The other day a local hunter a younger guy about 21 or so told me something a little disturbing. He was scouting and saw some turkeys. OUT OF SEASON OFCOURSE He had his muzzleloader aswell. He said he was like me and had not got a deer or turkey. I understand how he feels. His thought was since i was out in the middle of no where and thanksgiving was coming up he would shot one and get a wild turkey for thanksgiving. Guess he hit it right in the middle of the body. WITH THE .50cal muzzy. He was real happey till he walked up to it a short 50 yards away. He said it had all put blown it to little peices. Not a piece of it WAS eatable. Guts and pile was all over the meat. He said he said a pray and ask god to forgive him. I said well we all make mistakes. If it was most any other hunter i would have ripped him. But a new hunter and a younger guy i choose not to. what would you have done? I think seeing the birds just got the best of him.

I agree with your approach. What's done is done and I don't know if reporting him to the law or laying into him would have changed anything. I guess if he would have been bragging about it, it would be a different story.
Sounds to me like he recognized what he did as being wrong and told you the story to kind of get it off of his chest.

Honestly i did it once well did not hit one. We where in ky and it was my second year. THOUGH IT WAS TURKEY SEASON. Not sure a 9mm is legal for hunting turkey. We had been scouting/turkey hunting on some govt land down there you do not go off a road govt or private land with out a gun. To many pot growers and all kinds of this that will eat you. My shotgun was in the truck and we where coming home. 4 big birds walk out infront of us and i get out like Tony soprano blasting away. Though it was a back road in the middle of no where. NOt the best thing to have done

Well I guess from the way you told it he knew he did wrong. However, you could have pointed out that game laws were in place for a reason. And most of the time hunters are "in the middle of nowhere". But hunting is sort of like golf - you must honor the rules. Because most of the time only you and God know if you violated the them.

That's a hard question as to what I would have done. On one had the young man flat out broke the law and wasted a bird to boot. Whether he was sorry or not, he did wrong and he knew what he was doing was illegal and wrong.

Lets look at it a different way. What if he just shot the head off the bird and did not waste any meat. So what happens next time he is out in the middle of no where and feels he had not got HIS proper bag limit of meat and sees another bird? Break the law again because it worked last time?

I guess I would have stress to him how disappointed I was in his behavior, told him next time you pull that kind of stunt I will personally turn you in. And then never hunt with him again.

Colorado has a $100 reward for turning in poachers. I could make a living on that im bettin LOL.

Tsk tsk...I'd make him feel real bad about it. Mistakes are one great way to learn--fear of consequences is more apparent. Now, first impressions are what would make my ultimate decision for turning someone in. A new, young guy who seems to conduct himself well would probably earn my sympathy (after scaring him of course ). Someone who's been hunting for awhile and does it casually, not so much. Also, if it ruined one of my hunts, not so much.

If it was me I would have let him know that what he did was wrong and there was absolutely NO EXCUSE for what he did, pray or not. laws are laws period. I then would have asked to see his ML and smashed it on the ground just like his smashed the Turkey!
(BP) p.s I dont have Anger Management Problems, I really am a Nice Guy!

Sure sure, we all have used that line one or twice... or a handful or 2.