When someone makes you think they are going to kill you, its not about the animal any more.I realy commend your friends for keeping such a cool head and defusing the situation.I hope I can do the same.Im not a hot head, but I hate guns pointed at me, and if a person threatens me I usually hit them first, and apolagise later.

Because there are so many poached racks out there that is exactly why I would rather buy sheds. Not that i do buy them but if i did it would not be a rack someone else shot. Sheds are way cooler to collect IMO.

Why would anyone want to buy any racks??? If I dont kill it or find sheds on my own, I dont want it. But thats just me. Guess I dont see why others would pay money for something they havent earned. I guess its being lazy or they want people to think they are the great hunter. I say hogwash earn it dont buy it. Did I mention I hate poachers hehehehehe...

"Who is ****ed up enough to be buying their kills. They should be hung by their nuts as so should the poachers."

Exactly, if there was no market for this stuff thenmany of thepukes would stop.

I guess I am just sheltered here, but how are poached animals worth so much money?

George Waters of Iowa was arrested for killing at LEAST 42 huge whitetails,11 bull elk, and 6 mule deer, that were estimated to be worth $338,000!

Where do these monetary figures come from? Is that the fair market value of the hunts...so in effect opportunity loss? How do you put monetary value on a wild animal? Its not like a show dog or a race horse really? Of the few folks I have known who did poach at any one time, most of them did it for the sheer hell of it. The meat, fortunately, NEVER went to waste, but most of these folks weren't exactly hard up for money. I can think of better things to do with my time than risk my hunting priviledges, but heck, rich people shoplift all the time too...so I guess I just don't understand it.

Poachers are poachers no matter how you look at it. I hate poachers. I will turn one in in a heart beat. Call me snitch or whatever but I dont care. They give the anti a reason to stir sh*t. Thats another thing I cant stand are anti hunters. Give them a piece of beef and they'll eat it...

Swamp, I'm pretty sure those numbers come from the market value of the actual mounts. This guy was a taxidermist, and these were world class animals.
He somehow would "legalize" them, even having them entered into B&C under his mothers name. He even stole mounts from his customers, claiming they were stolen. You'd be surprised at the money they can bring.

I have heard about horn/antler/rack collectors before. I mean, what ever happened to stamps and baseball cards....I thought my old shotgun shell box collection was odd...nevermind my antique calls and decoys....but why would you want to collect deer that someone else killed? Unless you own a big store like....oh Bass Pro shops or something and are putting together a museaum? But still....I just don't understand it.

There is a market for horns and antlers. Usually by the pound. No where near that kind of money though.

Poaching has existed for as long as there have been game laws, and the current mania for trophy racks only feeds it. Look at Ebay sometime and count the sheer number of ads for racks and replicas, this feeds it too. In some states it's estimated that at least as many, if not more, deer are poached as there are taken legally and it will get worse a lot sooner than it will get better. I've always been a "meat only" hunter, and now I'm more glad to be one than ever. "Trophyitis", whether legal or otherwise, will be what kills deer hunting in this country someday.