idiot rant/youth hunt story

[Mike450r]

Ok,  so I don't throw the word idiot around loosely and maybe this is more a case of ignorance but.......

My 10 year old (youngest) son got the Skookumchuck any deer tag which begins a week early and weyerhauser opens the Vail gate for the 60 youth hunters.  Me, the wife, her girlfriend and of course my son get there at 5:00 and we are the second truck there.  The guy in the truck in front of us gets out and comes over to us as we are getting things organized and confortable for the hour wait til the gate opens.  He says "can you believe they open the gate and let the first 60 kids to hunt out here a week early for does?"

I say "yes,  it is a great opportunity for the kids but,  it is a special permit hunt that you have to apply for,  did you?"  The answer was "no it isn't, some guy told me the first 60 kids in line".  My response was "no, it is a permit hunt,  I have the permit in the truck".  He simply said he would ask the securtiy guard when he unlocked the gate.

Well, security guard shows up,  opens the gate and talks to the guy,  I figure since it is taking awhile he straightens it out,  he comes to me,  gets the hunter's name, address, and license off my truck and tells me I can go in.  The guy parked in front of me comes and asks me if he can go in,  I said "I doubt it,  since you do not have the permit".  He says "the security guy said transport tag only".

I said "it is a permit hunt only,  go talk to the security guy",  well I should have went with him but I didn't.  When we checked out at lunchtime to run and get a some grub I asked the security guard if the guy in front of us went in,  he said "yeah", I told him he did not have the permit and was confused but did not believe me when I explained it to him so he said "I  will check him when he comes out and straighten it out".

Ok,  now for the hunting story.  Deer everywere, every landing we walked out on down in the cut 3 to 5 deer in every cut.  Driving to another spot deer hopping the roads like rabbits.  When it was all said and done 60 antlerless deer, 3 bucks.  One absolute pig that busted me and my son on our stalk and got into the thick stuff before we could get a good angle on him.  Got a decent forker which apparently is all a 10 year old needs for his second deer to be a trophy.  We decided to walk the road for a bit instead of busting the brush and trying to get them jumping in the cuts which had only produced 50 something antlerless deer and with an any deer tag that many deer will make anybody start thinking about just filling it.  We came around a corner and he saw a head through some grass slightly uphill about 50 yards away,  I glassed it and said "it is a nice little 2 point,  you want it?"  That was all it took,  deer stands up,  gun goes up,  boom.  Deer number 54 of the day rode home in the back of the truck.  9 more deer on the drive out but thank goodness none bigger.

Now back to the idiots (ignorant hunter,  and weyerhauser security).  Get back down to the gate for check out and I ask if the guy in front of us came out.  Security guard says "yep,  and he is gonna be in some trouble, his kid took a doe".  Some may say honest mistake,  I say BS.  We apply for these permits knowing the odds aren't very good and I just wonder how many others were out there doing the same thing,  there or in other permit areas.  This was illegal taking of wildlife plain and simple with of course ignorance to blame rather than criminal intent.  The hunter will be reported to fish and wildlife,  who knows what will happen.

[agchawk]

First and foremost...CONGRATS to your son on a fine "trophy". After all, the trophy is in the eye of the man or woman who harvested it. I think it's awesome!

As for the idiot you referred to.....I agree 100%. I hope he gets what's coming to him too. The most unfortunate part of it is that his son is entangled now due to his father's inability to get his regulations straight and/or listen to reason. Not a great way for his son to start off his hunting career.

[X-Force]

Congrats to your son on his buck. You and him should both be proud.
...as for the idiot. he deserves whats coming to him. I wish the hole thing could of been avoided if he listened to you but some people just know more then you  until they get busted. i bet he wont be hitting that youth hunt for a while.. its sad that his kid has to get involved with his dads stupidity.

[mwhite]

Congratulations to your son!  That is an awesome hunt for youth!  Post a pic if you can.  As far as the other guy goes, quite unfortunate for all involved. 

