This is certainty not directed at you, Skip, but just a reminder for folks to develop a good relationship with your wardens and the DNR, preferably before you need their assistance!
Been thinking about this since it was posted. Are wardens the answer? Maybe. But during the period that poaching happens, what are they doing? Working dayshift, running from trespassing call to trespassing call. Answering complaints. Doing daylight hours hunting stuff because thats when people are hunting. Poachers do their best work in the dark.
When I mow along my road, I pick up gobs of Busch Light cans and backwoods smokes blackberry cigars (something like that). Burglaries are pretty common. I know for a fact that there is no enforcement on that road. Can tell by what is in the ditch.
I think the answer is cultivating the right relationships. With wardens? Sure. If they don’t know it is happening, they can’t do anything about it. But I think what would be better is your county deputies. Any troopers that live in the area. The young ones that don’t have seniority to work day shift. They are out there working in the dark. They are doing training on their computers and writing reports. These young fellas and gals might even be hunters. Maybe they are from a different area and don’t have a place to hunt.
***Every Crime Has A Transportation Phase during which Evidence Is Transported*** What does that mean? Poachers driving around with poached deer. Uncased crossbows. Uncased rifles with suppressors. Night vision equipment. Spotlights? Maybe drinking beer. Maybe smoking weed. Maybe meth. Maybe DUI. A lot of these guys are going to be a cornucopia of violations. Total shitbirds.
Here is what you want: You want these young aggressive officers to be aware of poaching and be aware of what time of year to have heightened awareness. You want them to know that there is “poacher season” and you want them to know that during these few months of the year it would be awesome if they patrolled areas where a lot of poaching activity happens. If they were doing their computer work in a good rural spot, they can let these poacher trucks come to them. Aggressively use the traffic code to make traffic stops. Awareness of the trappings of poachers, what equipment to look for. Know what to do when they see it. Know who to call when they see it. Be able to call a warden directly. So often, if they have to go through a police dispatch center, the dispatchers won’t even call the warden. The young officer will get the answer that there aren't any working or “aren’t available.”
Next- we want to facilitate *networking* between your local officers working night shift and your local wardens. You the landowner might have a cell phone number for the local wardens but a young officer might not. They may have never met. It would be awesome if these young officers knew what they are looking for. It would be awesome if they had the ability to call the local wardens at 11pm on a Sunday and say “hey i just stopped these two guys from Missouri (or from the next town over) out here on County Road F and they are saying they are staying in Anytown but I can see they have one crossbow between them, the bolts were sitting between the seats and they have night vision goggles. What do you think”. Or- I keep sing this guy out driving around at 1 am. I cant get a stop on him, but he isn’t coming from work from what I can see. Have you ever heard of this guy? Etc etc.
How do you do this? Networking! Making friends by talking and building relationships! Putting people in touch with each other! Food! Smoked food. Grilled food. Maybe beer. Maybe bourbon. MAYBE even facilitate training where wardens and deputies and troopers interact and learn about game violations committed by the same losers that are causing other problems in the community. Facilitating night time ride alongs with wardens would be pretty awesome. September would be a great time for this, whether it is a “networking party” where the warden gives a little speech and mingles or formal training at the local fire house or police department. Make sure it’s fresh in their minds in the fall. Set up ride-alongs immediately following any training.
Remember your target audience. The young, low level officers that are working at night. Not the sheriff, not the captain or chief deputy we went to school with unless they are going to 100% buy in and help you facilitate. This is something you are going to have to do yourself, as part of a club or with your neighbors.
When I mow along my road, I pick up gobs of Busch Light cans and backwoods smokes blackberry cigars (something like that). Burglaries are pretty common. I know for a fact that there is no enforcement on that road. Can tell by what is in the ditch.
I think the answer is cultivating the right relationships. With wardens? Sure. If they don’t know it is happening, they can’t do anything about it. But I think what would be better is your county deputies. Any troopers that live in the area. The young ones that don’t have seniority to work day shift. They are out there working in the dark. They are doing training on their computers and writing reports. These young fellas and gals might even be hunters. Maybe they are from a different area and don’t have a place to hunt.
***Every Crime Has A Transportation Phase during which Evidence Is Transported*** What does that mean? Poachers driving around with poached deer. Uncased crossbows. Uncased rifles with suppressors. Night vision equipment. Spotlights? Maybe drinking beer. Maybe smoking weed. Maybe meth. Maybe DUI. A lot of these guys are going to be a cornucopia of violations. Total shitbirds.
Here is what you want: You want these young aggressive officers to be aware of poaching and be aware of what time of year to have heightened awareness. You want them to know that there is “poacher season” and you want them to know that during these few months of the year it would be awesome if they patrolled areas where a lot of poaching activity happens. If they were doing their computer work in a good rural spot, they can let these poacher trucks come to them. Aggressively use the traffic code to make traffic stops. Awareness of the trappings of poachers, what equipment to look for. Know what to do when they see it. Know who to call when they see it. Be able to call a warden directly. So often, if they have to go through a police dispatch center, the dispatchers won’t even call the warden. The young officer will get the answer that there aren't any working or “aren’t available.”
