing the numbers and others just do this...

 

[OkieKubota]

Those pictures came off our Oklahoma Game Wardens FB site this week...

 

[catscratch]

I feel for ya Okie, that sucks!

 

[dogghr]

Honestly it’s everywhere no matter a season or not. I heard more rifle shots while bowhunting wk before rifle than I do during rifle season. Single shot at dusk sure isn’t someone practicing.
Our state big buck page was even called out for the number of supposed neck and head shots of supposedly bow killed deer. Sux. Actually I prob lose more deer to the logging trucks than poachers.


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[Mennoniteman]

Our state had an antlerless only rifle season starting on the Monday after buck season from 1950 to 2010, and poaching bucks during this doe season was almost unheard of. It seems like most poachers around here want to fill their buck tag right before buck season for the bragging rights of "got my buck", and most poachers would rather work at night when it's easier to hide their sins. By the time rifle buck season is over most remaining bucks on land that's being actively hunted are nocturnal anyway. And poaching, while plenty of it is happening, has a real stigma in our state, if it's done in the daylight during an open season there's too many people around who will turn them in. But now rifle buck season runs for one week and the buck and doe run concurrently for the second week, and this makes more sense in many different ways, including taking the temptation away for the type of poaching that you are talking about. If the state government can make regulations that simplify the seasons for law abiding citizens and make things more difficult for poachers, why wouldn't they?

 

[OkieKubota]

Our state had an antlerless only rifle season starting on the Monday after buck season from 1950 to 2010, and poaching bucks during this doe season was almost unheard of. It seems like most poachers around here want to fill their buck tag right before buck season for the bragging rights of "got my buck", and most poachers would rather work at night when it's easier to hide their sins. By the time rifle buck season is over most remaining bucks on land that's being actively hunted are nocturnal anyway. And poaching, while plenty of it is happening, has a real stigma in our state, if it's done in the daylight during an open season there's too many people around who will turn them in. But now rifle buck season runs for one week and the buck and doe run concurrently for the second week, and this makes more sense in many different ways, including taking the temptation away for the type of poaching that you are talking about. If the state government can make regulations that simplify the seasons for law abiding citizens and make things more difficult for poachers, why wouldn't they?

We had already had 25 days so far this fall that rifles could kill does and bucks at the same time. This 10 day deal is an add on. We lose most of our bucks during daylight because the remaining bucks are really visible due to lack of food right now. They are doing stuff they don’t have to do in early season just to try to eat and rebuild after the rut. A shot at night brings attention. A shot down in the woods during daylight (since it is rifle doe season) will not even cause someone to bat an eye...

 

[PineSapJunky]

One of our big problems is farmers or the farmers hands driving around at night and checking on livestock or looking for hogs. It gives these guys cart blanche At these nocturnal bucks. I've stopped and questioned so before. Same story. We also have a primitive weapons season that coincides with doe only but I don't believe for a minute bucks don't get killed. I have a few friends that forgo the temptation and stay out of the woods for the very reason. A few years ago I shot a really nice 8pt with my bow literally the first 3 seconds of rifle season. It was a deer I was very familiar with and passed during archery season. He came underneath my stand dragging his front shoulder. I finally seen the bone sticking out. When I was processing him I discovered he had been shot by a small caliber rifle (.223ish) in his front shoulder. A few days later I was checking trail cameras and found pictures of him on the other side of the property perfectly healthy 8pm the night before (well after dark). It just so happens there's a farmer's field we border on three sides. Coincidence? I think not. I reported what I found to the GW. He said he would look into the matter but I never heard of anything else. Goes to show you it happens everywhere

 

[OkieKubota]

Night shots here bring nosy neighbors such as myself as do high power rifle shots in archery. Right now with doe rifle season going we just listen to the banging away and as long as it doesn’t sound like it is on us it is dismissed. As I said the bucks here are not completely nocturnal now...lots of day walking going on and just a few days ago I saw a nice buck from the county road which has been unheard of up until this point...even with does. But down in the timber deer are just moving like crazy...

 

[PineSapJunky]

Another thing I'm torn on is the use of suppressors during hunting season. Makes it that much more hard to pinpoint or even hear a shot after hours for that sake.

