turned in a poacher

[fishermanjoe]

I felt kind of bad for the old man. Ill leave the specifics out to keep my anonymity. But hey, that's what you get for shooting a non spike w/o a branched antler tag. Kind of bitter sweet...... I guess. How about some words to make me feel better about this situation. Yeah I know I shouldn't feel bad, but I do.

[ser300wsm]

You did what you had to do, which is the right thing to do. Dont feel bad at all. People like that hurt all of us.. Thank you ...

[ribka]

You did the right thing. No excuses. The spike reg has been in known for many years now.

I and many on here support you.

[boonerboy]

yeah it can be kinda *censored*ty in that type of situation. I hate the "true spike" law but it is a law and you better make damn sure it's a true spike before pulling the trigger. I think you did thte right thing, at least the elk isn't laying out there rotting.

[bigpaw]

No matter who they are, every hunter needs to be 100% sure of their target. you did the right thing. Thank you

[carpsniperg2]

you did the right thing no doubt! it has to be done because they will never learn a lesson if they don't get caught. also it really just hurts all the other guys that have the right tag/permit

[goosegetter79]

You did the right thing!!

[Gobble Gobble]

was it a "oh, it looked like a spike to me through the scope" or was it "nobody is looking this baby is going on the wall" branched bull.

Either way it sucks for him, wrong is wrong.

I almost turned myself in this year during deer archery season till I called a friend & he assured me my button buck I had just arrowed was considered antlerless (thought it was a doe) and not a buck (3pt min). There were 1/2" bumps on the head but no antler had broken the skin.

[trophyhunt]

If you feel too bad I'll gladly take the points you might get!!! .  seriously you probably did the right thing, I would have to get a feel for the man to see if it was an accident or malicious.  I have ran into a similar situation just recently and I told them if they left the animal I would turn in a picture of their license plate and of them.  They did the right thing and got the entire animal out of there, no I didn't stick around and help but checked later.

[ebusa]

Good Job!  You did the right thing! Chances are he's done this before! 

[bobcat]

I felt kind of bad for the old man. Ill leave the specifics out to keep my anonymity. But hey, that's what you get for shooting a non spike w/o a branched antler tag. Kind of bitter sweet...... I guess. How about some words to make me feel better about this situation. Yeah I know I shouldn't feel bad, but I do.

Can you post a little more about what happened? Did the elk get left or did the hunter tag it and pack it out? Did he know he was breaking the law or was it due to ignorance of the law?

[TSLPE]

Have you seen or shot at any spikes yet Joe? Any snow up there?

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I was going to quote a few, but no need, everyone seems to say the same....
You have nothing to feel bad about, young or old, accidental or on purpose, ignorance is no excuse, etc.
The law was written (whether you agree with it or not) for the betterment of the herd, and to increase opportunity in the future (this is the part complainers don't understand)
If the person shot an animal that is not legal, THEY ARE IN THE WRONG. period!
No matter what excuse they have.
There are basic safety rules in firearm handling, and the most common list of 10 is,
1. Assume That Any Gun, at Any Time, is Loaded.
2. Always Point a Gun in a Safe Direction.
3. Keep Your Finger off the Trigger
4. Know What You're Shooting at.
5. Be Familiar With Your Gun
6. Don't Shoot at Hard Surfaces (Including Water).
7. Don't Rely on a Safety Mechanism.
8. Load Your Gun When You Need to.
9. Use the Right Ammo.
10. Pay Attention!

You may not agree on these, but #4 should be important whether you are at home, the range, or hunting.....
"scoping" an animal, and then shooting, is one of the reasons I took up archery, too many idiots making me unconfortable.

[Curly]

What was it, a 2X1 or something where he thought it was a true spike but it ended up having a 1" branch?  I'd hate to be hunting a true spike area........  I'd have to have a lot of time to be able to make damn sure the spike was a true spike. 

[fishermanjoe]

it was a 2x2.

No snow yet where I am hunting. Only seen 4 cows.

They started to pack it out but the warden got there before they could finish the job.