Found a poached elk

[boneaddict]

 

[rosscrazyelk]

Well, I called it in but the attitude of the person on the other end of the phone sounded like he did not give one ounce of care in the world..

[Machias]

At least you did your part, now it's on them.  Thanks!!

[Cascade_Sherpa]

just on a side not, i submitted a report about two weeks ago now. left my name number and haven't heard from the game department once  i will continue to report any illegal activity i may encounter in the woods because that's the right thing to do, but more and more im starting to believe that fish and game really doesn't care unless it makes the news. sad   

This is the second or third post with this kind of response.  Unfortunately for ALL of us, I've had the same kind of response from OUR public servants the Fish and Wildlife department.  Several years back while hunting a three point and better area of the St. Helens tree farm, my dad and I found two dead spike bulls in different locations in a single day.  It appeared both bulls were mistakenly shot and left to spoil and bloat. We took the time to record everything we found and phone the game department with locations and descriptions.  We weren't expecting appreciation, or any major applause from anybody. It just seem like the right thing to do. What we got was a very short and pointed conversation from the local warden who asked us what our motivations were for reporting the 'incident'.  When we told him we weren't sure what he was suggesting, he said "look guys, you aren't going to get any bonus points out of this".  As if that was the only thing that a couple of hunters could be interested in.  The whole thing totally pissed me off, we thought we were doing the right thing and were made to feel like we committed a crime by the very person whose job it was to protect law abiding citizens and game animals!

[elksnout]

That last post really pissed me off. I can feel my blood boiling. Makes you want to punch that a-hole right in his stupid face. I've heard other stories like that thru the years about hunters reporting crimes and then having the gamey come about one word away from accusing the guy of doing the illegal activity. One of my long time friends turned some creep in up on the Lahar wash, saw the guy drop two bulls and the warden had the nerve to ask him what caliber he was using as if he was the shooter and the guy got away for Christs sake.....

[300rum]

I called the hotline number that is on our parking permits last season and left a message as it wasn't in progress and on a Friday night and it said to get a hold of dispatch only if an emergency or in progress.  Anyway, I left a message with the info and told them that I had additional info and I was never called back, ever.  I am not impressed and probably won't call back.  FYI, the info I left was that there was a truck coming out with a headless deer on a flat bed truck on a closed road, when we spoke with the guys there was a rifle in the cab, no head for the animal on the flat bed truck and no bow to be seen.  I can understand why someone won't call, I won't.  If they don't care to call back.   

[groundhog]

The agents here in eburg are usually all over it if you call a suspected poaching in. They will come out and get DNA at the least so that they may be able to make a match at a later date. My brother turned in a guy for shooting a cow in a closed unit and he turned out to be a Seattle cop. The local agent wrote him up and my brother got ten preference points out deal! Don't hesitate to call it in just make sure you talk with and officer and not someone behind a desk.

[Rob]

a guy  i used to work with found a four point bull skeleton and cut the antlers off, then brought them to work. he didn't know you're supposed to leave 'em if the skull is intact(does anyone know why?). simple enough mistake...I didn't report him.

I had never heard this before...  Is this really true???

[Coasthunterjay]

WOOPS, sorry to make that sound wierd...guess i should of explained myself better....

ATLEAST THEY TOOK THE HORNS.

really?

they just shot it, took the meat, and nothing else....no horns nothing.....JUST LEFT EVERYTHING ELSE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

i would think the important thing to take if you're gonna kill an elk would be the meat. i'm not sure i understand your post.

my point was because only the meat on what i found was taken that the gamewarden didnt do anything....

I HATE TO SEE AN ANIMAL GET POACHED.......for meat, body parts, fun, whatever....doesnt matter.

But with the horns taken he might have more of a claim that the gamey might listen to...thats all i was saying...

gamey didnt even care about what i had to say when i found a illegal sized animal killed....

[Coasthunterjay]

Well, I called it in but the attitude of the person on the other end of the phone sounded like he did not give one ounce of care in the world..

my point exactly....thats basically what i got also.......

terriable man....wish someone cared out there.........but they might be doing something that w dont know about and just not making a big deal out of it.....it is there job and they probably get tired hearing about it.

we probably just take it differenty not being in the middle of it all the time....

Either way if i see it again, ide still call it in.....its the right thing to do!

[alecvg]

a guy  i used to work with found a four point bull skeleton and cut the antlers off, then brought them to work. he didn't know you're supposed to leave 'em if the skull is intact(does anyone know why?). simple enough mistake...I didn't report him.

I had never heard this before...  Is this really true???

Yes, it is illegal to take a skull, though the wardens don't seem to enforce it so much from what I have heard.

[Cascade_Sherpa]

What would be the reason for a law against removing elk skulls from the woods?  Not that there has to be a reason behind a lot of our silly laws, but I'm curious also after reading the last two posts.  Maybe if somebody knows, they can enlighten us......

[boneaddict]

An old poachers trick was to shoot an animal, stash the head then return for it later as a "found" skull.  You can still get permission from the WDFW and other game departments.  You can take a lot of good pics of the area, the kill, the situation etc. and that will save them from going out into the field.   If its obvious its not poached then usually you'll get the green light. 

for example th ebuck I found yesterday was in velvet, and had chew marks and thus not worth much as a trophy.  I am betting that after e-mails and calls are made, they will OK me to go get it.  If not, I will give them the coordinates and they can.   I also believe if its a big trophy, then they would probably keep it.   I do know a gal who even got permission to keep a ram skull this last year.  That shocked me.

[mossback91]

Many of the wardens here are cool with it if you ask them

[boneaddict]

bottom line, its not that bad of a law though I have found a lot of skulls.   It gives them the ability to nail someone if they suspect them of foul play.  Its that whole interpret thing that has you by the nutsack though, if you decide to haul it out and haven't gotten permission yet and they nail you.  Good luck with that one.  I guess you won't be applying fo rth e Master hunter program for the next 10 years.