What would you do?

[tjm]

Went to the Owatonna deer expo today.Saw several nice bucks taken near the area i hunt.When i got about in the middle of the deer mounts i said holy dump i know that buck.

Looking at the name printed below the buck on a piece of paper i said no way i know this guy as well.

Thinking to myself i said this cant be i saw this buck the 22nd 23rd of Dec then again on the 30th of Dec

Now the problem i have is the paper work said it was taken bow hunting.Looking into it a lil more it was registered prior to the 22nd of Dec.

So i got my camera out took 4 pictures.Went to wal-mart used the kodak machine and then campared the deer with other pics i have.There is no doubt this is the same buck.This buck has a defined drop on it with several other marks i dont want to say cause anyone who went would know what deer i was talking aboutThe other pics i have are dated/timed

My problem is this.This person who's names on the deer is related to the farmer i deer hunt on.As you can see i have some good deer hunting i sure hate to lose this area.

Now being 100% without a doubt this is the same deer what would you do??

[picksbigwagon]

The hard part about a decision is there is really only one choice. You know in your heart you need to report this, but in your head you are worried about losing a great hunting spot. You need to report this, yes that sucks, but so does this guy poaching a deer. Report it to the DNR, let them deal with it. Save the pictures in more than one place, in case of a computer crash or what have you. Not familiar with Bow hunting seasons, but I am assuming you have proof of this guy poaching this deer. Talk with the farmer, maybe he didn't know this guy was there either. There could be tresspassing involved here as well

You know what the right answer is here.

[FrontenacPike]

Report him and remain annonimous. The state will pick up the charges and they will never even know it was you who brought this to the attention of the DNR. Speak with your local Game Warden, I'm sure he will help you reamin out of the picture. I'm assuming you captured pics of this buck on a stealth cam. Deer travel, all he would have to do is say the pictures were taken somewhere near the farm. Any state land near you???. Keep us posted!!!!

Way to go, great investigation.

[BigTen]

My only reservation would be that unless you feel you can actually "prove" he poached the deer, it might not be worth your time and effort. Whether its right or not, if its a dead end road as far as proving it, you might be better off staying quiet and hoping you come across some additional info that could help you prove it. Proof in your eyes, while real enough, may not equate to proof in court.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

seven years ago while working at a convienence store in high school a guy came in asking to register an archery buck tag about three days before the season ended; now being a small town i kinda knew who bowhunted and who didnt; and i had never heard of this guy ever pursuing archery before so my curiousity lead me to ask him a few questions about the deer and what not; not trying to sound obiously suspicious but still inquiring none the less. the guy came up with some funny answers about the buck and "had it hanging already at home" so i couldnt go out to his truck to see it. i talked to my boss about it and i guess he must have been a little suspicous too because it turned out the guy didnt even have a deer yet; he was just getting a possesion tag so if he saw one in january near his grain bin he could shoot it with his .22 mag and have a tag to take meat to the locker with. i guess he got a pretty nice fine and had a few guns confiscated if i remember right. it sucks that people would cheat the system just because they get buck fever but still happens all the time i guess.

[Powerstroke]

You can report this as suspicious to the CO in your area and let them run with it. This year I turned in someone for baiting on the same property I had permission to hunt. In all honesty they couldn've tried to say I was part of the baiting, but its al about how you report it.

I was kicked off of that property and it breaks my heart, I shot 2 deer there last year and saw a beautiful chocolate-racked 8 pointer that would go in the 140's (huge mass) but I'll have to wait till spring when the owners come back from Arizona for me to meet with them. The owners didn't do the baiting, but the person they gave control of the hunting rights did and he's the one who kicked me out.

He didn't know it was me, but he figured as much. My name was never in the report and I still received my T.I.P. reward.

You do know need to have proof of poaching or be able to prove it. The fact that you have probably cause that the deer may not be taken legally or at least that the license or possession tag may be fradulant is enough for the CO to look into. Its just a tip to follow up on.

No matter how you look at it you know the right thing to do is to turn him in. If it was illegal hopefully the landowner will see that you are law-abiding and stil allow you to hunt there.

[89Bronco]

You don't have to prove anything. That is the CO's job. You already have more than what the "average joe" would have on a TIP case. Call in on the TIP line, remain anonymous, and do the right thing.