Next- we want to facilitate *networking* between your local officers working night shift and your local wardens. You the landowner might have a cell phone number for the local wardens but a young officer might not. They may have never met. It would be awesome if these young officers knew what they are looking for. It would be awesome if they had the ability to call the local wardens at 11pm on a Sunday and say “hey i just stopped these two guys from Missouri (or from the next town over) out here on County Road F and they are saying they are staying in Anytown but I can see they have one crossbow between them, the bolts were sitting between the seats and they have night vision goggles. What do you think”. Or- I keep sing this guy out driving around at 1 am. I cant get a stop on him, but he isn’t coming from work from what I can see. Have you ever heard of this guy? Etc etc.
How do you do this? Networking! Making friends by talking and building relationships! Putting people in touch with each other! Food! Smoked food. Grilled food. Maybe beer. Maybe bourbon. MAYBE even facilitate training where wardens and deputies and troopers interact and learn about game violations committed by the same losers that are causing other problems in the community. Facilitating night time ride alongs with wardens would be pretty awesome. September would be a great time for this, whether it is a “networking party” where the warden gives a little speech and mingles or formal training at the local fire house or police department. Make sure it’s fresh in their minds in the fall. Set up ride-alongs immediately following any training.
Remember your target audience. The young, low level officers that are working at night. Not the sheriff, not the captain or chief deputy we went to school with unless they are going to 100% buy in and help you facilitate. This is something you are going to have to do yourself, as part of a club or with your neighbors.
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booneriverbucks
PMA Member
This would probably help!
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Bucksnbears
Well-Known Member
Full sized/ pro mounted decoy with a big rack, couple bottles of Tannerite in the kill zone.
??
??
Windlooker
Well-Known Member
With one CO per county it’s an effort in futility. The DNR needs to force multiply by forming task forces with the County Sheriff, city police if applicable , state police and US Fish and Wildlife from October 1 through December or so. Do midnight shifts with proactive patrolling, drones, decoying and hefty rewards for info. Over time the idiots know you’re out there. They will stop. If I were still in LE I’d run the program. That’s the only way. My .02.
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2-bucks
Well-Known Member
While i like this idea. It won't happen. The amount of other bigger issues county and city police need to deal with make dead deer near the bottom of their list.
Windlooker
Well-Known Member
It doesn’t take much. One guy from each agency takes enforcement from one to four guys per county. Not asking for the entire force. You involve US Fish and Wildlife for funding ie OT and equipment. The feds have money. It’s not that difficult. A couple meetings and coordination in the hot bed counties for several weeks would make a huge difference.
Enhanced observation and awareness by your local officers.
They wouldn’t do it instead of their regular duties. It would be something you would do as you are doing your normal duties.
Rural patrol should be about all kinds of crime reduction that affect all of us. Burglary,meth,dui and in this case guys driving around illegally shooting everything that moves.
They wouldn’t do it instead of their regular duties. It would be something you would do as you are doing your normal duties.
Rural patrol should be about all kinds of crime reduction that affect all of us. Burglary,meth,dui and in this case guys driving around illegally shooting everything that moves.
Windlooker
Well-Known Member
That’s obvious. But there are crime specific task forces, I’ve been part of several, that address specific crimes in specific areas at certain times. I was on a gang task force. Our shift was 8 pm to 4 am in certain “hoods”; particularly in the summer. Not during the day in January. That’s the task force premise.
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Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
Get your Iowa group together & stress this …
You poach a Buck at night, no firearms or hunting licenses for 10 years ? Huge penalty!
Make it a serious offense !
You poach a Buck at night, no firearms or hunting licenses for 10 years ? Huge penalty!
Make it a serious offense !
CottonwoodCanyon
Well-Known Member
Hunting license revocation is a joke, no hardcore poacher gives a damn about that. Make it hurt- jail time, stiff fines, lose anything associated with the poaching (guns, vehicles). Tar and feather them in the town square. Make their first born transition. Okay maybe that's too far.
luv2hunt1469
Member
Park Rangers from state parks. They’re sworn in officers and don’t see a lot of park visitors/traffic in November -January. Put them out in the field patrolling hunters….
jkratz5
Well-Known Member
I have learned being the neighborhood asshole goes a long way. My immediate neighbors and I get along but the rest of the people around I could really give 2 shits if they like me. In fact we have become known for don’t go on that farm they are nuts….. perfect by me. I have my ol man from about 25yrs ago to thank for that
However it does still happen from time to time. 2 years ago we caught a guy sliding in on us from the neighbors. Hung cameras on several spots where we thought he was crossing. Bam 8-10 times on cam over a 4 week period. Everything went to the local CO and he was issued some pretty good fines for criminal trespass since we had it posted well!
