As thoroughly as we've discussed poaching on here lately, I thought it interesting that I should run into one in the midst of doing the deed today.
I was driving home from work close to dusk. As I passed a farm that a friend of mine owns, I noticed a truck pulled to the edge of the highway - setting half on and half off because of the narrow shoulder. Two men were watching the field. Another vehicle that I recognized as belonging to a local elected official was pulled in behind the pickup. Considering what the men might be up to, I turned and cruised slowly back through. The pickup was still parked on the side of the road and the other vehicle had moved back a short distance. I turned and once more drove back through. This time the elected official was glaring at me from his window. I saw a gun barrel protruding from the window of the other truck, confirming what I suspected. I could hardly believe their audacity, road-hunting in plain sight of the after-work traffic.
Anyway, I passed back through one more time and by now the elected official had his vehicle in the field and had his gun barrel sticking through the window. I finally saw the deer - one of the nice bucks we had been hunting this season. I blowed my horn to scare the deer, then drove on to the end of the field and pulled off the highway to call the guy who owns the farm and let him know what was going on. At this point, I had no intention of calling authorities; I was just going to alert him and let him decide what he wanted to do, since it is his property.
As I set there on the phone, the pickup pulled in behind me, blocking me. He proceeded to run his chops about me "taking matters into my own hands" by blowing my horn (which, I admit, was probably a silly thing to do, but, hey, no deer got poached here today). He leered at me, encouraging me to "call the law. They won't do nothin'. We know them." To which I tend to agree. They do know them. And they wouldn't do anything. Still, just to make sure I had it on record, I called the dispatcher and informed her, knowing she probably wouldn't dispatch deputies to the farm.
The guy continued to run his mouth and proceeded to make physical threats against me. I just grinned, because I had a witness on the other end of the phone who was catching everything that was being said. Anyway, he finally said enough and pulled out. I made one more pass back through the area to make sure no more deer had slipped into the field. As I made my way on home, which is just a couple of miles down the road, the elected official, the men in the pickup, and another pickup that they apparently called to assist them, fell in behind me, trying to force me to pull over. I just drove slowly while calling my brother, who lives nearby, and asking him to fall in behind the men who were following me so I would have some assistance "just in case," and called my wife and had her take my 9mm handgun and stick it in the mailbox so I could get it as I turned into the driveway.
Anyway, the men decided to back off once we got to my driveway. I suppose they simply wanted to try and intimidate me. I have no idea whether the elected official recognized me, though I don't see why he wouldn't have.
Now, here's the situation: In my profession, I'm in a position in which I don't necessarily want to cause undue conflict between myself and our local officials. I rely on their cooperation. Still, I have an obligation to the readers of my newspaper to keep them abreast of everything that goes on, especially when it involves their elected officials, and I did watch an elected official breaking (attempting to break, at least) the law. Is there one good reason why I shouldn't write a story exposing this scumbag? As I was leaving my office tonight I started to grab my digital camera but it needed its battery changed and I was in a hurry so I left it sitting on the desk. I wish I had taken the time to take it so I could've gotten a picture of him with his gun barrel sticking out the window. But, that's beside the point now.
What would you do?
Politicians and poaching
