Headlines in a Grand Junction, Colorado newspaper and two Northern California newspaper stated that four Northern California men were busted near Rangely, Colorado. Hunters setting up camp before the season open reported them to officials. The four Northern California men had two Mule deer bucks in their possession at the time of arrest. Their hunting equipment was confiscated, and if found guilty the equipment will be forfeited, and a fine of over $2500 each will be assessed.
The California communities did not know of these characters mis-deeds until newspaper articles were published. This raised the question of who provided the information to the hometown papers. Was it the Colorado Wildlife people, or was it somebody who does not like them. To whom ever, job well done!
These characters returned and thought their world would not find out, but it did. Now they are the talk of the day in the local barber and coffee shops. I have yet to hear anybody in the hunting community express any sorrow for them. Everybody speaks of them as thieves. When a poacher takes a deer before the season that is a lost opportunity for the legitimate hunter, who plays by the rules.
Other out of State hunters also pay a price for their outlaw behavior. Because they are judged when they drive into that Colorado town displaying their out of State license plate.
But their home communities are also passing judgement on them. They are not spoken of very highly. They have a large extended family in the area. Most people judge the individuals not the whole family. But it has hurt the families overall reputation.
I can remember my first hunt. About an hour or so before daylight Dad and I started hiking out to our stump. We did not carry loaded rifles. Dad was making a point. We would not load them until legal hours. It was an extremely cold night with a full moon. Ice had started forming on the windshield when we parked the pickup. We had made our way from the pickup using flashlights. Soon we could see the lights of a pickup going down a track in the brush and lava rock. Well before daylight we heard one shot in the direction the pickup had gone.
Daylight came and the only deer we observed was a few does. A couple of hours later I could hear the pickup coming out of the woods. With Dad's permission I made my way over to the track they were coming out on. As they came up on me I spoke to them about how the hunting was. They showed off a nice 3x3 buck in the back. I noticed it was already cold. But they got away with that one. To have seen a game warden.
Monday morning at school the topic with my school mates was, deer hunting, and the big bucks brought into the local bar to be weighed. I discussed the two guys and the before daylight buck that was killed. Without a doubt they were branded as the lowest typed of men, they stole that animal. They were without respect nor entitled to respect.
