"friend" of mine is poaching

[MUSKYMAN1011]

Just do the right thing. You will feel better about yourself, & you know it's the right thing to do. Make the call-please.

A few months down the road, you wont have to guess who stuck the Horses Head in your Bed.

[SledNeck]

Would let it slide this time. Is the area so covered with deer that they are stepping out infront of cars daily??? In suburban areas that are pushing limits on hunting anyway I guess I wouldn't care. Chances are he may have saved a bikers life. Yea, its not sporting and everything else. The guy is a slob and an embarrasment to all of us but how is it really effecting us???

Great post. I agree 100%.

Id rather not have to worry about living next to a crazy neighbor who lost his license, got his bow taken away and 1000s in fines and is looking for revenge against the snitcher. Living next to a guy that just poaches sounds alot better than that.

[DuckDog]

Is it poaching if he has a license and is hunting during the season or is it baiting? Not that it matters, but terminology is different

[MuleShack]

Is it poaching if he has a license and is hunting during the season or is it baiting? Not that it matters, but terminology is different

Your right on the terminology, but you still have an angry neighbor either way.

[DuckDog]

I do not see an angry neighbor; rather one that has a moral conflict on what to do. An angry neighbor would go over and say something; post no hunting signs up - and call the CO immediately.

A moral conflicted person would get on a HSOforum and ask what to do.

[fasternu]

Tell you what, send me a private message with the info, and I'LL turn him in. Then you are not involved, he's not hunting illegally, and he can try to do whatever he wants with me. (if he can find me). Problem solved. If you have to ask, you already know you should. Tell the TIP line that you think he'll come after you, I bet they have a solution to that problem as weel, it's probably not the first time they've had someone tell them that!

[Muskie456]

I have had a more than unfriendly relatioship with an a-hole neighbor and it is not cool. Do you have a family? Are they there when you are not? These are the thoughts that I had when I was dealing with it. If you turn him in make SURE you are removed and there is NO WAY that he can trace it back to you. Don't talk to him about it if you are going to. You won't change he behavior this is real life not an after school special. If he is breaking the law with another buddy that is doing the same they will try and connect the dots. He is obviously not a genius to be telling a neighbor/casual friend about this so hopefully his big mouth has run over with other people. The CO will know how to handle this. They deal with it all the time and will make sure you are covered. If they threw you under the bus nobody would ever fill them in on these activities. Good luck you'll feel better if you turn him in.

[Musky Buck]

I understand what you are going through, I have a pretty similar situation. I haven't turned them in. It's a little tougher than it seems. For you you'd be turning in a neighbor, I wonder what finger he'd be waving to your wife and kids for the next dozen years. For me I'd be turning in prominent people in a community where they have keys to the town and are much respected. If I turn them in I'd be viewed as the bad guy and I should've stayed out of their business. Then they can lie about it and turn it into he said she said. I have to look at my own family and how it would affect my parents and grandparents when they see each other uptown or at school or at a sporting event etc. As far as I have heard they took 14 deer, of which I'm certain 10 of them were over bait because the wife told me at blanks farm they got 10 before rifle season, all of their bow stands were baited heavily. So what's a guy to do, sacrifice my families well being or look the other way. They would be 100% certain if they are caught that I had a hand in it just because I am the only other person on that farmers property, I have rifle,muzzy permission they have bow. ?

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I understand what you are going through, I have a pretty similar situation. I haven't turned them in. It's a little tougher than it seems. For you you'd be turning in a neighbor, I wonder what finger he'd be waving to your wife and kids for the next dozen years. For me I'd be turning in prominent people in a community where they have keys to the town and are much respected. If I turn them in I'd be viewed as the bad guy and I should've stayed out of their business. Then they can lie about it and turn it into he said she said. I have to look at my own family and how it would affect my parents and grandparents when they see each other uptown or at school or at a sporting event etc. As far as I have heard they took 14 deer, of which I'm certain 10 of them were over bait because the wife told me at blanks farm they got 10 before rifle season, all of their bow stands were baited heavily. So what's a guy to do, sacrifice my families well being or look the other way. They would be 100% certain if they are caught that I had a hand in it just because I am the only other person on that farmers property, I have rifle,muzzy permission they have bow. ?

With all respect, then don't come here complaining that they took 10 deer over bait before rifle season if you aren't going to do anything about it. From what all people have said, TIP is anonymous, and if the flip side of it is you get to know that your #1 for awhile? Not to mention, from what you are saying, these other hunters along with yourself are hunting on someone elses private land? Wouldn't you owe it to the person who's land your hunting to turn them in? Or let them go down too? Just my 2 cents

[Caleb S]

I have not read all of the posts here but if this guy feels his safety may in any way be compromised by turning this into the officials, I would have to say a few deer are not worth endangering one's safety.

We are talking about deer, not turning someone in for homicide.

[gatorhunter]

I'm a guy who by profession would receive your complaint and pay the neighbor a visit. It's been my experience that the fear of retribution is way over-rated. Very, very, very seldom do violators actually perform acts of retribution against those who stand up against them. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to turn in anyone who is breaking a law. If that person can not respect the laws or respect me enough to not break the laws, then he's the one who has to live with it; not me.

The other side of this whole thing, again from the uniform side, is if the complainant does not step forward then there is no complaint. No complaint equates to nothing happening and your neighbor is free to poach and steal everyone's resources!

