Poachers Beware

AShooting Journal ^ | 3/29/2016 | Tim E Hovey

[w1n1]

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife enforcement division has a limited number of wardens available to cover the entire State. There are approximately 400 wardens responsible for protecting our natural resources from poachers. Considering that there are over three million sportsmen in California, wardens are definitely outnumbered in maintaining order in the outside world.

A few years back I decided to pick up a deer tag down in San Diego County, very near my office at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Early the next morning I met Jason at the parking lot near the hunting area. We hiked in about a mile and started glassing just as the sun came up. We were late in the season and it didn’t seem like much was moving. After an hour of not seeing any deer, we were discussing our next move when we heard a single shot from the larger hunting area across the road.

We had an hour left to hunt and we decided to head over to the larger parcel and finish out our morning. We parked off the main road, several car lengths in front another vehicle. We grabbed our gear and walked into the hunting area. As we crossed a walk-in gate, I spotted another hunter walking out of the area towards the other vehicle. Jason and I quietly hiked in and started glassing.

We had been glassing for a short time when I spotted movement under an oak tree about 200 yards out. The small buck stumbled out of the brush, dragging his back legs. He would drag himself a few feet and then fall over. I could see a back wound that had clearly damaged the spine. I also noticed that the young buck was a spike, an illegal age class to harvest during deer season.

From what we deduced, the hunter we had seen leaving the area was probably responsible for shooting the illegal buck. Since we had finished the job, we knew that our hunt was over. We headed back to the truck and called the local warden to report the incident. Walking back our vehicle, we noticed that the other vehicle was still there, and the hunter was poking around the bed of his truck. We knew he was waiting for us to leave, so he could go look for his illegal buck. I called the state dispatch and was patched through to Warden Sean Pirttle, the enforcement officer for the area. Read the rest of the poacher story here.

[T-Bone Texan]

So, by shooting the wounded animal he punches his card? That’s what was implied, I think.

I know poachers are greasy and scheming criminals, but on the other hand, game wardens scare me; they have a lot of power where I live. I would not want to get on the bad side of one.

I have heard stories of abuse.