Hunting Rant

It started early this year.First off I hunt so I'm not anit-hunting.Fellow bow hunting the next farm hits a deer bow hunting late close to dark apparently mades no attempt to track it down next morning I'm over at the barn and see buzzards over in a calf lot that I don't have calves in right now go to investigate and its a pretty nice buck there dead.At this point I have no idea where it came from in awhile this 'hunter' drives up and says I hit a deer last night and figure it went into your field figured I'd be able to find it easy this morning.Told him yea its no problem to find it but you just wasted all the meat. He says I don't eat deer meat just want the rack and I can have the rest.Getting pretty upset about now tell him if he gets the rack to take the rest of the deer with him. He says he's late for work and he'll be back after work he never showed so I moved the deer to the woods last thing I need are hungry coyotes getting into my calf lots for a meal.Anyway with people like this its a wonder these guys have anywhere to hunt anymore.My rant for the day.

(quoted from post at 08:48:07 10/10/13) It started early this year.First off I hunt so I'm not anit-hunting.Fellow bow hunting the next farm hits a deer bow hunting late close to dark apparently mades no attempt to track it down next morning I'm over at the barn and see buzzards over in a calf lot that I don't have calves in right now go to investigate and its a pretty nice buck there dead.At this point I have no idea where it came from in awhile this 'hunter' drives up and says I hit a deer last night and figure it went into your field figured I'd be able to find it easy this morning.Told him yea its no problem to find it but you just wasted all the meat. He says I don't eat deer meat just want the rack and I can have the rest.Getting pretty upset about now tell him if he gets the rack to take the rest of the deer with him. He says he's late for work and he'll be back after work he never showed so I moved the deer to the woods last thing I need are hungry coyotes getting into my calf lots for a meal.Anyway with people like this its a wonder these guys have anywhere to hunt anymore.My rant for the day.

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Check your state hunting laws. Most states have "wanton waste laws" that make it illegal to hunt just for the trophy and just waste the meat. I know my state does and I would be on the phone with the local game warden in a heart beat. We have a brother sister teams that loves to hunt but don't eat the meat. They always find someone who wants the meat before they start hunting. If they can't find anyone they don't hunt. They are related to a good friend and I've gotten several deer from them.

Rick

So why didn't you either suggest he tag it before he leaves or give the tag and you would do it for him?

How far did this deer travel from where he supposedly first shot him with the bow?

I understand your frustration. I don't allow bow hunting on my property anymore...not even relatives. I used to.......but it aggravated me because they (bow hunters) would routinely only "wound" the deer and we could never find it. I've spent too many nights out in the woods tracking blood trails to no avail. Bow season always starts before rifle season so they (bow hunters) always have first crack at the really big ones.......and THEN they just wound them and can't find them. They are GONE for good usually. My beef with bow hunters is their lack of skill and the low percentage of "kill" shots. If they want to hunt with bows, let them do it AFTER rifle season!

Yeah, a couple seasons back, first day of firearm season we found the headless body of a fairly nice buck. Probably a couple days old. Was in a place where it must have been tracked several hundred yards through an almost impossible woods. Wound didn't look like a arrow either. Was upset to say the least. Game warden was totally disinterested.
Told her she needed to be patroling up here once in a while.

My wife loves venison, and has "financed" a co-worker's son's hunting license and deer tag for a couple of years. I'm beginning to question her investment, because the kid never gets anything. She needs to find new friends. . .

I completely agree. I don't hunt any more, but never hunted deer only because the meat smells and tastes like lamb meat.. I can't stand the smell or taste of lamb! Wanton waste of meat is a lazy man's way to hunt!

That's why i carry a flash lite when i hunt. been known to track for a couple miles if necessary.

We never had lamb when I was growing up, but the smell of it in the mess hall in the Army would turn your stomach (I suspect it was pretty much on the "mutton" side of lamb).

So I always proclaimed how I hated lamb. My sister raised them, but also had cattle. We ate at their house fairly frequently, and one time she asked how I liked the roast. I said it was delicious, and she informed me that we had had lamb the last 3 times we'd eaten there.

For several years after, we would buy a cut and wrapped lamb from them, and wife got pretty good at cooking it. Has a very slight gamey taste, but not objectionable. They finally sold all their sheep, and that was the end of the lamb.

I have new guys leasing rights this year. That"s the first thing we go into: retrieval, and no bad shots. Second is, if you don"t want to eat it, don"t shoot it. Coyotes excepted.

All mountain land, and no off-road ATVs. Exercise time.

The guy who organized last year had financial problems this year and backed out. I ran an ad for not quite 24 hrs and pulled it, had plenty of response. These brothers were thrilled, couldn"t believe their luck. Pretty sure I won"t have any problem with them, they know it is easy to replace them.

