Talk about a disappointing and very frustrating turkey opener. I took my son hunting this morning (Today is Kentucky's youth weekend.) and ran into a problem. The landowner told me the other day that some "hunter" had been parking on the adjacent property for over two weeks - virtually every morning, and CALLING toward our hunting lease. I'm talking repeated yelping with the shake of an occasional "gobbler call". The guy who owns the land where we hunt questioned the guy and was told "You have most of the birds on your land so I'm trying to get them to come over on my side!"
I have only been on the farm in the afternoons so hadn't witnessed this guy's calling frenzies until this morning. As soon as the birds pitched down about 200 yards on our side of the fence this A%* begins slamming away on a box call with and occasional shake of his "gobbler". Now, I move to where I can see this this guy and he is BY HIMSELF; he isn't calling for a younger hunter - get the picture? There we sat for the rest of our morning "hunt", my son and I in the Double Bull with his bow at the ready, listening to the breakfast show next door. ENOUGH, we folded the blind and headed back to the truck. On the way out I wrote down the guy's license number and looked over his rig pretty close. Here's the kicker; the truck had one of those special League of Kentucky Sportsman tags, a huge wild turkey hunting graphic that covered the entire rear window of truck, AND two white feed buckets, including one that still had shell corn in it. Gimmee a break! Apparently trying to call the birds over the property line wasn't sufficient.
I was forced to look at the my son's expression of disappointment all the way home. This kind of behavior is so contrary to everything that I've taught him. What really flips my switch is that this "adult" is actaully stealing from a kid. He's out there pulling these stunts before and during the youth weekend. The regular season is still two weeks away! Oh, did I mention his NWTF sticker on the bumper??
Time to call a CO.
Sorry about those typos, but I'm pretty POd right not . . . and yes, baiting is still illegal before and during turkey season.
Gary, sounds pretty disappointing to your boy. Maybe try and talk to the guy and let him know that your son is huinting and ask him to wait until youth season is over. Might not work but at least you can say you tried. Good luck to your son the remainder of the season.
if hes baiting i'd call the CO
Thanks Mike. FYI, the guy had his shotgun with him and was hunting by himself. He's apparently there to poach himself a bird. He looks to be in his 40s and definitely hunting during the wrong season. I've spoken to the guy who owns the other property (Someone I've known for a long time.)to see if the hunter had permission to be there. He was given permission, but the landowner was already regretting giving it to him. Something about the guy's demeanor he said. The farmer's decided to walk his place on Monday to see if he can find evidence of baiting. If the guy's been baiting then he's got to go.
You needed to call the CO while A$$ still in woods, nothing better than catching him in act.
That won't be a problem Jim, my turkey taxidermist IS a CO. He's already run the hunter's plates and get this, the guy's a big shot in one of the KY NWTF chapters. This could get really interesting.
I like your style David! He was still there when we left . . . stay tuned.
I guess not all "men" are gentlemen in Kentucky. I agree with those who say if he's breaking the Kentucky wildlife code he needs to be reported.
Anyone can buy their way into great organizations but integrity doesn't come with the window decals or stickers.
God bless, Mudd
PS tell your son I'm sorry he had to experience what I would call a jerk not a hunter.
"Anyone can buy their way into great organizations but integrity doesn't come with the window decals or stickers."
You got that right Mudd. Maybe this will lead to them getting rid of a rotten egg!
Gary sorry about your sons morning...we had to deal with problems like that here a few years ago(trespassers & calling before season)...I took Jacob this morning( my 10 year old)he had a disappointing morning(more disappointing for me) to but his was due to me misjudging the yardage for him (not once but twice)& resulted in 2 missed birds....Good Luck to you & your son....
At least he had some action Mark. Anything that get the hearts pumping:^)
Gary, there is nothing more aggravating than stuff like this for me. I hope it works out for the best. Keep us posted.
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't illegal to call birds in KY before season.
I thought I was told that when I went down and scouted a few years back.
I had a great experience when I went scouting the other morning. (sarcasm) ran into three guys and the landowner of 20 acres (landlocked) in the area I hunt, so I gues I'm gonna have to deal with that as well as my younguns that hunt with me.
This kind of crap is aggravating for sure t say the least. Hope you get your mess straightened out and your boy doesn't develope a bad outlook because of it. Nothing worse than the trip home and seeing that look on your kids face due to some jerk acting a fool.
I hope they catch him. Nothing makes me madder than knowing that a self proclaimed "professional" is really a cheater and fake. Half of the a..holes out there aren't nearly as good as they think they are. They get to a place of recognition and the pressure of failure is too much to comprehend.
QuoteOriginally posted by Stiks-n-Strings:
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't illegal to call birds in KY before season.
I thought I was told that when I went down and scouted a few years back.
I had a great experience when I went scouting the other morning. (sarcasm) ran into three guys and the landowner of 20 acres (landlocked) in the area I hunt, so I gues I'm gonna have to deal with that as well as my younguns that hunt with me.
This kind of crap is aggravating for sure t say the least. Hope you get your mess straightened out and your boy doesn't develope a bad outlook because of it. Nothing worse than the trip home and seeing that look on your kids face due to some jerk acting a fool.
