Free: Contests & Raffles.
Glad you are okay. I've tried to make it a habit of taking pictures of license plates that are parked where I'm at, or in your case, as they drove by, especially if they seem shady, for this exact reason. Gives police something substantial to work with especially if these law breakers try it again.
My husband works in there often he said he will keep a look out. He mentioned the delzene gate is left open a lot and he thinks they probably don't have a key.
That's crazy, and scary! Why in the world would they pull the shock bolts. And if it was anything like the last few sets of shocks I've replaced without air tools, he probably left a blood trail!
It not what you think, it is what they did, intent to cause bodily harm, main or kill. I personally believe that they do this premeditated which can lead to a more serious jail time. Also they broke federal law harassing hunter and wild game during hunting season, which also carries a very stiff fine and or jail time. Please file a report with the sherif office, next time they might kill someone, like a father and his young son. These people think they are above the law and will continue to do this untill stopped by the authorities
Scary stuff. I agree with taking pics, especially if people are acting weird or aggressive towards you. As far as scaring off the deer, I'm not so sure about that one. I think if you had just given it a half hour, everything would be as it was. The deer see/hear people doing crazy stuff in vehicles all the time. It is a part of their daily lives this time of year. I don't think they get up and run if they are already hidden. Plenty of clear cut hunters attest to the fact that rigs coming and going from the cuts don't often move the deer out. They just remain motionless and let the intrusion pass. A little patience and the woods return to normal pretty quickly.Sorry you're day got ruined. Good job getting home safe.
I constantly run into anti-hunting folks out in Vail, but rarely anything like that. It's normally just a sideways look or a snide comment while passing.I will caution anyone who want's to take pictures of a vehicle while you're out there though. I did that about 5 years ago while hiking/rabbit hunting with the dog. We were only about a mile back and I watched a little blue Toyota wheel around the gate and come in. I kept walking and we were closer to 3 miles in but on the way out when that same truck came up behind us. I thought I'd just snap a picture of their plate when they drove by and report it to WeyCo later, but they saw my phone in my hand when they drove past. They drove about 50 yards ahead and then stopped and two guys and a dog got out. Because of the terrain, there was no good way to get around them so I continued walking forward until they were about 20 yards away. They asked why I took the picture and I explained that I take pictures of all the vehicles I see back there outside of permit season (this was before the year round access keys), but I told them it doesn't since they must have had a key to get through the gate. They said that they saw me on the hill watching them as they drove around the gate and that I was going to have to delete that picture or give them my phone. At this point one of them was walking closer with his dog while the other sat on the tailgate of the truck cutting an apple with a knife. I asked him and his dog to stay back a little ways and to please grab his dog's collar. The man with the knife got off the back of the truck and moved forward as well, knife still in hand. They wanted to know about my dog (a WPG), saying she's pretty small and not much of a guard dog. I asked them both again to stay back and hold the dog's collar and to put the knife back on the tailgate of the truck. The guy with the knife said he just wanted to offer me a piece of his apple, that's the only reason he was coming closer. After explaining that I have plenty of supplies in my pack, I said that the dog and I were going to keep walking out now if they would go ahead and let us pass by. I asked them to give us a 100 minute head start so that their truck wouldn't spook off any rabbits along the way. They responded "No problem, we'll catch up to in a couple minutes then". Once I got around a corner and out of site the dog and I stepped off the road and followed an old game trail that loops around the pond and well clear of the road. It took about 2 hours for us to get back to the truck because of the detour, and when I got there my truck had been broken into and my registration pulled from my glove box. There was a note written on a piece of paper and left on my seat that said "We'll see you soon". The sheriff and WeyCo were called and given descriptions of the vehicle with the plate # as well as descriptions of the two people. I never heard any more from the sheriff and I haven't seen that vehicle in this area since.Here's the most important part of that whole encounter, I never go out in the woods unarmed. And I'm not just talking about carrying concealed, I always have a handgun clearly visible on my hip or attached to my pack. On that particular day I was carrying a 7.5" barreled 480 Ruger, which is a difficult gun to miss, in addition to having a rifle (a little CZ 527) stuffed into my Eberlestock and clearly visible. These two guys were willing to confront me knowing that I was armed, just because I took their picture. I don't take pictures of people out in the woods anymore, whether I'm alone or with somebody else. I keep a pen and note pad in my pack and readily accessible to write down descriptions of people or vehicles as soon as they're out of site. I'm very capable of defending myself in just about any situation, but some times it's just not worth it. Just something to consider.
When the guy with knife approached, were you ready to defend yourself? Did he have the drop on you or couldntou have accessed your handgun?
Quote from: bornhunter on September 14, 2019, 06:31:27 PMWhen the guy with knife approached, were you ready to defend yourself? Did he have the drop on you or couldntou have accessed your handgun?Yes, I would have been able to get an aimed shot off. I carry most of my handguns in a cross draw belt holster while I’m in the woods because it’s a much faster draw when a target of opportunity like a rabbit or coyote runs out. I was standing with my arms loosely crossed which allows for a quick draw without being in an aggressive stance which would have only escalated the situation more. I’m not foolish enough to believe that I could come out ahead against 2 people and a mid sized dog at 15 yards. As much as I love my dog, she has the protective instincts of a guinea pig. I’d be safer walking with a cat on a leash. It was a poor decision to put myself in that position by trying to take a picture of their vehicle to begin with. I could have accomplished the same thing by writing down the info once I was out of sight and avoided the confrontation entirely. If they were an obvious and immediate threat to somebody’s safety it would be different, but they weren’t a threat to anyone until I engaged them.
