Youth hunt only?

[Ranger J]

I really thought several times about bringing this up.  Was it just in the area where I live or did others out and about during the youth hunt last weekend notice a large number of adults in the woods with deer rifles in their hands?  I made trips to the shooting range at Indian Trails both on Saturday and Sunday mornings to try to get my rifles ready for the upcoming firearms season.  In both trips I saw obvious adults, with no youths in site, going through the woods with what looked like high power rifles in their hands.  Again these looked like deer rifles and not your everyday squirrel hunter.  Do you think that a goodly number of adults are violating the letter and spirit of the law in regard to the youth season?  I am not picking on the kids or the idea of the youth season but I can't account for all the adults, with guns I saw in the woods.  When my daughter was younger I took her on this hunt several years but she was the only one carrying the gun.

RJ

[Bowpredator]

Nope, I never saw any other hunters out there, youth or adult.  If I saw an adult out there hunting the youth hunt with no youth, I'd call my local agent in a heartbeat.  I'm sure Dave Ingram or Ron Ely would have checked them out for you.

[Ponydog]

Ok....now just how many folks ( adults) did you actually see in the woods ?   Sounds like you saw dozens.....  First of all, if it were me, I would be whistling, yelling, etc, so I would not get MY butt shot if I had seen that many folks...just me I guess.....but I would ask them exactly what in the heck they were doing.  Folks are not gonna report on themselves....if you see something strange.....( Like that many adults out and about on youth weekend)....call your local ranger.

[Ranger J]

As I said in the first place I was driving to the shooting range and the adults I saw were walking through the woods in sight of the road.  The drive was about 15 miles each  way and I made two trips.  In the two days I probably saw  eight or so hunters that I considered 'suspicious', that is there were no obvious under 16 year olds  anywhere near them.  As to getting a conservation agent in time to check on them just try to find a telephone number in your local telephone book for a conservation agent.  Even then by the time the agent got there these people would be long gone.  How does someone "turn these people in"?   In our area pouching of deer is epidemic and confronting these people is a good way to get the heck beat out of you.  They are not nice people!  While working with some conservation agents a couple of years ago of the case of someone shooting an eagle they remarked that our area of Missouri could carry many more times the number of deer and turkey it does and it would if it wasn't for the rampant illegal shooting of them.  I hear enough talk of turning deer in on the wife's tag to suspect that turning them in on the kid's tag also is going on.  It is a crying shame that these low lives use this program that way.  As I said the program is a good one and I support it.  The number of illegal deer taken may just be the price we pay for having the program.    It would make me feel better if once in a while I saw the names of some of the people that are abusing this program in the papers next to the amount of fine they were accessed. When the State of Missouri abandoned the check in stations a couple of years ago they promised that this would free up more agents to check for  compliance.  I know they can't be everywhere but i would like to see more of an appearance.  Before some one gets their noses out of joint I am not picking on the field agents, as those I know are dedicated people, but they can only go and do where and what they are told.  The next time I see my local agent I will make known what I thought I saw and where and perhaps next year it won't be just  me that is driving along that country road when these possibly illegal hunters appear...   

RJ

[Ponydog]

I know it can be difficult to find a ranger sometimes......but trust me , they want this kind of information.  Down here in the bootheel....they send an amazing number of folks in the area, equiped with cameras, video and still....scour over potentially "baited fields" .....during dove season.........they write a ton of tickets in the area..........  The local guys ( conservation agents) I know personally...say they write an amazing number of "tickets" during that first week of dove season.....I cannot imagine they would not use the same type of approach , if , as you say , the poaching in your area is that wide-spread.   Deer here in or neck of the woods, are SO scarce....due to the amazing amount of row crop, and tree lines and woods that have basically been bulldozed down, cut , burned, buried, and planted over.....so poached or not, at least you have some woods to go to ....I guess the idea of being safe is more than important....best of luck in your area. 

