well16days to go and it's started......

[growalot]

the 4a.m slow driving trucks and spot lights scanning everything...and they are always surprised to herar me yell HEY from the darkness on our porch...not as if they don't see our lights on or probably go through that ever year ....they light hits the sky before going off and the engines rev up as they hurry away...and the foolish games begin.........

[Lawdwaz]

Hear any shooting?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Well, if they are 500 feet from your place and not actually shooting, there isnt much you can do. Hope you dont have any actual poaching problems this year.

[growalot]

There's poaching problems in this area every year...same ole same ole....when they are driving through well over 300acres of totally locked up hunting land spotting deer at 4 a.m. ya just know whats next....like the guys I caught trying to shoot our goats with a compound out the back of their Dakota....or like the guy who drove past me at my mail box with his kid in tow and 200ft down the hill stopped got out and stepped into our woods to call turkey....then acted surprised I yelled this is private property...as his truck was stopped in front of one of my many posted signs ......mind you ....our mail never arrives before 12:30pm...I'm not looking forward to gun season ....which is why I'm now building covered blinds and putting blinds in ladder stands they won't know where I am and they won't know where the guys I have coming into help this years are....before I could hear a shot and get there pretty fast...I've had more than one dead and wounded deer on our place....but now with the cross bows... things are going to get rough...already know of 3 PIMA that bought them....there are going to be surprised dirt bags this year...besides the new IR's they can deal with guys that want continued permission to hunt us...no excuses

[nyantler]

Where the heck do you live growalot?? I'd move if I had the problem you have.

[growalot]

Now that sums up a problem this country has......

Where the heck do you live growalot?? I'd move if I had the problem you have.

For one thing it's not just my problem...and the land owners around me have to deal with the same things and longer than I have...which is why posted signs around here are so prevalent....I mean I thought I was bad but some ppl have them every 20ft...a bunch of us have each others #'s on speed dial and call when there are problems....as long as there are guys that think they can get away with crap because they kiss certain DEC ppls back sides we will have problems...the DEC wants proof...Well I don't care how many cars the DEC ...sheriffs or State troopers get fixed or used car deals individuals get...or how many dinners the DA reputedly gets taken out to....everybody here now carry cameras when afield...cell pic don't cut it.... no excuses...and the next time some AH tells me to go FMS(4 times)when they are carrying a weapon...well I'm sorry but that will be a call to the cops as a threat of bodily harm...Frustration and anger left the building on that one...now I'm doing what I'm good at...taking care of business

[WNYBuckHunter]

I dont know, I like to drive around and spotlight once in a while. I spot posted property all the time and have never poached. If you know the guys that do it, turn them in, and dont just call DEC, call the state troopers, etc.

[ny hunter]

That just plain sucks.But becareful,sounds like you had enough but don't get hurt.

[Pygmy]

Geeze, growalot, you seem like a nice girl, but your posts sound like a textbook case of paranoia...

Are you sure EVERYONE, including the DEC is out to get you..?...

I can only imagine your TERROR of the thoughts of those horrible criminals casting LIGHT BEAMS from a public road across your treasured property...

Sends SHIVERS up my creaky old spine....

[BUCKrub91]

and what exactly is so terrible about spotlighting? tons of people do it all the time not just poachers.. relax

[growalot]

Ya know I'm not a bad nor paranoid person...but when you've had the consistent craziness that happens in this part of region 8 happen and a DEC that doesn't much care... it gets to you...and when you step out on your porch to see 2 idiots drawing down on your WHITE GOATS in the middle of the day with a bow from a truck bed...well having guys cruising and spotting your property puts the radar up

If my pointing things out bothers ppl well...that may be their problem...other I believe can relate to some of this stuff...I don't think the DEC is out to get me...and apparently not anyone else that "might lie" but seriously I've spoken to and met many good DEC officers ...one in reg 8 but mostly other regions...9

[growalot]

Now that you got me back to this,,,Just think about this...especially you guys that spot and have your own hunting properties to go to and work to bring deer to...