 

[deer patch]

I feel your pain. Here we have a five day doe only season mid October just before the weekend opener of muzzleloader season. Bucks haven't been pressured much so I know some get shot. A co-worker from another area showed me a picture of a buck he got and stated he killed it during the doe only season. These doe only seasons need to be gotten rid of. We can kill three doe during any of our modern gun or muzzleloader season and up to five with bow included, so if you can't kill one then you don't need a special season to harvest one. Just saying.

 

[OkieKubota]

I feel your pain. Here we have a five day doe only season mid October just before the weekend opener of muzzleloader season. Bucks haven't been pressured much so I know some get shot. A co-worker from another area showed me a picture of a buck he got and stated he killed it during the doe only season. These doe only seasons need to be gotten rid of. We can kill three doe during any of our modern gun or muzzleloader season and up to five with bow included, so if you can't kill one then you don't need a special season to harvest one. Just saying.

Exactly!

 

[catscratch]

I've see the same sort of thing with youth season... a guy shoots a really nice buck with his 6yr old by his side. It's abused for certain.

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[PineSapJunky]

One of my gripes believe it or not is the lack of reporting by the blood trailers. We are called out quite often. When I arrive I ask the hunter before I even drop the tailgate "is this a legal deer and who shot it"? You know really quick if it's a kids deer or not. Furthermore I tell them if I track this deer and it turns out to be illegal I will load up my dogs and hand over the address and contact information to the local GW. It has happened more time than you would think that after explaining that they don't want me to track it. A lot of the trackers turn a blind eye to get as many tracks as possible because that is what they like to do, to watch their dogs work. I know some that live for a "bay and a bang".....think dog fighting a deer. I don't understand some people. None the less. And to round this rambling out. I am amazed at how many people don't know their neighbors and have zero issue crossing a property line without permission to retrieve a deer.

 

[Deadeye]

The Last Weekend of Archery while I was hunting on our place, I heard several Rifle Shots on Saturday Morning. I texted the SIL to say "sounds like the Locals started Gun Season one week early."

 

[TreeDaddy]

We had already had 25 days so far this fall that rifles could kill does and bucks at the same time. This 10 day deal is an add on. We lose most of our bucks during daylight because the remaining bucks are really visible due to lack of food right now. They are doing stuff they don’t have to do in early season just to try to eat and rebuild after the rut. A shot at night brings attention. A shot down in the woods during daylight (since it is rifle doe season) will not even cause someone to bat an eye...

All the more reason to have good perimeter access

The "shot at night" and Im headed that way in the polaris.....

bill

 

[PineSapJunky]

I think this would be almost the price of admission if you could just get the word out in your area if a couple people could get caught. I've seriously thought about buying one myself. Especially a turkey.

 

[catscratch]

When I was growing up we had a good family friend who was a gamewarden. They had a "robo-deer" that they would set up and catch poachers with (mostly spotlighters from the road). Sketchy scenario; approaching an armed lawbreaker in the dark to arrest them.

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[PineSapJunky]

I would be more apt to just setup cameras to catch the SOB along with their license plate, etc. and turn the evidence over to the authorities. I would like a conviction but I think just having the word out that it could be a sting would be enough deterrent for most individuals.

 

[Drycreek]

Thieves are gonna steal, and that’s what poachers are. All we can do is report poaching and let the authorities handle unless it’s on our property, then that’s another matter. In Texas we have the right to hold poachers/trespassers until the GW arrives. I’ve not had that problem yet and hope I don’t, but I’m prepared to deal with it if the occasion arrises.

 

[jteeen]

Another thing I'm torn on is the use of suppressors during hunting season. Makes it that much more hard to pinpoint or even hear a shot after hours for that sake.

I just received my first supressor after a 12 month wait from the ATF. 99% of these guys couldn't afford one at 1K+ each. Yeah they can DIY oil can but that's a 20 year federal vacation and they know it.

It's great for my ears also. I don't shoot deer anymore but I pity the racoon that walks across my path! And no they aren't silent you just cant tell where the shot came from.

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