[Musky Buck]

Who's complaining, what was my complaint ? I could care less if they shot 100 deer over bait, big deal, all I'm concerned with is making my family go through k... because they have to live close to each other, the women work in the same school system, and these guys think no one is on to them or they feel if I found the pile I'd look the other way. I just feel for the guy because it isn't as cut and dried as you might think. I'm not complaining about it, it's just unethical. I hunt 3 hunks of land so I went elsewhere this year and maybe them baiting is why I lucked out on a 14 pt. this year, probably wouldn't have hunted that stand if I didn't know they were baiting. The farmer would be in no trouble, he said he hasn't walked that swamp since the 60's, this man is 83 years of age. This bowhunting group has been at it since the 70's, almost 38 years now, the farmer treats us all as his kids kinda. Pinkfloyd you must live in the cities, it's a little different in small town minnesota where we all know each other. I will take a different approach though, I will go confront these guys and ask all my burning questions over the holidays and report back how it went. If I could tatoo game hogs on their foreheads I would because 14 deer as of November 9th, 3 guys, and they own their own meat company, not butcher shop, yet they still bait their bow stands, cmon.

[Musky Buck]

Right on gator, I will go confront these guys. Me and a couple of my boys will go over there over the break and have a little 3 on 3. I think I'll hit em with a handful of corn and black sunflower seed to the face and say I found this infront of your stand(s). Now you guys have taken a couple hundred deer with your bows, when did the baiting start ?

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Right on gator, I will go confront these guys. Me and a couple of my boys will go over there over the break and have a little 3 on 3. I think I'll hit em with a handful of corn and black sunflower seed to the face and say I found this infront of your stand(s). Now you guys have taken a couple hundred deer with your bows, when did the baiting start ?

Do it! and yep, from the cities here

[Hammer Handle]

If I had a friend doing something wrong, I would comfront him. Hey, he is a friend, isn't he?

[chub]

He's just not a friend of any of the "hang 'em" high crowds.

LOL

[ole]

This whole post is a bunch of [PoorWordUsage]. Since when do we need someone else to make a decision for us?

Just go and do what YOU think is right and then live with it. If you think your neihbor is breaking the law, then turn him in. If you don't care then let it go. That was easy!

ole

[Musky Buck]

There you go Ole, enough said. Here the guys I thought were excellent bow hunters turn out to be baiters, I thought man they get an unusual amount of deer when I always thought bow hunting must be difficult. It is part of why I say absolutely no to legalize baiting. Do you really want 56 days of baited bow hunting before rifle season and if we move the rifle date back, call it 70 days of bow baiting, then 9 of rifle baiting then 16 more of muzzy baiting ? Then back to another 50 days of late season bow baiting. Ish. I'll confront these guys, should be interesting.

[MuskieMojoTackle]

Turn him in. He's a dirtbag.

Who cares if he gets mad...who ever said you had to be friends with your neighbors?

[Musky Buck]

I know Mojo, but it's tough when my near retirement mother who means more to me than myself, has to work with the wife of the culprit. I mean I could beat him like a rented mule so I have no fear talking to him, I am going to ask him what the .... why after shooting about 100 career deer do you feel the need to slaughter animals. Then I'll bring up the piles of goodies infront of their bow stands, if denies I'll ask him to take a walk out to the stands, we both have permission to be on the property. Anyway, happy holidays and I better start x-mas shopping.

[MuskieMojoTackle]

I know Mojo, but it's tough when my near retirement mother who means more to me than myself, has to work with the wife of the culprit.

That does make it a little different.

I still think you need to confront him and at least warn him that you know what is going on and you will not think twice about turning him in if he doesnt change his ways

[Grant Pearson]

I'd at least let the CO of the area know what's going on. it's definitely a delicate situation for you, but breaking the law is breaking the law.

[chub]

but breaking the law is breaking the law.

Y'all preach about "breaking a law", but are you on the phone if your riding with your friend to your hunting spot, your running late and he's speeding? Or the other one I asked and no one really answered......if your buddy is over and drinks a 6 pack and you have reason to believe his BAC is .08000000005, are you on the phone?

Get real.

If these people want to turn in the offenders great. It's their choice. If they don't because the offenders are friends or neighboors, or people that may make their lives miserable, that's their choice too.

Gotta love the emotion attached to someone breaking a game law(baiting), that's legal in um-teen other states......LOL

[Musky Buck]

I was very surprised to see baiting being legal in so many states. We have so many opportunities to hunt whitetails and with so much new technology and with rifle season during the rut, it just doesn't make any sense to me. If I started baiting my private ground I'd feel like I was stealing from other hunters. There is 600 acres of public ground about a mile away that has some deer on it, if I start baiting before bow season and once the dogs/pheasant/grouse/waterfowl/ hunters hit that public ground, all of those deer are going to private land. Then the people that rifle hunt that public ground might as well give it up. Muzzleloading forget about it. Early bow maybe. If allowed, baiting on public land would get interesting. " Hey dude, I've been baiting this spot all season, so what it's public ground, I spent 200 dollars on corn man, tough .... Go watch the outdoor channel tonight, the baited hunts on private land are ridiculous. We have already a 2 to 1 or 50% success rate roughly, isn't that about right ? I'll try to get the baiters to cough up exactly how many deer they took this year, my closest guess is 17 deer for 3 guys. A 4th guy would come on weekends to hunt with the 3. With rifle season I'm guessing they took 20 animals. I did notice they stopped bow hunting now, I'd guess out of tags otherwise they'd go right up to the 31st like some years. If they were driving a 1972 Chevy I wouldn't care half as much because they'd most likely be living on venison, but when they park their 2009 cadillac escalade and their 2008 suburban, I have to do something. Regardless, wishing each of you a safe and Happy Holiday season ! Musky Buck

[Grant Pearson]

regardless if something is legal in one state and not in another, doesn't make it okay for someone to do it in the state where it's not. for an extreme analogy, if murder was legal in Wisconsin, but not here, would it be okay for someone to do it here?