You do a bunch of work at your hunting grounds.... but do you really go there and bother the deer at night or in the wee hours of the morning by shining lights in their eyes while they are trying to bed down or feed?...especially you guys trying to hunt "trophies"...or do you drive around the area spotting other ppls lands to see what in the general area so not to disturb your spot....ohh see where respect may come into play there?...hhmm never mind...I suppose not.............

[fasteddie]

No doubt that if someone is out spot lighting deer on property that doesn't belong to them , they are up to no good . Why would anyone scout property that they can't hunt ?

[Pygmy]

Ya know I'm not a bad nor paranoid person...but when you've had the consistent craziness that happens in this part of region 8 happen and a DEC that doesn't much care... it gets to you...and when you step out on your porch to see 2 idiots drawing down on your WHITE GOATS in the middle of the day with a bow from a truck bed...well having guys cruising and spotting your property puts the radar up

If my pointing things out bothers ppl well...that may be their problem...other I believe can relate to some of this stuff...I don't think the DEC is out to get me...and apparently not anyone else that "might lie" but seriously I've spoken to and met many good DEC officers ...one in reg 8 but mostly other regions...9

Sounds like those fellers were just trying to " Get your goat", and they succeeded.

That's what happens when you are in the habit of harrassing people on a public road doing nothing more than looking at "your" wildlife.

I don't even own a spotlight, but I have been hassled by overzealous landowners a number of times. One idiot came very close to looking down the bore of my .45.

He approached me aggressively and I wondered if I was going to be attacked.

As far as spotlighters being poachers, sure, some of them are. However many of them are just excited about the upcoming season and like to look at deer. As long as they do not go on private property and do nothing illegal, I see nothing wrong with it.

[growalot]

Your response does not surprise me in the least...I see you didn't bother quoting this .... I also see you twisted it by saying "my" deer...I never said they are "my" deer ...turkey...yotes squirrel what ever...but it is my land...and if I where to go in at 3 a.m. to set up on a field call for an hour to get yotes to come in...I don't want some inconsiderate AH to drive up with his 10 million power light and sweep over that field scaring what ever is out there away....Not to mention..for I just KNOW whats coming next.....not being able to shoot for fear that same AH would call the cops and say I was shooting at him....your response is just stellar really

Now that you got me back to this,,,Just think about this...especially you guys that spot and have your own hunting properties to go to and work to bring deer to...

You do a bunch of work at your hunting grounds.... but do you really go there and bother the deer at night or in the wee hours of the morning by shining lights in their eyes while they are trying to bed down or feed?...especially you guys trying to hunt "trophies"...or do you drive around the area spotting other ppls lands to see whats in the general area so not to disturb your spot....ohh see where respect may come into play there?...hhmm never mind...I suppose not.............

[BUCKrub91]

No doubt that if someone is out spot lighting deer on property that doesn't belong to them , they are up to no good . Why would anyone scout property that they can't hunt ?

We have done it before just to see the deer, not in any hopes of being able to shoot them.

[growalot]

then seeing you got me on this again...you say your don't spot but some "over zealous " land owner near came to looking down your 45...gee who was the aggressor?...I now have to wonder what you were doing if not spotting to get him to approach you?

See land owner don't have to deal with just idiot hunters and poachers any more...the ppl up the road had their new property treated like a public dump.....caught the guy and had to go through that hassle.....We had so much trash on our road frontage we had to dig a ditch with the backhoe and bury it.......there have been bodies dumped out in the surrounding hills....we deal with drug dealers and growers from the city coming out here

So as I said respect comes into play and unless you own property and walk in any of our shoes...try wiping that sarcasm from your lips or mind as it were before typing

[Pygmy]

Sorry, Girlfriend...I've owned property all my life, possibly more than you, if you want to compare acreages...

And I remember when property owners were NEIGHBORS, before all the flatlanders moved in and bought up the farms in little chunks, and started defending thier property lines like they were national borders.

