Not to beat a dead horse

[Crazinamatese]

Poaching is no different than theft. These kind of people are stealing from you and me and everyone else out there who enjoy hunting and the outdoors. I hope they aren't wasting the carcasses and leaving them to rot out in the woods. I don't know anyone personally who would let people get away with this type of crap. I agree with talking to them, and I said it in an earlier post. Talk with them, draw a line and you shouldn't have to remind them again. If they have a good heart and soul they will stop, but if not, sorry to say but you have two choices. Either continue to look away and let them steal from the rest of us, or do whatever it takes to put an end to it.

[dan]

Old post but interesting conversation... Do you ream out your family members and set em strsight? Turn em in? Or gry talking to them 1st, and if that dont work turn em in???

[adrenalin]

This is always an interesting topic to me. And honestly I am surprised how upset people will get with family or friends over game laws they brake. People take big offense to hearing about someone braking a game law.

BUT, do you see the same outrage when a family member or buddy gets in their car and drives after they had more than 1 beer per hour? Almost certain they would test higher than legal level?

Do you turn someone in for smoking pot in a state that is not legal? Speeding? Driving with an expired license? Un paid child support? Stealing, walking out of the store knowing the clerk forgot to charge you for something in your cart?

Their are hundreds if not thousands of things people do illegally and dishonestly and people look the other way. But somehow game violations to a sportsmen are the unforgivable sin?

I get it is frustrating to hear about someone poaching a big buck. But it is much worse in my opinion to drive drunk. Thousands of people die each year killed by drunk drivers and yet people leave a bar drunk everyday and Noone says a word.

I would personally try to talk to them about it and convince them to follow the laws and do the right thing. Try to help them make the right decision on there own.

[dan]

This is always an interesting topic to me. And honestly I am surprised how upset people will get with family or friends over game laws they brake. People take big offense to hearing about someone braking a game law.

BUT, do you see the same outrage when a family member or buddy gets in their car and drives after they had more than 1 beer per hour? Almost certain they would test higher than legal level?

Do you turn someone in for smoking pot in a state that is not legal? Speeding? Driving with an expired license? Un paid child support? Stealing, walking out of the store knowing the clerk forgot to charge you for something in your cart?

Their are hundreds if not thousands of things people do illegally and dishonestly and people look the other way. But somehow game violations to a sportsmen are the unforgivable sin?

I get it is frustrating to hear about someone poaching a big buck. But it is much worse in my opinion to drive drunk. Thousands of people die each year killed by drunk drivers and yet people leave a bar drunk everyday and Noone says a word.

I would personally try to talk to them about it and convince them to follow the laws and do the right thing. Try to help them make the right decision on there own.

I think you read my mind... Exactly what I was thinking.

[Bowhunting Brian]

Over the past few hunting seasons I've separated from family to hunt alone. This past week I ran into one of my family members in which for some reason he felt the need to share how they shot 4 deer in the last week(two of them bucks) after hours from their camp under the floodlight using the crossbow. Normally I would say violaters will be violaters, but they're motivation to do this was definitely the legalization of cross bows. They hunt with them legally during the day, but illegally at night. It's great right? Now you can shoot from the shoulder without having to worry about anyone hearing the shot! On public land, they follow the rules. All of there stands have their names on them and they take them down within the guidelines. That's the way I've always known them by hunting along side them for many years. Just something to consider with the legalization of crossbows. I had never to my knowledge known these guys to violate like this before. It saddens me knowing I may have to turn them in. I had been reading the thread on illegal tree stands and kind of thought about my role on turning my family members in. Do I just look the other way like some have said about illegal tree stands or do we have a responsibility to protect our resources?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

So what ever happened?

[Hawthorne]

I’ve known about a couple guys that never tagged their deer that I knew when I was younger. They bragged about it. I knew a former cop that knew about it also he told me he knew what they were up to.Not sure if he turned them in. Thankfully I never hunted with them. Another guy I work with bragged about using other peoples tags. I told him one day I don’t want to hear that crap. That’s was years ago he knows not to talk to me like that anymore. He’s seems more law abiding now

[Dewey]

Nothing is worse than the guys who brag about poaching or breaking game laws. There’s no talking sense into those people. I wouldn’t think twice about turning them in no matter who they are.

Thing is where do you draw the line? Minor infractions like hunting a few minutes late or trimming shooting lanes isn’t worth getting all upset about but outright poaching without a license or killing and registering on other peoples tags obviously needs to be dealt with. If we look the other way we’re just as much part of the problem. No way I can ignore stuff like that and have a clear conscience. I feel it’s my duty to say something.

[Luv2BowHunt]

Zero chance I’m turning in my family to the state. I would be embarrassed to lick boots as hard as this post does.