Yes it is
Sounds like wildlife harassment...there are laws against that; especially since he's been at it weeks before season. That guy is obviously are real...(insert your own verbal abuse here)...that cares more about bagging a bird than ethics. By the way, what county is this going on in?
QuoteOriginally posted by kbetts:
I hope they catch him. Nothing makes me madder than knowing that a self proclaimed "professional" is really a cheater and fake. Half of the a..holes out there aren't nearly as good as they think they are. They get to a place of recognition and the pressure of failure is too much to comprehend.
You got that right. Well said.
Yep...illegal, and an NWTF member (or local chapter officer) would be "fully aware" of this.
That stinks Gary! I hope it get straightened out ASAP and your son gets on a bird! Good luck.
Grayson County on the west side near Ohio County. I'm hearing that this guy is about to receive a reality check. I've dealt with these types before, but it's a real shame when they steal the outdoor experience from a youngster.
KY regs state:
"Take a turkey by the aid of baiting, hunt on a baited area while bait is present, or hunt on a baited area for 30 days after all bait has been removed. (A baited area is any place where feed, grains or other substances capable of luring wild turkeys have been placed.) Turkeys can't be hunted over any private land area baited for deer. An area where grains or other feeds exist as the result of legitimate agricultural practices, or as the result of growing or manipulating a crop for wildlife management is legal for hunting.
• Call or attempt to call wild turkeys by mimicking the sounds made by a wild turkey from March 1 until the opening day of spring turkey season in any area open to turkey hunting if turkeys are reasonably expected to occur. Locator calls such as crow or owl calls are permitted."
this makes me mad.gary i live in ky not all people are like that.this makes every ky hunter look bad.to treat a youth hunter like that makes me even madder.now if you need a place to hunt for that young man let me know i have 3 farms he can hunt on just e-mail day or night.i can hardly write still mad.got to go an cool down
Gary,
Your story reminds me of four guys that a buddy of mine caught tespassing and doing a deer drive on his property during rifle deer season. One of the guys had a hunter education instructor patch on his vest.
Personally, I hope you nail that clown to the wall.
Thanks Joe. I think we're good as he's just been fooling around on one side of the farm. This stuff unfortunately happens in a lot of states. I've lived here all of my life and luckily had some clues as to his identity in before this happened.
I feel for you, last deer season I caught a guy in my kids double tree stand and he shot a small buck I was saving for the kids. He told the land owner it was his stand he put up years ago, they beleived me and he wasn't allowed in anymore, and for a kicker he returned this season and I caught him again, I was a little more persuading this time as I didn't have my kid. Co. still heard about it.
The family farm is in LaRue Co. (born and raised) but my father-in-law has land in Grayson Co. So, I know the area.
Youngsters is bad enough, but also fellow sportsmen and a black-eye for hunters as conservationist.
Yep, there's the law. Also, if it had been before March 1st...somewhere in the KYFW regs. and laws there is a prevision on wildlife harassment (rather vague as I recall) that he could be "reminded" of.
QuoteOriginally posted by Gary Logsdon:
That won't be a problem Jim, my turkey taxidermist IS a CO. He's already run the hunter's plates and get this, the guy's a big shot in one of the KY NWTF chapters. This could get really interesting.
Page 14 of the spring hunting guide states prohibited hunting methods. A person hunting wild turkeys shall not: Mimic the sound of a turkey from march 1 until opening of spring season.
Dave
Can you position yourself between him and the birds and let him call them in for you. That should really show him.
Dave
KentuckyWolf,
My family comes from Larue County. When I was young I spent much time hunting and fishing between Hodgenville and Magnolia.
I hope the CO does something with the creep who is cheating everybody on the turkey violations. But, I just wonder if they will do much about it.
Small world. I'm in Colorado for grad-school...for now. I hope to make it back for some fishing this summer and deer in December.
I hope the CO will bust his chops...but sometimes the "good-ol-boy" system keeps the creeps free and clear.
Understand- people like this clown are thieves- and nothing more. Should be treated as such no matter were they are.
Maybe this time the "good-ol-boy" system might help bring him to justice. One of my friends is a recently retired KY CO and leader in the NWTF and the "Wheelin Sportmen". He's made some calls:^)
I hope he goes down. This thread turns my stomach. Why is it that come turkey season, people just go off the grid acting ignorant? Sounds like this guy has the attitude that if he can't kill em then no one should be able to. Good luck with this. Let us know how it turns out.
I feel your frustration, been through this many times here in KY, wife had a guide run over her with clients elk hunting on a WMA, where guides are not supposed to guide per the law, and FWO were there and good buds with him, told us we should get with the guide for a good price. The wife got a 4x4 on our own anyway. I have saw adults out hunting many times in youth turkey and deer firearms season without a youth and with a gun.
Hope this "hunter" gets his come-uppance. I know the type.Big-shot who always gets what he wants, devil-be-darned.Big diferrence between a "hunter" and a sportsman.