I want to know who is hunting here and for them to chase off everybody else. Enough money involved for them to happily agree. We"ll see how many they take, or if I have to sit on my patio with a rifle to get what I want. They know I"m not interested in large bucks, music to their ears.

It can happen, archery or rifle, and is why every hunter should make sure to keep ALL their skills honed, not just with the weapon, there is a certain etiquette to uphold, area you hunt, placement of stand, odor and noise discipline etc etc. You don't want marginal opportunities, they need to step into a kill zone that is within your ability to use your weapon, or should I say hunting implement LOL! Some just do a half@ss job and take chances, and its those who do more of this than those who are experienced and well practiced into the opening day.

In my case, I practice archery for a range of 20 yards, I have not mastered the 30 yard range yet. At 20, I can hit bulls eyes repeatedly, and I can hit a life size deer target in the vitals every time, practicing from one of my actual stands, which I have marked ranges from, so I know without a doubt I am on target at a known distance. There is still human error in all of us beyond that, and I'm no different, but at least I did the necessary work to say, or should be, earning my right to sit in a stand and use a bow to hunt whitetail deer. No different for a rifle, 'cept this year I am having a hard time finding .308 Federal, 150gr, Power Shok, soft point ammunition, to me its a sin not to sight in, practice a little in advance of the season.

In 30 years of hunting whitetail deer, I did have one during archery that was wounded, after a perfect shot, might have been the angle as he was under 10 yards from the stand. I tracked and looked for that deer to no avail, I believe it lived as per what I saw. So from that stand, I only shoot using trajectory that is known to work, not a higher angle, you learn from mistakes, but you should not be repeating the same mistakes.

Making the decision to take a shot is also paramount, I prefer to archery hunt where I know I can locate, track or find the deer easily, not close to a property line and like to think that the direction the deer is facing when you plan to take a shot, should be favorable if possible, vs heading into a marsh or thicket. And of course its going to happen, get one high on adrenalin, spooked, on the move, headed towards undesirable terrain in inclement weather, and how many things similar. The hunter should be prepared, should have a bright light to track with, rope or other aid to haul it in, there are some incredible LED flashlights out there today I do not go to a stand without one. I've had to find a kill during archery in a marsh area, after dark, perfect shot, but it just ran 150 + yards before expiring, its going to happen and the hunter needs to be prepared for it, took 3 of us 2 hours to find it, was just the terrain and the dark, but a sweep in flank formation paid off, problem, was a coyote had already tore into it, so even with the best laid plans of mice and men..... it happens, usually not often but it will happen at some point.

I had a long time friend come over to sight in, not long before rifle season, in '06, he did have his bow with him, it was sunny, warm, had rained,and there was wind, very favorable wind covering noise and odor. I spotted a 6 pt buck on a knoll in the field. My friend carefully, approached, with no cover, a wide open area, then stalked the deer, and got to a 20 yard mark, released an arrow and hit it in the vitals. Getting within range like that, can be done, I saw it, and have come close myself, but you still have to make a decision, am I good at the range I'm at. What he did was almost one fluid motion, on target and that deer ran less than 100 yards into an old hedgerow between 2 fields and died quickly. Very lucky kill, but the practice paid off, I saw the whole thing through binoculars, the shot was perfectly placed.

I have seen many dead carcasses in this area from foolish hunters, one a decent 8 pt buck,rifle season, was found just over the hill on our land from where it was shot. There is an unwritten rule, if you shoot one and have to track it when it has crossed over posted lands, well go and get your deer, thats what happened here, they just let it go, meat spoiled, I took the horns for rattling, shameful, and is likely why we do not see large buck here, and the habitat is lush for deer, better than any nearby.

Trophy hunters have no appreciation for what the season is about, which is for me to put food on the table, well supplement my stock, the outdoor enjoyment, the comradery amongst fellow hunters, and often times people coming home from afar that you have not seen in a long time to do the above.

These people need an education followed by good practice, or they should not have the privilege to hunt, they make us all look bad and do things that are entirely unacceptable at times, mistakes that should not be, no one is perfect, but there is a lot to be desired when it comes to some of those that call themselves hunters. Funny thing is none of this is complicated, its fun to learn and practice, and is why I don't understand why so many lack in their skills, that end having poor or wasteful results.

To be honest in my area I wish they shoot a couple hundred of them that way. The deer and turkey are horrible, driving at night is extremely dangerous anymore.

When I was growing up seeing a deer was a rare event - now our dog is chasing them away from a chicken feeder every morning.

First- know that I hunt too, and am anticipating opening day next Thursday. I often agree that what that guy did was wrong. Talk to the owner next door, and try to track the idiot down, and maybe talk to him, and lay down some ground rules. Or, have him barred from the property. Your choice. On the other hand, we also have 'damage permits', and take a few during the off season to try to control some of the numbers. Around here, we are limited to anterless deer. We also have an unlimited number now during open season of anterless animals. But ethical behaviour is still expected of guests.

