what should I do?
 

Last year isaw two small bucks in my back yard at my apple tree a 5 pt and a 3 pt. A few weeks later(during season)I was walking the woods on a constuction companies lot beside my house and found some blood on a deer trail soI followed it, accorss the creek I saw a treestand, a deer feeder, and a deer decoy. Feeders are illegal during season here. Anyways newer saw the two small bucks again.

Yesterday my roommate was mushroom hunting over there and he said he found2 deer carcusses. Ona a small 3 pointer and the other had a V cut out of the top of his skull. Im conna go look at the deer after i get out of class today. If it is the way he says it is what should I do?

I want to tell the law but I dont wanna piss someone off and have them shoot at me next time im out there. I might just do an annomoyus call and say watch this house next deer season.

RE: what should I do?
 

Turn it in. Let the law sort it out.

RE: what should I do?
 

By all means report it.

RE: what should I do?
 

I would have to report that. Especially being that close to home.

RE: what should I do?
 

Call the game warden

RE: what should I do?
 

I agree with everyone else, report it. You could even show the game warden pictures of the treestand with the feeder in view, that would get their attention and give them a good reason to look into it closely.

RE: what should I do?
 

Just call...OR........have you ever seen "the Deer Hunter"!?

RE: what should I do?
 

Virtually all Law Enforcement Agencies will keep your information private even if it isn't an anonymous tip. I would absolutely report it, though I might wait until next season and see if they are still baiting in season.

RE: what should I do?
 

Report it.To hunt ,saw off the antlers,and leave the meat to rot is a bunch of bull.It gives all of us hunters a bad name.

RE: what should I do?
 

Are you sure your not from WI??? This stuff happens here al the time.. Only it rarely gets enforced..Feeding and Baiting s legal here and folks can't seem to follow the rules.. It is the #1 and growing violation in the deer woods by a mile.. It is used to poach more deer then a spotlight.

But some hunters rights groups .. NRA, SCI and the Newly formed HRC which basically is the Wisconsin Bear hunters are spending time and money to keep the practice alive with lobby money.. Even though it is a epidemic poaching problem... They don't seem to care about those that are for to deal with this every day in the WI bait woods.. It is exactly why they will never get another dollar from my family.. I can not support those that support this.

You are not alone..

You can turn the guy in and deal withhis revenge or you can learn to live with it like we have to here all the time... I have one neighbor that is a teacher/coach .. he can not seem to follow the bait laws either.. But I can not take a chance that he may use that against my son on the field or in the classroom.. Just for the satisfaction of him getting him a slap on the wrist ticket..It simply is not worth it to me.

NH

RE: what should I do?
 

And that in itself is illegal in many states, including Iowa. In Iowa it is illegal to intentionally leave any "useable portion" of the animal in the field, where "useable portion" is defined as any portion usually processed for consumption.

I would call the DNR. Generally speaking, unless you actually witnessed the crime taking place, you will not need to make any formal statement and your information will not be included in any formal report. If you are worried, simply tell the dispatcher or LEO that you talk to that you are concerned about your privacy and they will respect that since you are not a direct witness to the crime, but simply reporting the evidence of a crime having taken place. The biggest thing about reporting it is that the DNR, with knowledge that there is suspicious or illegal hunting taking place, can watch the area more closely in the future and possibly catch the poachers in the act. Chances are, unless one of the poachers left some identifying evidence behind on the carcasses, the LEO that takes the report will not be able to issue and citations or make any arrests for this incident anyway. But he'll have the "heads up" he needs to possibly catch them in the future.

Mike

RE: what should I do?
 

If they don't follow the rules, then it's not legal. If the NRA, SCI, etc... support legal baiting that has nothing to do with those who break the rules and bait illegally. The NRA also supports the rights of law abiding citizens to own firearms in an almost unrestricted manner, but they in no way support or encourage the illegal use of firearms by criminals. I'm not going to not support the mission of the NRA simply because criminals possess and illegally use firearms.

If you don't agree with baiting at all, then I see your point. But if it's legal, and people do it legally, I don't think that the problem lies with the lobbying organizations that lobby to keep it legal if people break the rules.

Mike

RE: what should I do?
 

Don't second guess yourself or worry too much about consequences, the law won't reveal your identity, the only time that happens is if you have to testify in court. It's the people who do things like that that gives the rest of us a bad name.
This is one of the reasons that we have regulations in place is to preserve the wildlife not just for us but future generations.
Trust your instincts.

RE: what should I do?
 

Report it!!!

RE: what should I do?
 

Well i went back there yesterday and it was a dead 3 pointer and a dead buck with the top of his skull cut off. The 3 pointer was the same one that was in my back yard.

The tree stand and feeder is no longer up, and I have no proof that is the guy that even did it. That is the only evidence of another hunter in the area that I have seen. I also lookes at the ribcage, skull, and shoulderblades and found no holes in them.

I guess ill just take some pics of the deer carcusses and go from there, maybe the CO's can do their own investigation if i just show them the deer.

RE: what should I do?
 

Most definately report it. They probably will not be able to do much about it right now, but at least they will know to keep an eye on the area. It really pisses me off when people who call themselves hunters do that kind of thing. It make the rest of us look like crap.

This is my personal thought, but I would sneak in there in the middle of the night and destroy the feeder and stand just to try to get a point across.

RE: what should I do?
 

You need to report it.

RE: what should I do?
 

So lets say you report it.. The guy gets pinched .. takes his case to court and gets a big shot law man to clear his big shot name.. He ends up with a plea down to a minimal charge if anything at all.. You then become the target of his revenge.. He does not need to know you are the guy who turned him in.. all he has to do is think you are the guy...

Is this worth it??? It is very easy for those to say turn him in when they do not have to put up with the revenge that will come....To me turning the guy is is not going to stop this behavior..If he chooses to be this way and take the easy way out as well as have very little respect if any for the animal he kills .. Then I seriously doubt any fine is going to change that... If you think it will,,take a look at the evidence here in WI ... Many many times the exact same guys get pinched for the exact same violations bait poaching year to year.. They learn absolutely nothing from a fine....

What needs to happen is a group like the NRA if they want a better base needs to adopt azero tolerance policy and support or draft legislation to eliminate these folks from owning a firearm and buying a game license ever once a violation is committed and proven in a court of law,,, Then this presents a huge risk to break the law a opposed to a slap on the wrist and a fine. If a big group like this took steps to protect the law abidding folks they would not be supporting the problem but offering aid to its abolishment instead,.. But these groups do not see things this way... Not sure why.. But i know they are calling everyone in the book trying to get their membership money.. If they did stand for the law abidding hunter like this.. They would not need to call me.. I'd send it in on my own every time.

NH

RE: what should I do?
 

I would wait for sure,you know he done it.Let him bait again and catch him red handed.

RE: what should I do?
 

Report it annonomously if you feel you have to but just do your part. Your quality of hunting will appreciate it too.