Dirty Tricks

[Garrett Trentham]

I shot a bird on some pretty heavily hunted public land. I kindof like the idea that people can see where I shot the bird due to the feathers and shell hull/wad on the ground. Well where I shot this particular bird, it would take a while for anyone to find, so I had an idea. I found my shell and wad and put them in my pocket. When I got back to the gate, I plucked some breast and wing feathers from the bird and scattered them in a spot about 20 yards from the parking area in the middle of the path. I dropped my wad near the pile, in the path. And dropped my shell hull in the parking area. What anyone assumed was totally up to them...

I tend to be a little cut throat in my public land tactics. Nothing to harm or damage anyone or anything, but just sneaky stuff like fake tracks, or fake scrapes just prior to the rut. Mostly just for sh!ts and giggles. The whole "I didn't hear/see anyting" trick gets old. If they ask, I tell them to go listen themselves. Its not being a jerk, just not giving away hard earned info.

[Trip]

Last year we called in 3 different counties here in AR and didn't hear a single bird.  At our last location, a place where we have had good success deer hunting over the years, we heard one of the sorriest sounding hen yelps ever.  I told my buddy that this was no regular hen turkey, but a plastic potted hen turkey with lung issues.  He commented along the same lines that this was some of the worst calling he had heard in his life.  We had been there over an hour moving along a couple of ridges and down some creekbanks... no bird sign whatsoever.  We were getting ready to head out and heard the plastic potted hen yelp again.  I told my buddy to cross the creek towards the truck with me to get out of shotgun range.  Once across the creek, we waited for the pitiful yelp again.  I cut the plastic potted hen off with a gobble from a tube call.  We couldn't help but giggle a bit as we went the last 50 yards or so to the truck.  I later wondered if the guy knew it wasn't a real gobbler...  My guess is that if he thought that plastic pot sounded like a real hen, he was probably ecstatic to hear a turkey gobble to his calling...

  Awesome I almost fell out of my chair on that one too funny. I would love to had seen the look on that guys face.

[Trip]

I have never messed with anyones stuff, I do however keep my mouth shut about were the birds are, something I was taught at an early age. I did have something stupid happen to me once though. I live in NC and was hunting some Game Lands in Caldwell county a few years back. I had a skull plate with both horns attached off of an antelope in the bed of my truck. I pulled in and got out and started my walk in, the trail wrapped around up above my vehicle. When I got about two hundred yards up the hill I looked down and seen another vehicle pulling in, I thought nothing of it and kept walking. When I got back to my truck the skull plate was gone. I thought you jacka$$, I couldnt beleive they took it. I shouldnt have had it in the bed of the truck but I did, stupid me. They must have needed it worst than I did, luckily it was a set that was given to me.

[BOFF]

I was hunting some public land in MN with a friend of mine who is a disabled veteran. He has special permission to drive behind the gates, and we used his hunting car which is camouflaged, to hunt out of that day. Some one let the air out of his two of his tires when I was hunting with him. Glad I was with him, as it would have been a long time for him to get out in his wheel chair. We left several notes at the parking area on some vehicles. There was one truck which we were pretty certain the owner of it was responsible for letting the air out of his tires.   My buddy didn't want to do anything to the fellow, as he said he lived by him, close to the state capital. For some reason, he thought the fellow might fess up and make restitution. O' well, maybe he'll get his payback one day.





God Bless,
David B.

[DuckNurse]