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Tactics for stopping or nailing poachers….

Sligh1

Sligh1

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Staff member
I hate that I see this stuff “often” as I’m at the farm often & I do pay closer attention than the “average guy”. I might be better with my head in the sand. We’ve busted a pile of em & this is all across the state. & I do believe it still happens all over the state. I know it does.
The 2 we had going on over the last 2 seasons…. Dudes using thermals out of trucks with suppressors. Chased some dudes, got some plates & got that one handled. The other one…. We found several bucks in our area off the road - not “recovered” that still had the crossbow bolts in them. Found others im sure was same but no bolt in them. Clearly- dead silent- crossbow out the vehicle window…. Hard to catch.
So far- we screened every drop of road we can. Some redoing it after county or power company cuts or sprays into my place further than they should.
Put cameras at any spot a person could pull in. If they go on me- they will be on camera. My signs are legit - big custom steel signs that spell out the cameras & consequences.
The one part im doing this year…. I got a dozen flash cameras. I’ll put em in me but angled to road. Get license plates with at least a few of them. Here’s the key- I want people to see the flash. If someone takes a camera or did anything - they get pinched with another camera they won’t see. At a very minimum- it’ll let guys know they on camera. If something does happen- I likely will know the truck & plate # (I’ll have so many cams I’ll get the plate).

Whatcha think & what else can a guy do? Is this overboard?!?!?? Some might say so!! But overboard is the only way I roll & I will do whatever it takes to stop criminal garbage like this. Easier than anyone thinks though too….. screening is almost one & done. Running some extra cams - say it’s a “grand” to do it- fine. All this is minor in my view if I can stay on this or nip in the butt. If I lost 3-4 bucks a year cause I didn’t do it- not ok With me. Very worth it to screen & put surveillance out. Not that big of deal to be honest. & yes, we patrol hard & we are lucky we do. The problems of past are mind boggling bad.
Dude I talked to last week with a “big tract” about an hour from me says he loses no less than half dozen bucks a year to poaching: “10+ is common”. Buddies in Monroe co had countless headless bucks last year. We busted one guy by me who pled guilty to 47 bucks in 1 year. This garbage has to stop or be stopped and it can be- to a large degree.
The other thing we clearly need is more law enforcement & harsher fines/penalties. I do realize the trespass fee went way up and we also fine people BIG if buck is over xyz score. We need a lot more of this. Egregious poachers need massive consequences.
That’s my tactics this year in a nutshell. What else u all suggest?
 
As a guy who has spent many hours doing surveillance...those that are criminals will always find a way to counteract your surveillance.

What I'm saying is with every measure there is a countermeasure.

You say you have cameras...I have a mask. You catch my plate...I cover my plate . You might have to prove I did something wrong by pulling into a farm entrance that is still on a public right of way most likely. Hiding a truck is fairly difficult unless I drive around and find that Black Chevy everyone in neighborhood tends to drive.

Problem is: criminals will be criminals. No matter the fine, the sentence etc. Make the minimum payment and the fines are a WASTE of time. One gets busted another moves into the territory.

One thing I've thought about is using electric poles to my advantage. Run CAT6 with an A. I. enabled camera to the pole to get live TV out there. Not cheap at all.

If one were a person that could make someone disappear where they aren't supposed to be would even be a short term solution. But would think the herd.

You say you patrol..is it able to be timed? They know your truck so change that up. Be unpredictable. There are some things I can think of but won't put into writing to make it more difficult and maybe a little costly for them.

Put a camera high enough you can look into bed if truck as well. For post issues data. More proof for the prosecutor.

Camera that could be seen, easily be shot and your cell cameras..not end all catch all. Easily mitigated as well. In various ways.

Best solution is find a person in the group, flip them and make them your snitch. Highly unlikely but sometimes money talks.

Sounds like you already have a neighborhood watch but that's requires 24 hour coverage. Difficult.

Really no 100 percent solution for this. Except a few make it to a level you wish.
 
When you say often...I suspect that means you don't live near it? I will claim stupidity because I can barely keep track of myself let alone someone else. :) That adds another level of complexity to surveillance. Hopefully someone you trust lives close.

Had a guy who owned a farm near me and during peak times he would park a truck down on his farms. If he couldn't make it down, I would run over and move it for him. To make it seem one was in and out. Might be a method in the high traffic areas.
 
Bucks seem to cover an awful lot of ground in the breeding season. Apart from screening your personal property, my thought would be to encourage as many neighbors as possible to help patrol.
Thank you for sharing your experiences on this topic. I’m absolutely convinced poaching is a FAR worse problem than most realize.
 