Make sure and tell your son congrats!

[stickhunter]

Maybe you can get points for turning a poacher.

[JBar]

First off congrats to your son for a fine trophy can't wait to see the pics. This has got to be one of the best tags a youth hunter can draw. For a kid to not have to compete with all the adults is how it should be. It gives parents the chance to work with their new hunters in a low pressure hunt.

That kinda crap pisses me off! My son drew that tag several years ago and Weyerhaeuser was not going to open the gate for the kids. I worked really hard with Kelly McKalister the area biologist and the PR gal at Weyerhaeuser to get them to open the gate for the kids. It's crap like this that closes the gates! Ignorance is no excuse! The father should be convicted as though he was the hunter!! How dare he put his son in that situation.

[billythekidrock]

Congrats to your son as well as to you and your family for doing it together.

As for the idiot. Why would he continue after being told it was a permit hunt. I know I would have been looking for some regs. This might sound a little harsh, but shouldn't the shooter know the regs?

[fremont]

Back a few years ago, a family member was hunting geese on some San Juan island.  They were in a blind and had decoys laid out on a pond.  A truck pulls up across a field about 200 yards away and the next thing they know they hear a rifle go off and a geyser of water goes flying up in the air next to a decoy.  They stand up, waving their arms and screaming.  The guy jumps in his car and drives away at a high rate of speed.  Yes, he was trying to kill a goose with his rifle.

Later that day, they see the guy's car in the ferry line.  My relative walks up and sees a dead two-point blacktail in the back of this guy's rig and about a 7-year-old boy sitting next to this idiot.  He quietly tells him that it's his lucky day, because he won't beat the cr@p out of him in front of his boy.  He got turned into the game cops.

[hard hunter]

First a big congrats to you and your son.  I cant wait for mine to be able to harvest one. 

As for the other guy that is another reason to carry a copy of the regs with you to show those that are a little challenged.  I really don't believe the guy didn't know. I just think he did not care.  Maybee he figured if Jr. got a deer this week dad could hunt next week alone??  Then again maybee the dad is just challenged.

[ICEMAN]

Mike450r, good job on both counts.

[workstohunt]

Tell your son, Good job.
And Thanks for trying to do what's right.
Hopefully this guy gets busted.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Put your son in for the draw next year with his 10 points for catching the poacher!  Start 'em young ...

[3boys]

I hunted on Saturday in the Vail as well and when I came out at noon the game warden was at the gate looking for violations. I dont know why the guard let this guy in and when I went in he asked for my paper work from the state to verify I had a legal tag for that unit. I was the 4th vehicle to enter and would have gladly shown the guy the regs had I known.

[Mike450r]

Thank you all for the congratulations.  My son was very proud.

As for pictures, well the digital camera ended up being one of those "I thought you grabbed it" things and the cell phones were working so hard to find service they all had dead batteries.  There was an old disposable camera in the glove box so hopefully those turn out.

3boys, if you were the fourth vehicle in you were right behind me.  I ended up being the first in because the "idiot" was supposedly checking again with security so I went in ahead.  I was driving the silver Nissan Titan and you may have been right there in the group of people with us that stood around BS'ng for the hour or so before the gate opened.  How did you guys do out there?

I did turn in an electronic poacher form not so much for any points but just in case the security guard didn't do it as he said.  I was feeling bad for the guys kid just thinking they were going to have to turn around and go home, but now after harvesting a doe out of season and without proper permit it's even worse.  Hopefully the adult is punished and the kid learns to check the facts.

[hunterbuilder]

Congrats on the buck for your son.
If I was the game warden I would be inclined to somehow give the kid a pass with a stearn warning about be responsible for your own tag and knowing the regs. I would find a way to stick this on the adult with an "aiding in illegal harvest of game animal" or something of that nature. It's too bad, we need more young people in the woods having positive experiences.