I'm not going into details for a couple of reasons, but here is the gist.
I'm in a tree stand, at least 1/2 mile from any road, on the remotest corner of a farm, adjoining the farm of the Buckasaurus. I see a 12 point buck, that HAS to be a 2 1/2-31/2 son of the Buckasaurus. He's wide and has potential to be huge, but needs another year or two, so I let him go at dusk.
I get out of my tree, put on my backpack and begin walking down the fence row for the 3/4 mile walk to my truck. I make it about 150 yards and I hear a BLAM! and see a muzzle flash. I see a silouette of a pickup, that had driven back in the field with no lights, sitting 50 yards from my tree and had just shot in my direction.
Needless to say...I'm pissed off....really, really, foaming at the mouth pissed off. I have a decision to make.....stomp back up the hill alone, with a bow to a gunfight and at least 2 guys, or double time it to my truck, where I know my brother will be joining me soon.
I choose that option, in my wiser years.
We get there and he is saying "WTF was that, and it was close"...I'm explaining as we get in the truck to drive around the dirt road to that field to confront the MF's. They're gone when we get there.....but sure enough, the buck I'd let go, is lying dead 100 yards from my tree, and was in a direct line between myself and where those poaching C#$#UCKERS were. They'd driven off.
I wasn't sure what to do at that point, so I penned a note for the asshole, worthy of a rant here....and stabbed it on the horn and left to get my brother's vehicle and decide what to do. Sure enough, as we watch, we see the truck going back into the field, just long enough to have loaded it. I had to be gone really early today and haven't been back to see if they took it, cut its head off or left it.
I wish my note had said "Hi Guys, We're watching you and will Greet you at the gate, Love DNR" just so they might Brown note in their leotards.
I pretty sure I know who it was, and this story is not completed.
Iowanian I know how you feel. We have a pretty large farm and its kind of hard to patrol all of it but we have found over the years several dead big deer on it with their heads cut off. Just makes me sick from the poaching stand point and trespassing. [Reply]
That's friggin' sickening. You guys don't even have rifle except in a few counties in Iowa right? I mean, talk about ballsy. Bad enough to be poaching but they are'nt even using a legal weapon...
...can't wait to hear how this story ends. I can't believe anyone could sleep at night if they just kill a deer for the head and leave the rest... [Reply]
There is no rifle season, shotgun season isn't until the first weekend of December.
It was a flat out, shitbag poacher. If its who I think it was, he does it a lot.
On a farm they didn't have permission to be on, driving on the furthest part, shooting a buck that had the genetic potential to be a monster(I did take a couple of pics of it after he shot it), shooting in my direction(I'm sure they had no idea).
I'm still really pissed. This is far from over.
A friend has permission to hunt this farm and when I told him about this, he said he had some out of county asshole sitting in his tree, and the guy had the nerve to give him attitude. This guy is almost 7' tall about about 350lbs and must have told him he was going to climb up and see if he could fly. He also said he's had 2 guys walk under him w hile in his tree.
its bullshit, its effing with my hunting turf and I declare War on Assholes. Its sooooo On. [Reply]
Bucks bed in CRP. Thats where a lot of the big ones hide during shotgun season...bed down in tall grass. I also see them in CRP a lot during the rut, bedded down with does.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Quaker. I have zero problem with someone with a hungry family, or a farmer suffering damage to crops from deer plinking some does to eat. Big difference between that, and cruising around each evening with a rifle, popping bucks for sport.
I agree about the bucks on CRP land...this last weekend my friend got a really nice one, about 150-160 points...but we SAW quite a few (out of range of course). I mean, we never see those kinds of bucks on this land, usually some 4-6 pointers with some meat on their bones. The one in your pic seemed to be par for the course this last weekend. ( would have taken him, by the way...to me that's a pretty damn nice buck). The guy at the check in station said that CRP is really good for bucks...but I've never seen it like it was this last weekend. [Reply]
Here's the little 10 pointer I got sat morning. 11 points total. Not a big bruiser, but nice enough to not pass on either. The rifle I am holding is my 280. Ackley I built using a Mauser 98 action.
Originally Posted by PastorMikH:
Here's the little 10 pointer I got sat morning. 11 points total. Not a big bruiser, but nice enough to not pass on either. The rifle I am holding is my 280. Ackley I built using a Mauser 98 action.
Looks good Mike. I wouldn't pass that one either. :-) [Reply]