Sligh1 said:
I hate that I see this stuff “often” as I’m at the farm often & I do pay closer attention than the “average guy”. I might be better with my head in the sand. We’ve busted a pile of em & this is all across the state. & I do believe it still happens all over the state. I know it does.
The 2 we had going on over the last 2 seasons…. Dudes using thermals out of trucks with suppressors. Chased some dudes, got some plates & got that one handled. The other one…. We found several bucks in our area off the road - not “recovered” that still had the crossbow bolts in them. Found others im sure was same but no bolt in them. Clearly- dead silent- crossbow out the vehicle window…. Hard to catch.
So far- we screened every drop of road we can. Some redoing it after county or power company cuts or sprays into my place further than they should.
Put cameras at any spot a person could pull in. If they go on me- they will be on camera. My signs are legit - big custom steel signs that spell out the cameras & consequences.
The one part im doing this year…. I got a dozen flash cameras. I’ll put em in me but angled to road. Get license plates with at least a few of them. Here’s the key- I want people to see the flash. If someone takes a camera or did anything - they get pinched with another camera they won’t see. At a very minimum- it’ll let guys know they on camera. If something does happen- I likely will know the truck & plate # (I’ll have so many cams I’ll get the plate).

Whatcha think & what else can a guy do? Is this overboard?!?!?? Some might say so!! But overboard is the only way I roll & I will do whatever it takes to stop criminal garbage like this. Easier than anyone thinks though too….. screening is almost one & done. Running some extra cams - say it’s a “grand” to do it- fine. All this is minor in my view if I can stay on this or nip in the butt. If I lost 3-4 bucks a year cause I didn’t do it- not ok With me. Very worth it to screen & put surveillance out. Not that big of deal to be honest. & yes, we patrol hard & we are lucky we do. The problems of past are mind boggling bad.
Dude I talked to last week with a “big tract” about an hour from me says he loses no less than half dozen bucks a year to poaching: “10+ is common”. Buddies in Monroe co had countless headless bucks last year. We busted one guy by me who pled guilty to 47 bucks in 1 year. This garbage has to stop or be stopped and it can be- to a large degree.
The other thing we clearly need is more law enforcement & harsher fines/penalties. I do realize the trespass fee went way up and we also fine people BIG if buck is over xyz score. We need a lot more of this. Egregious poachers need massive consequences.
That’s my tactics this year in a nutshell. What else u all suggest?
Click to expand...


Seems like to much effort to me.

1 of the main reasons I have little to zero social media as is does totally attract dirt bags.

I prefer to pug my ears and close my eyes while sticking my head in the sand.

I see no evil, I hear no evil, I feel no evil.

Also seems like every where I go I have a neighbor or two that is ocd on this topic. Usually let them do the dirty work.

Don't like to spend a lot of time fretting this issue however have been lucky over the years to have very few issues. Probably why I have the stance I do.

Let me be clear here, I'm not knocking any method here just prefer to try to enjoy my time affield and not worry about what ifs...

Have had buddies spend more time (patroling) than enjoying there own hunting season. I hope to never be in their shoes.
 
Hard to fathom that level of poaching.
Perhaps use tactics ( scarecrows,, stink to keep the deer getting to close to roads/ approaches.?
 
Sligh1 said:
I hate that I see this stuff “often” as I’m at the farm often & I do pay closer attention than the “average guy”. I might be better with my head in the sand. We’ve busted a pile of em & this is all across the state. & I do believe it still happens all over the state. I know it does.
The 2 we had going on over the last 2 seasons…. Dudes using thermals out of trucks with suppressors. Chased some dudes, got some plates & got that one handled. The other one…. We found several bucks in our area off the road - not “recovered” that still had the crossbow bolts in them. Found others im sure was same but no bolt in them. Clearly- dead silent- crossbow out the vehicle window…. Hard to catch.
So far- we screened every drop of road we can. Some redoing it after county or power company cuts or sprays into my place further than they should.
Put cameras at any spot a person could pull in. If they go on me- they will be on camera. My signs are legit - big custom steel signs that spell out the cameras & consequences.
The one part im doing this year…. I got a dozen flash cameras. I’ll put em in me but angled to road. Get license plates with at least a few of them. Here’s the key- I want people to see the flash. If someone takes a camera or did anything - they get pinched with another camera they won’t see. At a very minimum- it’ll let guys know they on camera. If something does happen- I likely will know the truck & plate # (I’ll have so many cams I’ll get the plate).