Unfortunately it looks like I have a lot of company here. Thanks for sharing. I'll keep you posted. I've raised my son to follow all game laws and always explained to him why they're important. Even though he was born with neurological problems, he's always wanted a challenge. He has a medical excemption which allows him to hunt with a crossbow but he's only done that once when he was much smaller and took his first turkey. After that he insisted on hanging it up for the compound, and recently told me that the longbow was on his current agenda. He's a pretty touch kid who always asked, "Are we allowed to do that?", even it it was a simple as pre-season scouting. Contrast what he's trying to do as a young hunter with the "adult hunter" we've come across. It's sad.
Congrats to to your wife Samuel; and how fortunate to draw that bull tag! My brother-in-law drew a cow tag last year but didn't have any luck on the WMA he selected - too much local ATV activity even though he was told that they weren't allowed. I "guided" him on one trip and all we saw were bulls!?!
Gary,
Sounds like you've got a good son there. It's a shame that a so-called adult should disappoint him like that. Would like to know what happens.
The landowner's "paying the guy a visit" as he put it, plus a CO was dispatched an hour ago to "check for illegal activity". We'll see. I'm taking my son to another spot in the morning where other birds have been seen going to roost.
Gary,
Your good with a camera, at times like this don't forget about all the evidence you can gather with camera. Put time/date function on a get pictures of vehicle, shots that identify spot with vehicle in shot, corn in back of truck anything that will help CO lay charges. Pictures of tresspassers are big help.
GARY
THIS IS JOE AGAIN I TAKE DISABLED YOUTH HUNTING.I GET MORE OUT OF IT THAN THEY DO LOVE THOSE CHILDREN.THATS WHY I AM STILL MAD.PEOPLE ARE CRAZY THESE DAYS.WE ARE THE ONLY CHANCES THEY GOT TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS.ME AN 2 GAME WARDENS HAD A SPECIAL HUNT FOR A BOY WITH TERMINAL BRAIN CANCER IT WAS A HUNT WE WILL NEVER FORGET. THE BOY KILLED A 8 POINT BUCK.7 MONTHS LATER THE BOY DIED.WE ALL CRYED OVER THAT. TALKED ENOUGHT GOODBY GARY
if it had of been me they wouldn't be calling the co,they'd be calling him an ambulance as I'd have beat the snot right out of him!!!
These lessons are tough. I think your son has learned more this season than he would have learned in twenty idyllic ones. Bummer, but a valuable bummer. He now knows just how important hunting laws are, and will always be on the correct side of the CO, I'll bet. I hope the results will be favorable for you, and the wildlife, and that the hunting will have high points that eclipse the anger, hurt and disappointment that your son must feel. What a way to learn that all grownups are not necessarily grown up.
I think you are taking appropriate action, and applaud the high road that you and your son walk.
Killdeer
I agree with killdeer, you took the right approach. BUT>>> if you were a certain Vice President you couldv'e used a shotgun on the turdbucket, no fuss, no muss :bigsmyl:
Thanks Killie, I always enjoy seeing what you have to say on Tradgang threads. Dads (and moms) have to be mindful of how they deal with such things in the presence of their children, so I felt the need to keep a cool head.
The good news is that our interloper wasn't in "his spot" this morning or an hour ago when we left. The fellow who owns the place we hunt was going to "visit" the snake-in-the-grass yesterday plus a CO was supposedly investigating him as well. Bottom line, he may be vanquished for now:^). I took my son to the other side of the farm this morning and got into some birds. We tried to sneak a blind into a field edge near a bird that was hammering like crazy but when we arrived he was sitting on a limb against the horizon in plain view. Of course he had already seen us so strike one. Next, we moved toward a lone, HUGE, longbeard but a coyote ran across the field and shut him down. Strike two. Finally, we had a couple of two year old birds step into the end of a field for a quick look at our decoys. Apparently their butts had been kicked a time or two as the fanning deke spooked them into the nearest cover. Strike three. Overall, not a bad morning for a young bowhunter and his "guide". Two weeks until the regular season opens and we plan to be ready.
Keep at it. Karma's on your side.
Call your game agent for the county today..!
Cheats and thieves should be held accountable.
I would not hesitate to call. You have the information on the guy to get things started for the agent...
John III
Killdeer, you said it perfectly.
Like others have said, I sure hope the guy gets what he deserves. And as Jmatt1957 said "Killdeer, you said it perfectly". I think a lot of this type of action comes from society's 'win at any cost' attitude. That kind of person just doesn't 'get it' - and it gives us all a black eye.
Craig
They've been called plus we have witnesses and landowners more than ready to cooperate.
Get video, prosecute to the fullest and I would file a report with the NWTF branch he is a member of. I am not a vindicative guy, but wildlife thieves deserve that be shown to the world for what they are. I would put this guy thru the wringer and discredit him in every way possible.
I know exactly how you feel. I have had the same thing happen in Arkansas. Hope he gets what he deserves.
Hope you get it taken care of. People like that need to learn a lesson.
I'd probably had to thank him for the "ethics" lesson for my son.
Sorry about your son's experience Gary. I can't say much more about how I feel without sounding like the guys who ruin our image. Grant
Grind his bones to make some bread.