Scouting trip turned into disappointment

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GreatWhiteOak
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Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby GreatWhiteOak » Tue Jan 05, 2016 1:53 am

Was out scouting the other day with my daughter in a new area. I had the location picked out and was pretty pump when we found a few beds. One was a buck bed that was fresh. That is till we found a guys stand 100yds away and you could see the deer had the ground dug up about the size of a car hood right in front of his stand. If you bait whatever to each his own but what I have a problem is this guy is doing on public land which in pa is illegal and he's not more than 300 yds off the road. Either he's that bold or he's that stupid. People like that make me sick. Needless to say I guess I won't be hunting near that guy or even that ridge anytime soon.

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Stanley
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby Stanley » Tue Jan 05, 2016 2:32 am

Bummer.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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whitetailassasin
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:00 am

GreatWhiteOak wrote:Was out scouting the other day with my daughter in a new area. I had the location picked out and was pretty pump when we found a few beds. One was a buck bed that was fresh. That is till we found a guys stand 100yds away and you could see the deer had the ground dug up about the size of a car hood right in front of his stand. If you bait whatever to each his own but what I have a problem is this guy is doing on public land which in pa is illegal and he's not more than 300 yds off the road. Either he's that bold or he's that stupid. People like that make me sick. Needless to say I guess I won't be hunting near that guy or even that ridge anytime soon.

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Don't write that spot off altogether. First look and see what direction he is going from the bed. Just because there's a bait site 100 yds away, doesn't mean you can't still kill that buck. Odds are that guy over hunts it. And that buck if a good one, knows it and heads the other way. If the bed is tough access and no other hunters are going closer, that buck will still bed may still bed there. He probably sits the wrong wind as well and that can push the deer right where you can kill him. Odds are the guy who baited it has no idea that bed is there. My question is do you think the buck is bedded there because of the bait site, or because it's safe and a good bedding location? I'd investigate a little more. I hunt high pressure areas, bait sites are all over. Takes a little bit of work, but you can use them to you advantage.

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Outdoor814
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby Outdoor814 » Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:07 am

Im from PA also. Havent ran into that problem yet but was aldo scouting public game lands yesterday and ran into trouble.
I had found a heavy trail that was going between 2 white pine groves. I set up a camera to see what was traveling there.
When i left i noticed fresh footprints milling about 20yrd from where i put the camera then went to the back side of the pines
I snuck back into where i had put my camera and saw a guy scopeing it out. I then watched him sneak around the tree and go in for the snach.
When i asked him what he was doing " in a friendly your trying to rob my camera way" he literally ran away.
Needless to say i took ny camera and also gave up on that spot.

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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby Wlog » Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:13 am

Outdoor814 wrote:Im from PA also. Havent ran into that problem yet but was aldo scouting public game lands yesterday and ran into trouble.
I had found a heavy trail that was going between 2 white pine groves. I set up a camera to see what was traveling there.
When i left i noticed fresh footprints milling about 20yrd from where i put the camera then went to the back side of the pines
I snuck back into where i had put my camera and saw a guy scopeing it out. I then watched him sneak around the tree and go in for the snach.
When i asked him what he was doing " in a friendly your trying to rob my camera way" he literally ran away.
Needless to say i took ny camera and also gave up on that spot.

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People suck!

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
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Hawthorne
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby Hawthorne » Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:39 am

Send the GPS coordinates to the game warden.

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Tufrthnails
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:50 am

Hawthorne wrote:Send the GPS coordinates to the game warden.

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X2 I have done this many times on Public land here.
Tuf- The below average hunting beast
GreatWhiteOak
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby GreatWhiteOak » Tue Jan 05, 2016 4:39 am

I did call the game commission spoke with an officer this morning. And as for hunting that spot I don't think that guy knows that buck is bedding there and her could be bedding for both reasons it works great for a west wind just down over the top on a bench. It's pretty close the field and since the warden knows about it I don't want sit there and be the one who's gets in trouble tomorrow is my last day to hunt so I can check on it next year .

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whitetailassasin
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Tue Jan 05, 2016 4:48 am

GreatWhiteOak wrote:I did call the game commission spoke with an officer this morning. And as for hunting that spot I don't think that guy knows that buck is bedding there and her could be bedding for both reasons it works great for a west wind just down over the top on a bench. It's pretty close the field and since the warden knows about it I don't want sit there and be the one who's gets in trouble tomorrow is my last day to hunt so I can check on it next year .

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I was under the impression it was a bed for next season. I didn't realize you where thinking of hunting over it, right after scouting it.

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GreatWhiteOak
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby GreatWhiteOak » Tue Jan 05, 2016 6:58 am

I was hunting that area that morning and turned into scouting it at lunch time. Just went in blind. When I found that bed I thought about hunting it in a few days for one last hunt of the season just to see what would happen. I also was thinking about hunting next year but won't if that person is doing it again.

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Outdoor814
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby Outdoor814 » Tue Jan 05, 2016 8:39 am

Good idea. What part of PA are you from?

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Matty
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby Matty » Tue Jan 05, 2016 10:33 am

That really stinks. Hopefully the warden can put a stop to the baiting for next season. The guy will probably move on if that happens. Then you can hunt the spot.

Unfortunate situation in the time being for you since you can't legally be a certain distance from it...

It's legal here which causes so many people to use it like a crutch. One guy ruined an amazing primary scraping area near some thick cedar bedding this year. I shot (and unfortunately lost) a real nice buck in that spot last year and had some other missed opportunities in the prior years. Brother killed on in there...It's been a hot area in Mid October for a number of years.

So I was all ready to go back there this year and try again.

Finally one day I figure the conditions are just right, so I grab my stand and bow and slip into the area....From a distance I noticed the main scrape wasn't even cleaned out at all. No rubs either. I stood there in disbelief because this spot has been prime for years. Then I noticed a tree with a ton of limbs sawed off. Started to investigate and instantly found a giant pile of corn, a trail camera and a "climber tree" within like 15 yards of where the main scrape used to be. No telling how many times the guy hunted the spot, but he had shut the whole area down.

I thought about cutting off his bait to the cedar thicket for that afternoon, but decided against it because of proximity and possible confrontation. It was too early to quit, so I ended up backing out and hitting a nearby backup plan.

Checked the spot again recently just to see if he was still there. He's still there, very little sign of deer and I think I know which truck is his now, so I can avoid him.

I've used bait for kids, management hunts and wounded warriors, but I find it silly how some people use it as their main tactic, even if the area is already prime! It's seen as this magic bullet, so much so that people will break laws to do it. Crazy...I've never liked it.

I wish they would make it illegal here, but that will never happen.


Hope this works out well for you in the end. Hope the cheater get's caught too. Good Luck!
GreatWhiteOak
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby GreatWhiteOak » Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:04 am

I'm from cambria county

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GreatWhiteOak
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Re: Scouting trip turned into disappointment

Unread postby GreatWhiteOak » Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:12 am

That really sucks Matty glad to hear you at least you had a back up spot. It sucks when you have such a great spot to have someone else ruin it for you. I hope the guy moves on for ya. Best of luck!

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