[Ranger J]

Yes we have the habitat, just not the number of animals to use it all.  One of the most ironic things is that the people who are doing most of the pouching are the first ones to complain when they can not get a deer or turkey during open season.  There seems to be no connection in their minds between the number of animals they take out of season and the number left to hunt during season.  They must think there is a deer or turkey fairy with an endless supply of them.  Sorry you do not have deer to hunt in the boot heel area.  We have a lot of public land boot heel area and if you hunt enough you can usually come up with a deer.  Things are getting better as the last few years a lot of the urban hunters that used come down here to hunt are going north where the deer heard is evidently larger.  Now if we can only convince our local violators to obey the code.  Oh well, they do say the age of miracles isn't past yet.

[Bowpredator]

"One of the most ironic things is that the people who are doing most of the pouching are the first ones to complain when they can not get a deer or turkey during open season."

Maybe I read that wrong but it sounds like you know some of the poachers or at least strongly suspect some for poaching.  Drop a dime on them if you know or even think they are.  It might at least give the agents something to go on.  I suspect the agents get a lot of results from anonymous tips because I bet most of the poachers cant keep their mouths shut and eventually blab about it to the wrong person who eventually turns them in. 1-800-392-1111

[Ranger J]

Do any of you who suggest that I turn in anyone I hear claiming to take game out of season live in the Ozarks?  The mentality here is uber-redneck, burn your house down, shoot your dogs, make life miserable for you and your family if you are suspected of 'ratting' these people out.  Also most of these people are loud mouthed, bragging, lying to such an extent that I wouldn't believe some of them if they told me it was light at noon.  Yet in all this braggadocio there must be elements of truth as we see the results, such as dead deer out of season with only choice parts removed or in the case of a large buck only the antlers.  Mainly we see the results of a choice habitat that is carrying only a portion of the game it should carry.  This has always been a rather poor area.  At one time there may have been an excuse for taking game out of season--the need to feed the family.  Today this is not so.  The are enough government programs, food pantries, etc. around that no one in this area goes hungry.  It is  just the poaching mentality that pervades the locals that we keep running into.  The Feds ran a sting a few years ago to catch game violators and the sheriff of a bordering county was one of the ring leaders.  Then after his arrest and conviction he was re-elected.  When we have solid evidence we always anonymously turn these people in but we can't on just their mouth music.  Even when we suspect they might be telling the truth.    Usually when I suggest the game agents need to check out so and so  I get an answer of " We are aware of the possibility that that person might be involved in something or the other."  The agents are usually aware of a lot of these people.  Catching them in the act is the problem.  In the case where they are cought they seem to get off with just a slap on the hand.  I have no sympathy for the poachers.  Every deer they illegally kill is one less that I have a chance to take during the upcoming season. 

RJ

[Ponydog]

Slap on the HAND ....that is Bull-cookies...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     I have a friend that got horrible treatment and fines , for shooting a 13th dove a few years back...video cameras set up....hell, they swooped in on him like a swat team at a crack house.....for a DOVE...ONE dove..........I don't mean the plug out of the gun, or hunting in a baited field..I mean one dove.......so if people there are getting a "slap on the hand"..for poaching a big game animal like white-tailed deer......maybe the problem isn't the poachers...but the willingness for authorities, to let it continue.   Someone needs to be made an example of........regardless of the "vigilante" mentality ...somebody better stand up against it, and create some order there...or there wont be a deer season ...................sounds like if in every part of the state , if we are big enough rednecks...and have a grudge mentality , we can just shoot anything anytime , and fear no legal retribution.....because we are mean enough to break the law and keep getting away with it ?   Sounds like politicians........not sportsmen...

[Ranger J]

Yep, you hit the nail right on the   
RJ

[Bowpredator]

If you seriously believe the agents and local authorities in your area are not doing enough, then I would be adamently bringing this to the MDC's attention till they got sick to death of me.  All you or any of us can do to try and help the situation is report any instances we hear about or see and hope the proper steps are taken.  Use the anonymous number if you have concerns of ratting folks out.  If you report it, then you IMO have done your duty to help with the problem.  The rest is technically out of your hands and the MDC and maybe your state reps need to be made aware of the lack of proper follow through on the legal system end of it.