Thieves
Today at about 12, I took my son to a WMA we hunt........he wanted to do some bowhunting. To get to where I usually hunt, you need a 4wheeler.......ours is out of commission right now. We decided to walk. After walking a ways, I told him, lets try to find another spot a little closer. He agreed.
I took off my tree lounge and backpack and laid them on the 4wheeler trail.......we were the only hunters in the place.
We took off into the woods and found some sign but it was way to thick for him to hunt in.....We ended up crossing the trail and looking on the other side........as we crossed the trail, I looked and my stand and backpack were still where I had left them.
We came up on an opening with some rubs.......and continued on. We then came up on a dry creek bed......walking down it we observed some deer beds. We then followed a good trail off the creek bed and came up on a larger dry creek bed........found some more rubs and 2 scrapes under 1 tree.
We found a tree and he climbed up and settled in.....
I told him I would leave the way we came and mark the trail so he could find his way out.........
I had heard a 4wheeler that sounded like it was on the trail I had left my stand on.
I finally finished marking the trail and emerged onto the 4wheeler trail.
Guess what? No stand, No backpack............
I thought a buddy that hunts up there might be playing a joke, so I walked back to the truck to see if he was there, he wasn' t.
There were two trucks, a Jeep and a Toyota.....both appeared to be carrying 4wheelers.......the toyota appeared to be carying 2........they had ramps and a trailer.
I walked back down the trail to find the 4wheelers.......the 4wheeler trail is about 2 miles long.
I found one 4wheeler about 1/2 way down......no stand. I started to walk out into the woods and then decided not to.
I noticed the other 4wheeler had went on up the trail, I continued after it.......
These two were the only atv' s on this trail.......no one had left, including these clowns......you can tell by the water hole they went through.......water was pushed out only on one side........
Anyway, I find the other bike, it was a 3wheeler. Again, no stand. I saw where they were entering the woods and again started to go out there. I then decided I wanted to be at the truck when they came out not 2 miles away.....so I started back.
I had been looking all along the trail, into the woods, thinking maybe they had thrown it down somewhere......but I saw nothing.
When I came back upon the spot I had left my stand....I got to thinking, they had to have stashed it somewhere. So I entered the woods right there. I went about 50 or 60 yards, and then over a knoll, and off to the left was my stand and backpack......
They stashed it out there and went on hunting.......thinking that if I gave up and left, they could sneak it out.
I wish I' d had a 4wheeler and I would have hid it and waited in the woods for them to come for it.......and have my son take the truck up the road if they came out to see if we were gone........
But I didn' t have one and really didn' t want to confront them, who knows how many, in the dark.
I loaded all our stuff up and got ready to go and thought, they, there is their loading ramp...........they tried to steal my stuff so their ramp is a freebie.......I thought about just taking it for compensation for all the walking and sweating and not getting to hunt this evening...but I couldn' t steal it.
I' d be just like them.......
So I did them the same favor............I call it hide and seek.
I hid their ramp 50 or 60 yards away........maybe they can find it maybe they can' t........
They have just as good a chance as I had.
I have to go to work in the morning, but on my days off, I' m gonna be right back up there.........this may not be finished.[:@]