Hunting Camp Dilemma

[robodad]

What I'm not hearing is this admitted poaching incident being reported and thats a bit concerning. The long arm of the law has plenty of resources to put together a case with little actual physical evidence. I'd report it and let the law decide if its a case they can win, you never know it might turn into points for you !

[wreckerman5288]

What I'm not hearing is this admitted poaching incident being reported and thats a bit concerning. The long arm of the law has plenty of resources to put together a case with little actual physical evidence. I'd report it and let the law decide if its a case they can win, you never know it might turn into points for you !

The problem is I don't even know this guy's last name. Pretty much all I know is his first name, what he looks like and the general area where he lives. If I manage to find out his last name I will report his poaching. Even if they can't make a case it would be nice to get WDFW out there making his life miserable.

[steeleywhopper]

I'd tell your buddy to go pound sand with mister poo poo poacher somewhere else.

[grade-creek-rd]

Sometimes its OK to lie...you could easily blame it on one of the other land owners saying he will only allow you & your dad this year...worry about next fall when it comes. Just pick the land owner that the buddy doesn't know. As far as the "homeland" tag, its not that hard to figure out who people are these days & a search on the accessors website for whatever county he lives in will bring up his property...that's how tips turn into convictions....remember that guy with the cabin in the okanogan whete they baited bears & shot them off the porch? That was private land too.

G-C-R

[Sportfury]

Thanks for all the replies. I pretty much told my buddy that if he wanted to hunt with this guy he needed to do it elsewhere. That's when he hung up. The thing is, I'm pretty sure he is going to show up on Friday the 10th and I'm going to find this jack wagon in tow with him.

Really? 
If you really believe that then I would certainly make sure I got in contact with him immediately and in no uncertain terms tell him that the person in question is not going to be allowed on the private property. If the guy wants to make it a test of friendship, then its a test he just failed.

 

I would make certain that your buddy understands this now before he and possibly the jack-wagon show up next week. If you think things are bad now and he puts you in that situation on the 10th who knows where it could lead. He may be expecting you to back down when the guy shows up or be cool enough where you won't say anything directly to this person.

Sometimes its OK to lie...you could easily blame it on one of the other land owners saying he will only allow you & your dad this year...worry about next fall when it comes. Just pick the land owner that the buddy doesn't know. As far as the "homeland" tag, its not that hard to figure out who people are these days & a search on the accessors website for whatever county he lives in will bring up his property...that's how tips turn into convictions....remember that guy with the cabin in the okanogan whete they baited bears & shot them off the porch? That was private land too.

G-C-R

Now days they use DNA tests and if they can find that there is multiple animals in your freezer with different DNA and your only filling one tag a year. I would not be afraid to tell your friend that you have already discussed it with your dad and two other friends and ethically there are only a few options for you guys to forward with.

Good luck, stick to your guns, and keep us updated.

[cjensen]

I wouldn't lose a friend of 20 years over a deer that his friend killed illegally!   Seriously?   If a friend gets a DUI or cheats on his girlfriend or anything else you yourself wouldn't do, you would stop being friends with him?   How much less if he wasn't even the one who did it.  I would never draw a line in the sand over that.  Certainly tell the poacher to go pound sand but dont lose a friend over it.  If it were me id tell my buddy he could bring *censored* bag but he better leave his gun at home and serve as camp bi#$/. 

[Birdguy]

What a tough thing to deal with but I am right with you! You cannot afford to associate with people like that. The hunting camp you have/had will never be the same for so many reasons, you may lose a friend but as mentioned if that is how he treats you he was not a true friend. You may lose your hunting ground and these days that is priceless. You also would be compromising your ethics and that you will never get back. For me it would be a "no go" for the additional guy and your "buddy" should expect a pretty uncomfortable conversation around the campfire this year if he has any issue with the decision. Good luck with your camp and your hunt  . 

[DeerThug]

Just to throw it out there are you sure he poached a deer.  With multi season tags could it be possible it was a legal bow or muzzie kill?  Been various seasons open for some time now.

[wreckerman5288]

Update!

After everyone cooled down it was agreed upon that the poacher will not be coming to hunting camp. The guy who wanted to bring him realized that he did not want to be part of this guy trying to get buck #2 and that he did not want to put us in that position. Also, in a rare turn of events (most bullheaded person I know) he made an apology.

As for turning this guy in, I can't do a county records search because he leases the property and does not own it himself. Maybe I can find his full name on Facebook by looking through my buddy's friends. The other option is to weasal it out of him after a couple of Wild Turkeys at the end of a hard day of hunting.

[Seahawk12]

It's great to hear that your hunt is going ahead and that your friend recognized what you were saying was right.
I hope you guys have a great hunt and a great time.

[wreckerman5288]

Just to throw it out there are you sure he poached a deer.  With multi season tags could it be possible it was a legal bow or muzzie kill?  Been various seasons open for some time now.

Unfortunately yes, I am sure. I was told a rifle was used and although this was my first time hearing the term "Homeland Tag" I am 100% positive what that means.

[wreckerman5288]

Thanks a ton for the advice and support on this one guys, God knows my wife couldn't handle listening to me rant about hunting problems. This board seems to have a lot of helpful and kind people.

And thanks to everyone for the good luck wishes, by the way things are going this year I'm going to need it. Good luck to everyone that still has an un-notched tag, I look forward to seeing some big bucks and reading some good stories!

[Bullkllr]

I agree with the posts above, but would add that if he is a true friend he will eventually see the error in his ways, apologize and make amends.

And that sounds like the best outcome for you and your friend. Glad he saw the light and you guys worked things out. 

[7mag.]

Great outcome, I'm glad it turned out well. I hope you have a great trip and fill your tags.

[Three_Oh_Eight]

Good thing it didn't play out at camp. If I'm a landowner and see people getting into a confrontation on my property ( with guns in camp), I'd tell them to leave and never come back.