I also hung the pictures of him trespassing in every business in town that would let me, with his name and a warning that he was a trespasser and poacher - caused him to lose a lease about a mile up the road from us - really tore me up
Word gets around fast when you are an asshole and that is fine by me.
I Help my Neighbors whenever I can and we take care of each other, post the farm as much as possible, run cams, talk to the CO regularly during deer season- I actually send our new one text messages pretty often just to see how things are going and now we have them have sit on our farm/road and run night patrol.
I haven’t found a dead buck in many many years. I am sure it still happens but much less than before
However it does still happen from time to time. 2 years ago we caught a guy sliding in on us from the neighbors. Hung cameras on several spots where we thought he was crossing. Bam 8-10 times on cam over a 4 week period. Everything went to the local CO and he was issued some pretty good fines for criminal trespass since we had it posted well!
I also hung the pictures of him trespassing in every business in town that would let me, with his name and a warning that he was a trespasser and poacher - caused him to lose a lease about a mile up the road from us - really tore me up
Word gets around fast when you are an asshole and that is fine by me.
I Help my Neighbors whenever I can and we take care of each other, post the farm as much as possible, run cams, talk to the CO regularly during deer season- I actually send our new one text messages pretty often just to see how things are going and now we have them have sit on our farm/road and run night patrol.
I haven’t found a dead buck in many many years. I am sure it still happens but much less than before
Windlooker
Well-Known Member
I hear ya. That doesn’t do much for the guys out at 2 am while you’re in bed. I still say Iowa needs task force efforts in certain counties. It’s only for several weeks. The fact it hasn’t been done makes one wonder how much the DNR really cares?!
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
I'll second that it takes "a neighborhood" and being an unhinged jerk can go a long way. I caught a trespasser decades ago. I took a Wednesday off work and guess he thought no one would be out hunting. I "rattled" him in. He walked under the tree I was in, and I jumped out from about 6 feet up to land next to him, element of surprise which set the tone.
I rode him like a rented mule all the way back to his vehicle because he claimed he didn't have his ID/license with him. He led me on a convoluted march back to his vehicle that crossed onto another neighbor's property, which added to the spicey "conversation" I was having with him. I pointed out that he just crossed onto another piece of private he didn't have permission to be on. The guy was from out of town and used a neighbor he knew as a jumping off point. Word traveled around the area that I was an asshole and rates of trespassing dropped off considerably; that and everyone knowing I run LOTS of trail cams. That property is not good for spotlighting from the road, so that helps. For the property that has seen some shining, the neighbors are very vigilant which is a huge help. I did catch a couple of guys pheasant hunting on it shortly after purchasing it and prosecuted them for trespassing. Pretty sure they threw a Molotov cocktail into the CRP 3 am one night afterwards but I couldn't prove it. Neighbors were up with a newborn, saw the fire glow and called the local fire department. I slept through it. Again, word travels. Couple of local shining deer poachers have been busted in the area and that has helped too.
Some of the topics of our "conversation":
You are the reason that it's getting harder and harder to gain hunting permission.
I'm paying property taxes, and you aren't, you are a thief.
As a "hunter", it is your responsibility to know where the property boundaries are and be positive you have permission.
The landowner has the legal right to request to see your ID/license and failure to produce it adds another charge on top of trespassing.
Daver
PMA Member
... He walked under the tree I was in, and I jumped out from about 6 feet up to land next to him, element of surprise which set the tone.
WOW!! I am going to start calling you Batman!
Impressive!I am grateful to not have significant trespassing problems, which is not to say that I have never experienced it. It gets dealt with promptly and does not reoccur though.
I'll add that years ago when I bought the main farm I did have dogs running loose on the place regularly though. I let it be known that I was a "shooter" and a little bit crazy too, that certainly helped some "around" keep their dogs on their place and I may, or may not have, practiced some SSS too. Ain't been no dog problems now for years.
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
Cameras are important… I caught my neighbor mowing “my CRP” & “my weedy clover” with a nice beautiful path for our deer to walk on !
The nerve !
The nerve !
jkratz5
Well-Known Member
Seems like same property damage charges could be filed, just saying!!!Cameras are important… I caught my neighbor mowing “my CRP” & “my weedy clover” with a nice beautiful path for our deer to walk on !
The nerve ! View attachment 130043
203ntyp
PMA Member
I started experiencing trespasser issues 3 years ago. The farm north of me must have leased out his buildings for a logging outfit. Started finding several dead bucks and a few does with obvious broadhead wounds. Last summer I posted the property big time and this spring while looking for sheds I found ALL my posters were ripped off the trees and thrown all over the place, no sheds the past 2 years! I plan on setting up a cellular camera before archery starts this year. Hope I get some good evidence, these guys are trouble and druggies from what I was told. No respect, I wasn't raised that way and will not tolerate it.