I don't care how many they kill but 1)Hate to see a good amount of meat wasted this buck weighed around 180 (not an exaggaragtion I'
ve scaled bucks here 230+)so thats alot of good meat and 2)At least moved the deer out of my lots as we have alot of trouble with coyotes and don't want to draw them in.3)Just his lazy attitude got me the wrong way.

That #@$% would never be allowed on my farm. And I'd urge my neighbors to shut him out as well.

That deer should have been tagged so he used his license already. Maybe that's why he just wants racks--he can keep poaching. This guy is a slob and should be kept out of the hunting community. I'd talk to the neighbor. Michigan has a wanton waste law. I don't bow hunt just for the reason sited; I also don't let too many hunt my land, just people I know and trust.

Larry

Take the deer to your neighbor's place, The one that leases to this bum. Dump it in his front yard. Call the game warden and report an untagged, poached deer, location, Tell warden that the neighbor leases to the guy that killed it. Your problems will stop. Tom

Pretty typical of archery hunters around here. If it doesn"t drop within 50 yards just let it go and shoot another. Lather, rinse, repeat. By the time rifle season rolls around there aren"t many good buck left.

It's not just bowhunters. Around me we have a lot of "hunters" that take Hail Mary shots and never leave the stand and waddle out to check the deer is they don;t see it fall over dead. We also have a lot of fat coyotes. The bowhunter ins the OP is not a a hunter at all IMO. He's a slob, a killer and a disgrace. People like that are why so many hunters have a bad name. I don't know if I sugar coated this too much, but I don't much care for those types, poachers, trespassers or townies that think I bought my farm so they'd have a place to hunt.

On the lamb- good lamb is neither gamey or rank in any way, and neither is good venison. Mutton is a whole 'nuther story and so is a gut shot buck in rut that's been hanging in the garage in 70 degree weather for 3 days before it's butchered. There's been a lot of mutton sold as lamb over the years and it's taken lamb off the American dinner table. It's a shame too. I can't think of much better than a nice leg of lamb, baked potato, mint jelly and fresh peas!

Good mutton, not the stuff you got in the chow hall that was allegedly lamb but the good stuff, is pretty fair vittles if it's prepared right. But good mutton is rarer than an honest politician. I think you almost have to come from the British Isles to know how to cook it right.

If you saw his plates turn him in to the game warden.

That certainly would have done it.

A couple of years ago while I was working in one of the barns, a couple of young fellas wandered up with shotguns, said they had hit a deer and it wandered into my woods. They asked for permission to go get it. Well, I hadn't heard any shots so got pretty suspicious of their story, and if they had hit one, they wanted to enter from the complete opposite corner where the deer bed down, tens of acres away as opposed to where it supposedly entered. I told them no, and they didn't fuss. Now, had they actually hit one, they could have told me that they had and were going after it, legally. Thing is, I'm pretty certain that they were trying to flush them out of their bedding over onto some land they might have had permission to hunt. I didn't and don't go for that. I let a couple of fellas hunt my woods, but we have understandings, and getting anywhere near the bedding area is off limits. They know where it is, and they don't go near it. I've got no use for poachers or wasters. Last year some fella wandered up, said he got one bow and arrow a couple of miles north of me, said he "thought" it might have come down a few farms to my property, showed me copies of the flats and who owned them, told me he had the right to come onto my property searching for it. I ran him off in no uncertain terms. During deer season, I holster a loaded sidearm when I'm out and about on the property, and it aint deer that I'm keeping an eye open for, and I don't mince words so that there's no misunderstandings, and that's why I open carry on the property. You never know what someone might try, and this world is seeming more and more upside down to me every day with folks feeling that everyone owes them. This year for the first time ever, I have no hunting and no trespassing signs up, because some folks don't understand that although I understand that what's their's is not mine, that what's mine is not theirs.

Good luck.

Mark

Bought this place September 2010. The previous owner (F-I-L) let anyone and thier dog on the place. Lotsa disputes, lotsa guys not even asking. I was nice the first year, less nice the second year, annoyed last year, and downright angry this year. I made it known that I am now hunting and watching for other hunters. Backtags will be written down and reported to the DNR. Will I report? Probably not. But they all know that there's a chance...

I have taken down stands the night before opening day. Guy was a millionaire that bought the neighbor farm, but had his stand over my property ON my property. He was ------, but I was within my rights. Why's a millionaire need to hunt my ground when he's got his own? He's since sold and left.

I had a friend hunting here and he came upon another hunter last year. Guy give him a fake name. Knew he was in trouble. That's the incident that ended anyone hunting here that doesn't work here...