Almost got shot by a poacher this weekend

[northms]

Well I almost got shot by a poacher today.  Before I go too deep let me assure you I caught the SOB and had the game warden come out and fill up his ink book with tickets.

Was working a bird with a friend Saturday and we were easing down our property line looking back out into a field that had a gobbler and several hens in it.  There is a lot of sage grass in it in places and pretty thick so we were able to move while the turkeys were in the thick stuff.

Like I said, we were easing down our property line looking back into our field, which has a thick stand of brush on the other private property beside us.  I'm talking real thick stuff where no turkey or turkey hunter would NORMALLY BE.  We are looking back out into the field when all of the sudden, not 15 YARDS down the fence line in the direction we're walking....BOOOOOOOM!!

My friend hits the deck and I just freeze to collect my thoughts for a second.  I knew my brother wasn't out there that day and no one else has permission.  I see a man stand up on the edge of the other property and clearly he had shot out into our land/field to kill a turkey.  I actually didn't see any turkey flopping or turkeys fly off even though I know they were there.  I think that was the least of my worries and adrenaline and how to diffuse the situation were the only thing on my mind.

The poacher doesn't know I'm in the world and I allow him to get up start to cross the fence and yell "Game Warden!! Drop the gun!!!".  This was the only quick way I figured I could get him to drop the gun.  I think it might possibly be illegal to impersonate an officer but in the woods of MS when shots are fired I didn't really give a ........

He drops the gun immediately and steps away.  I get my partner to get between him and the gun and I unload his gun to make the situation a lot safer to say the least.  He pleads for me not to call the warden but when that shot was fired all my pity went out the window!

I get the warden on the phone and he is 15 minutes away and starts heading our way.  As I'm on the phone with the warden I see a turkey flopping 50 yards away.  He had told me he missed but lied on that story too.  We get up to a turkey to see that not only is it a turkey but it's a dad-gum hen!  The idiot had shot a hen either on purpose or was too stupid to know or care.

I'm fuming at this point and pretty shook up.  He said he was on his land when he shot and didn't mean any harm.  Umm....ok since almost shooting me on my land and illegally shooting a hen isn't a big deal! Give me a break.

Moral of the story, even on private land things can happen so always stay safe as best you can. And count you lucky stars sometimes when the good Lord shines on you for another day!

Stay safe out there. 

[Kylongspur88]

Idiot. The thing I like the least about hunting is all the idiots I encounter. I had two winners jump shoot my duck decoys on private land once....

[chatterbox]

Quick thinking on your part! Good idea to say you were a warden. He might have taken off for the hills had you not!
What an idiot! I hope the game warden HAMMERED him! Glad you and your buddy came out of it ok, and didn't get shot.

[DirtNap647]

dont like people like that seem to be everywhere tho ...atleast you caught him

[redarrow]

Glad you guys are OK. What a dip stick.

[ctwny1]

northms,
First of all and most important...nobody got hurt thank God. People get this false sense of security thinking that hunting on private property your safe. You did the right thing by staying calm and taking control of a very dangerous situation. You and your buddy are lucky you both didn't get shot. As for this poacher, hope he understands he could have really hurt somebody or worse. Hope they take away his license for 5 years and fine him real good for shooting a hen.

[jakebird]

Glad it all ended safely for all parties (except the unfortunate hen, sad). Hope that hooligan learns his lesson and maybe your swift action will make the woods just a tad safer and more pleasant for everyone. Thanks for settin the bar.

[870FaceLift]

Trespassing and/or poaching is unacceptable.  I'm sorry to hear your story, but glad that you made it out unharmed.  I face trespassers every year and it puts the biggest damper on my deer/turkey seasons.  It makes the seasons hard to enjoy.  One of the neighboring properties next to ours leases out their land.  I dont have anything against hunters leasing property, but every year they cross the clearly marked boundaries.  Its frustrating when you put so much work into plots and scouting.   

Perhaps the scariest part of it all is knowing that you may not be safe on YOUR own piece of land due to others.

One more extreme case of trespassing:  I had to call the game warden one time because there were 12 people fishing in our pond.  Keep in mind, this pond is 3/4 mile from anything paved and fairly hard to get to.  They even had a bonfire and music going!!!  They drunkenly told the game warden that they had obtained permission years ago from the landowner's sister.  I don't have a sister...

[FireFly908]

I don't even need to discuss my attitude towards poachers on this forum!  It's obvious!
But, I was very impressed with your handling of this situation!  You didn't break any law because you didn't flash a badge or use a flashing red light.  Also, it's apparent that the (&$^&*$ moron knew you weren't law enforcement because he asked you not to call the game warden.
Disclaimer:  I'm not a lawyer or in law enforcement! 

[MiamiE]

That's scary bro. Glad to see youre ok and that he got roped.

[drenalinld]

Smart thinking to diffuse the situation! Glad you are ok and he got what was coming to him!

[Woodsman4God]

That's scary bro. Glad to see youre ok and that he got roped.

agreed

[Hognutz]

I love stories with happy endings.. You did a super great job on that P.O.S. I hope they teach him a lesson..Well done..

[Basin_hunter]

I dont know if I could stay that calm about almost shooting me. I think I wouldve whooped his ... thats just me.

X2 !

[TennLongspur]

Idiot. There is no excuse for that. However, tresspassing can happen unintentionally. I have been on this hunting lease for two years. I don't hunt deer, so I only turkey hunted on it last year and opening weekend this year. I scouted an area last year and hunted most on the south end of the 4,500 acres. This year, I am seeing a lot of sign on the east side and now hunting there.

Well, just  yesterday I went after a bird that was in the bootom of a deep ravine hammering at everything I threw at him, but he wouldn't come up. Of course when I get down there I never hear from him again. rather than climbing back out the way I came, I thought I could climb the other side I would hit a trail that would circle around to an area I hunted last year. I climbed up, hit a trail, but the farther I went the less familiar it looked. Eventually I hit a gravel ropad and knew immediately that I am not on our property.


The first thing I did was unload my gun. I am not poaching and don't want anyone to think that I am. I unloaded my gun and pulled out my GPS (Don't leave home without one) and realized I am nowhere near where I thought I was. Actually, the creek splits and I didn't know it. The creek I crossed was not the same creek that has the road on the other side running parallel.

So, it is possible to get lost and trespassing can happen. But I did the right thing. Unloaded my gun, pull out my GPS and headed straight back to our lease before reloading.