[Bowhunting Brian]

Zero chance I’m turning in my family to the state. I would be embarrassed to lick boots as hard as this post does.

What about in-laws you don't like?

[ihookem]

Turning in relatives would depend... Did they do it one time, and was a year ago? I would let it slide... I would make it clear it is not exceptable. Here is one case. I came to my camp one night at 11PM. in NW WIs. in 2012. my BIL got a buck.. There was no tag on it . I told him it's not tagged.. He said oh I can do it in the morning.. I told him we cant have that. so he got up and tagged it. He hunted a little in gun season that year , a little in bow the next year and did not come back for gun in 2013. It was a good thing he tagged it . TI would not have turned him in... He didnt say , but he was kind of new at hunting , maybe he forgot, but its still a fine. There was other poaching going on down the road . I told the warden they over bait. He checked it out and could not find over baiting.. Just when I was ready to hang up.. I hesitated , but told him,, I can see a cabin 1/2 mi. upstream ( I have river frontage.) EVERY night before opening day there is a light on in the back yard at the cabin closest to the river. A few weeks later at 11PM., the warden drives down the dirt rod and sees it. He walks up and sure enough, a guy with an open window , a crossbow loaded and cocked, bait all over and it was not a back porch light. It was 2 flood lights with a deer feeder to boot. He got a $3,500 fine and lawyer fees, 3 yrs. of no fishing or hunting. The guy is a real moron.. So stupid that he had a trail cam on the feeder post . The warden confiscates it , looks at the pictures to see the date, time , and a dead deer laying there that is shot at night.. Stupider yet, the cam takes a pic of the wife and him dragging it away . He didnt even know enough to delete the pics of his violation.. He is still there , and still a jerk..

[wolverinebuckman]

About a week before the kentucky gun opener last year, a coworker says to me "got a deer last night, out behind the house". I say, oh cool, bow or crossbow?

Big jack-o-lantern grin... ".22"

I said loud enough for anyone to hear "oh, so you poached it", shook my head and walked away. Can't imagine bragging about that.

I didn't turn him in, and I wouldn’t turn on a family member, either. I don't agree with poaching, but a lot of people do things around , as mentioned in an earlier post in this thread, that I don't narc on them about. I get on my kids about being Tattle tails, too. I remind them that sometimes snitches, do indeed, get stitches.

[ThePreBanMan]

Just tell them you don't want to hear about it. You have a problem with poaching and you would rather not think less of them as a man and family for doing it. So basically, STFU.

If you hear about ti again after that, now they're just pissing on you. So I would turn them in, anonymously.... even though they would probably suspect at that point.. Let them.... Respect is a 2 way street. If you want it from me, I better be getting it from you.

[dan]

There is something to be said for "Leading by example" When young or impressionable people see people who work hard and take the right path and have a great attitude and conduct themselves in an honorable way, it makes them want to be like that... But the same can be said about people who brag about and glamorize doing things the wrong way. That too can help to lead young and impressionable people down a path...

[PoppaOtt84]

I agree with Dan. Lead by example.

I feel like a lot of people that turn people in are doing it for selfish reasons.. "The neighbor is shooting all my deer so I'm going to report him for his bait pile".. or "The guy that moved into my public land spot is cutting branches he shouldn't be"... I think the best thing we can do is to worry about ourselves and keep doing what we know is right. Obviously there are cases where the best option is to turn it in to the authorities...

My brother was driving home from hunting last deer season and seen a nice buck standing in the ditch. He backed up and shined his headlights on it to get a look. The deer didn't move after a few minutes... Then red and blue lights turned on and pulled up behind his truck. It turned out to be a decoy the DNR planted to catch poachers. You cant shine deer in Michigan during the month of November.. Even though He had no intentions of shooting it, and his firearm was in the back of the vehicle unloaded.. The officer even threatened him that this could be a felony with the firearm in the vehicle while "shining". What deer hunter would see a nice buck standing in the ditch and just keep on driving like it wasn't there... come on.. He ended up with a 300 dollar fine. Now my brother has almost lost interest in hunting because of it. Sorry if this went a little off track from the topic, but it just showcases that sometimes these things get a little carried away...

[Brad]

For sure lead by example first and foremost. I don't know that I would turn them in unless I knew they are real troublemakers breaking the law regularly in multiple ways. In that case, some type of intervention needs to be done. I would definitely make it clear that I'm not down with poaching in any form. If they are doing it on private land where the deer population is huge, I would look down on it, but not set them up for legal ramifications. our conservation department is killing tons of deer out of the season on a regular basis from what I've heard, so it would seem hypocritical of them to prosecute for doing the same. I just say stick to doing what's right, supporting what's right, being unsupportive of what is not right, and being consistent with doing what you say.