As far as the agressive landowner is concerned, It was 9:00 am in the morning and I was parked along the road listening for a turkey to gobble. The road frontage was posted, but I could listen to property from that spot that I had permission to hunt. I was NOT on his land.

As far as spotlighting goes, as I say, I don't even own one, but many of my friends who live and have grown up here in this rural area carry them in thier vehicles and considering spotlighting a recreational activity. As long as it is legal, I support thier right to do. I'm sorry that you feel so threatened by it but I guess that is your problem.

[pawle76]

I spotlight in my area a lot. On our property, state, and others private land. As long as you don't have a weapon in your truck there's nothing wrong with it. We have some idiots who poach around our area and I've even caught a few and had them arrested. That doesn't mean I get mad when people spotlight. Shining a light in a deer's eyes is not going to scare it out of your area either. Trophy or not.

[nyantler]

I guess pretty soon you'll be calling on people stopping to admire the work you've done on your property... as for paranoia... sound to me like you have a good case of it... also sounds like you have pissed off some people in your area... with all the property I own or lease I have never been much concerned about people stopping on the road to look at deer or spotlighting... an never found the need to confront them. As for trespassers I have had a few andd I usually end up just politely letting them know what I think they need to know...I use to know a guy like you that spent his whole hunting season walking the perimeter of his property looking for poachers that didn't exist.. constantly complaining about all the trespasser, when in fact they were just neighboring landowners walking the edge of their own property... instead of talking with the neighbor and maybe making a friend... he just pissed them off enough so that they were happy to continue sitting the edge just to drrive him nuts... later he got caught shooting deer and not tagging them (poaching) on his own property... I guess the neighbors might have had more to worry about with him than he with them.

[Sudzy8]

No doubt that if someone is out spot lighting deer on property that doesn't belong to them , they are up to no good . Why would anyone scout property that they can't hunt ?

You do realize that deer (especially bucks during the rut) do not stay on one persons property. So why wouldn't I want to see what is in the "area"? The vast majority of ppl that spot, do so legally. To think that anyone that spots deer on property that doesn't belong to them is "up to no good" is ascinine.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Now that you got me back to this,,,Just think about this...especially you guys that spot and have your own hunting properties to go to and work to bring deer to...

You do a bunch of work at your hunting grounds.... but do you really go there and bother the deer at night or in the wee hours of the morning by shining lights in their eyes while they are trying to bed down or feed?...especially you guys trying to hunt "trophies"...or do you drive around the area spotting other ppls lands to see what in the general area so not to disturb your spot....ohh see where respect may come into play there?...hhmm never mind...I suppose not.............

I spot the properties I hunt all the time. Does not seem to have any effect on deer patterns or activity.

[hb270deermanager]

Not a big fan of any lawlessness Not well liked in my

area by the outlaws.Had my share of being threatened.

But I guess I feel like if you need to break the law then

you need to get caught.I ve caught guys with spot light

and hard hats on my property.at 11 at night ya were coon

hunting with a 10 piont buck in tow.Anyway the states just

not tough those guys are hunting again 3 yrs later caught

one of them again.So I asked the judge what happens next

time well we increase the fine maybe some jail time but we

really don't have the resources to go beyond our means in

making it so the law breakers never do it again.Plus well why

stop the fines and monies made from repeat offenders.

[fasteddie]

You do realize that deer (especially bucks during the rut) do not stay on one persons property. So why wouldn't I want to see what is in the "area"? The vast majority of ppl that spot, do so legally. To think that anyone that spots deer on property that doesn't belong to them is "up to no good" is ascinine.

Oh Golly Gee , how silly of me . The folks that drive around spot lighting private properties at 2am (that they can't hunt), etc are probably just some Nature Lovers that can't sleep and need something to do to pass the time . How could I think otherwise ??? Duh !

[catskillkid]

Very entertaining thread, and I am staying out of it.