Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: ydeardorff on September 24, 2011, 12:16:22 PM

Title: damn poachers
Post by: ydeardorff on September 24, 2011, 12:16:22 PM: Last night after scouting out an area I get home about 8pm. Im sitting outside my back door, and a string of rifle shots go off on the south side of gold hill, for about 30 to 45 minutes. Now normally I might say oh someone is target practicing, or sighting their rifle in etc. But this was in pitch black of night. It was a couple of shots, then quiet, a couple of more shots, then quiet again. Probably 20 or more shots in all.

As if hunting isn't hard enough without these guys mowing down the forest illegally.

On my way out of the area I was in, a group of trucks came in, Im hoping they weren't setting up for some spot lighting too. This was in a different area, and I heard no shots from that direction. By it really kind of irks me when people are doing this, its loud, obvious, and there arent enough enforcement officers to handle it, and they know it.
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: xd2005 on September 24, 2011, 12:21:57 PM: That's a pretty broad assumption. I know last year during deer season we had a couple guys come up to an area right by where we were camping that was clearly often used for target practicing. It was about 8pm, DARK, and they said they just wanted to try out an AK that the one guy was selling to the other. We thought it was a bit odd, but told them to go ahead, so they went and shot a bunch for a while. Could be just about anything, don't think I'd automatically assume poachers.
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: JimmyHoffa on September 24, 2011, 12:24:09 PM: They could be playing with tracers. Not as much fun to shoot in the daytime.
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: hrd2fnd on September 24, 2011, 12:26:05 PM: Quote from: JimmyHoffa on September 24, 2011, 12:24:09 PM
They could be playing with tracers. Not as much fun to shoot in the daytime.

True that
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: ydeardorff on September 24, 2011, 12:29:08 PM: Very true,
but if you knew the locals, that assumption isnt that far fetched. lol
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: bigtex on September 24, 2011, 12:48:30 PM: 1- You don't know if they are indeed poachers.

2- Did you report it?
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: ydeardorff on September 24, 2011, 01:24:22 PM: Yes I know that I'm not certain. And yes I reported possible poaching activity. But I told them I didn't witness anything, I only heard lots of shooting after the alloted hunting time, out on the GMU.

Just like when one of my neighbors shot he doe that was coming into our back yard each morning. Did I see him do it? do I know which neighbor shot the doe, no. But like clockwork, the same doe every morning, then one morning, CRACK, after that no more doe. We've not seen her since. I have reason to believe it happened, but didn't witness it happen.
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: PolarBear on September 24, 2011, 02:23:00 PM: I have hillbilly neighbors who shoot at all hours of the night. They could be playing. A poacher is likely to take one or 2 shots get the animal and get the hell out of dodge.
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: Hilltop123 on September 24, 2011, 02:27:39 PM: This time of year is bad for tracers! Tracers=Fires. Just so happens I work some place, where tracers are one in five..........we have aready had 55+ fires this summer.....save your tracers for the wet season....
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: dscubame on September 24, 2011, 03:24:41 PM: Does not sound like poaching activity at all. Is the deer or elk hanging out for 30 minutes while 20 rounds are flying at them?
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: Coastal_native on September 24, 2011, 09:37:33 PM: You guys are in serious denile...
Title: Re: damn poachers
Post by: turnloose on September 24, 2011, 10:52:58 PM: Not everybody in the woods at night is breaking the law. Get facts before you start crying.