Whatcha think & what else can a guy do? Is this overboard?!?!?? Some might say so!! But overboard is the only way I roll & I will do whatever it takes to stop criminal garbage like this. Easier than anyone thinks though too….. screening is almost one & done. Running some extra cams - say it’s a “grand” to do it- fine. All this is minor in my view if I can stay on this or nip in the butt. If I lost 3-4 bucks a year cause I didn’t do it- not ok With me. Very worth it to screen & put surveillance out. Not that big of deal to be honest. & yes, we patrol hard & we are lucky we do. The problems of past are mind boggling bad.
Dude I talked to last week with a “big tract” about an hour from me says he loses no less than half dozen bucks a year to poaching: “10+ is common”. Buddies in Monroe co had countless headless bucks last year. We busted one guy by me who pled guilty to 47 bucks in 1 year. This garbage has to stop or be stopped and it can be- to a large degree.
The other thing we clearly need is more law enforcement & harsher fines/penalties. I do realize the trespass fee went way up and we also fine people BIG if buck is over xyz score. We need a lot more of this. Egregious poachers need massive consequences.
That’s my tactics this year in a nutshell. What else u all suggest?
Click to expand...
This is a tough question, tough situation. The guys losing multiple big bucks ? The poachers are that effective ! Crazy

Is there a fence option at the critical locations ? Screening helps… cameras ? I know you do that already! Hmmm

I assume these bucks are in the crop land by the road? Maybe go to CRP in this locations?

Tough deal. I think I’ve only lost one big buck to poaching in Iowa, but luckily my neighbor is like an Eagle watching over the main road by my farm .
 
I also think poachers come in at night with thermals and silencers. I had someone hunting out of one of my rednecks this last year, and I think it was at night. I live on a heavily poached road, and I hear occasional gunshots at night from Aug-Jan. I'm going to ask the warden about setting up a decoy this fall on the road.
 
Luckily I have a good neighbor across the street from me, works for the DNR even. I am doing cedar screening along the road. I plan to get a bunch of dummy cameras (older broke cams) and hang them up in more obvious spots to hopefully help scare anyone. As far as I know I have not had any issues.

I like the idea of if your farm is bigger and has multiple entrances to move a different vehicle around and have it parked at a different entrance a bit, if you are there regularly enough to make someone think you are there.
 
I am at the farm or someone at the farm 95% of the the time. Plenty of presence. Why I think we stop a lot on mine but like a mile or 2 away gets hit harder.
I get the part of criminals being one step ahead. Totally understand. For example- guys I know had dudes in ski masks come in. But- if u get those dudes on camera- u know u have an issue & with cell cams- often times can react. If I had dudes show up with ski masks- we’d have it so we could respond immediately…. Ski masks or not- they gonna have dudes on em
The reality of doing all the stuff we do… takes a bit of time on cams. Some time patrolling which is part of it and not that big of deal. Putting screens in- 5-10 hours maybe if a big section of road needed to be redone & then it’s done. To ME- for all effort of buying land, planting crops & plots, passing deer, habitat work, it’s the weak link in the chain I personally won’t let happen. & it’s maybe “1%” of the total work & effort done on the farm. That weak link will always get addressed on my farm but that’s just me. Now- where I probably lose the most deer that nothing I can do…. So bucks leave my farm & sit out in open on neighbor farm & get shot- nothing i can do. Other than watching for guys up to no good or busting em in the act. On me- lots I can do. When go to other areas - yep- I’ll lose some. So my thinking is 2 fold:
1) make it hard enough to actually shoot a deer on my land. Like “can’t do it, can’t get a bullet or bolt into a field from the road” &
2) make it known my farm ain’t the farm to poach on. If I was a poacher- the reality is- there could be a giant anywhere. I’d much rather poach on the people doing 0 than the lunatic that’s monitoring like crazy.
Still say we need more enforcement & emphasis on the egregious poachers. Harsher penalties & a focus of law enforcement.
 
Didn't read all replies so apologies if I repeat others' advice...
- I wouldn't use flash unless you have it out as a decoy. That tips em off and is likely to result in a smashed camera, etc.
- yeah, fines just need to be steeper! Plain & simple... stiffer penalties might sway creeps from doing it
- need more wardens for sure...1 per county doesn't cut it
- I feel like wardens also need to get on board more. They seem to cut people breaks more than you think. "It's just an antler" or, "what harm was really done?" blah blah blah... we need a more quantifiable way of showing the amount of damage done by crimes like this. Then damages could be sought and received easier...might deter crime a bit more.
 
What a shame the level of scum people have become. I cannot fathom what people will try and get away with.. There is one level playing field and it’s called a mirror. I hope those types of people enjoy their own reflection because they are the ones who know what they do when others do not..

Keep pushing I say on your farm and do all you can to set the example of “zero tolerance”
 
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What about a range strategically placed?
.50cal BMG and miss range. If people aren't supposed to be there will anyone come looking? And people miss targets all the time. . They run quick with bullets scream'n by. Not that I would know.

And an area where there is a known asshole isn't always a bad thing.
 
In the rough parts of some cities there’s a system that detects gunfire and alerts authorities (in this case landowners) . I’m not sure how economical it would be and it would have to be situated where you wouldn’t be alerted to the neighbors shooting legally. And it wouldn’t catch anyone with a crossbow…. I heard some cities were getting rid of them because they were racist so maybe you could find a used system?
 
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