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What's With People This Year??????

3986 Views 29 Replies 22 Participants Last post by  paddlehead
Besides the other post of poached, shot, and other things that have been done this year here are a couple more.

One is a 5pt bull that was shot, gutted, dragged down the hill and stashed then left.

http://wildlife.utah.gov/officers-o...tigating-wasted-bull-elk-on-wasatch-unit.html

The other is three cow elk that the meat was just dumped onto the side of the road.

http://wildlife.utah.gov/officers-on-patrol/1745-three-cow-elk-left-to-waste-in-lindon.html

Was that big moon causing the weirdos to come out of the wood work this year or what?
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I'm pretty new to Utah but I've never seen or heard of this much poaching any other place I've lived. I'm also pretty disappointed with how much trash I've seen along trails I've hiked/hunted here. By the number of Kirkland plastic water bottles and cans of Bud Light I've seen, I guess it is safe to assume that Costco shoppers with crappy taste in beer are real douchbags.
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We picked all this up over last weeks elk hunt up by Vernal.....douche bag is an understatement about the egg suckers that leave their trash behind.

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I'm pretty new to Utah but I've never seen or heard of this much poaching any other place I've lived. I'm also pretty disappointed with how much trash I've seen along trails I've hiked/hunted here. By the number of Kirkland plastic water bottles and cans of Bud Light I've seen, I guess it is safe to assume that Costco shoppers with crappy taste in beer are real douchbags.
It'd actually be interesting to figure out what's going on there. One might think that other states have better enforcement/deterrent with higher number of officers in the woods and check points, etc.
On the other hand, other states are a lot "emptier" than Utah already is. Who knows what's going on in Wyoming in the backcountry? How many officers you got there? How often might a hiker stumble over a hidden rack of antlers? I have no idea. But, I'd be surprised if there's not a lot of poaching in other places too. m

Anybody know any studies on poaching?

(And, the cans I find the most often are "Natural Light." By far.)
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I know the DWR has gone to posting every poaching case they come across these days in the local news outlets. They have not always done this in the past and I doubt other states do as well.

As for the trash it's the way people are raised. Littering starts young and unfortunately most do not see it as anything but normal. I know growing up the "Don't waste Utah" campaign was huge. When's the last time you saw any state sponsered marketing on littering?
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I actually came out a little ahead this year while cleaning up our campground from the folks that had been there during the muzzle loader hunt. I came up with a new knife that the previous campers had dropped on the ground, it isn't the greatest knife but it was free for just picking up their trash.
You missed this one, it is kind of a combo of poaching and thievery: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=37048685&nid=148
We picked all this up over last weeks elk hunt up by Vernal.....douche bag is an understatement about the egg suckers that leave their trash behind.
To be honest I'm surprised you didn't find more.
We picked all this up over last weeks elk hunt up by Vernal.....douche bag is an understatement about the egg suckers that leave their trash behind.
Bud light lime? EWWWW!!!
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I know that there are not enough field officers to patrol these big unit, but i was on the mountain from September 18 - October 4 and then again for the opener of the rifle deer, and never saw a officer. Granted i was in the field most of the day hunting, but i would think i would have ran into at least one. I was on the look out for any officer. I wanted to talk to them about the issue of people leaving their trailers for long periods of time, and the news piece about them cracking down on it. This year was the worst i had seen it. Im sure they were up there somewhere. I would think that this has a little to do with what is happening. If people see law enforcement, they tend to follow the law more closely, i would think. I know its not the fault of the DWR, they are doing all they can. Just an observation and my opinion.
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In all my days big game hunting, even when I was a kid not old enough to hunt just tagging along with my dad, the only time I've ever interacted with a DWR officer was at voluntary checkpoints.

I've never been checked in the field while big game hunting. I've only ever been checked fishing in Utah twice in my life, and one of those times wasn't even asked for a license, just encouraged to keep my limit on the Lower Provo.

I get checked every opening day of the duck hunt, but the only time I've ever been checked while waterfowling aside from the opener was by the Feds at the Refuge.

I'm sure I'm close to, if not over 1,000 days in the field between hunting and fishing in Utah in my life. Outside of waterfowl hunt openers, I have been checked twice by state wildlife officers in my life.
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I know the DWR has gone to posting every poaching case they come across these days in the local news outlets. They have not always done this in the past and I doubt other states do as well.

As for the trash it's the way people are raised. Littering starts young and unfortunately most do not see it as anything but normal. I know growing up the "Don't waste Utah" campaign was huge. When's the last time you saw any state sponsered marketing on littering?
That's a good point, I don't think many other states make the poaching cases as well known.
A few years back we were trying to find a flat spot to put down a couple of tents. no hunting seasons were going on. we just wanted to camp and scout for the up coming archery hunt.We started up Salina Creek over the top to the Mantis. every spot that was a spot was taken..talked to some family in Spring City. they explained that it starts about May and the trailers and such stay till the end of the hunts..never saw any enforcement..took me a week to find someone to complain to, said it was outa control and not too much they could do..Now to the poaching. I haven't been checked or even talked during any archery hunts in 15 years or more.. go outa state with a Utah plate fishing or hunting the DNR enforcement guys are on ya like flies on a turd stack. Why is that? As for the trash, we pick that crap up everytime we go out..Just can't figure out what is going on with people.. ETHICS? UP BRINGING? or just plain DUMB? I think these idiots are in the MINORITY.,But we as hunters. fisherman. campers. need to pull R heads out..
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While I haven't been checked that much during the general deer hunt it has happened. Mostly is it a DNR officer driving down the road that will stop me when I am on my way back to camp. One year we saw a officer and asked him about the fishing in some ponds that we found, he had no idea that there were even any ponds in the area, he also didn't even check out tags. We figured that he was a pencil pusher that had to do his time out in the field on the opening.

I have also seen in other states State Park rangers walking around checking licenses and talking to people. When was the last time you even saw a Utah State Park employee even out of their little cabin walking around checking out the fishermen or boaters?

As for the homesteaders, all the Forest Service or BLM needs to do is to start ticketing them. You can tell when a camp is set up for the long term or short term. If they want just hand out warnings the first year then start to nail the homesteaders the next year. All it would take is a notebook noting the location and license number of the vehicle involved. It is a lame excuse just to say that it is out of control, it could be taken care of.
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The one that really leaves me puzzled is the dumped elk in Lindon. They already did all the work of cleaning and packing them, if they didn't want the meat themselves, it isn't hard to find someone who does!
The dumped cows is definitely puzzling.

As for enforcement, I definitely think more could be done. I'm rarely checked, but have been a few times over the last few years. Another issue is public complaints, especially with federal agencies because stupid people believe stupid things such as the BLM and Forest service are terrible and so are their employees. We finally had a decent BLM ranger who was ticketing a lot of people for a while. The public complained a lot about someone finally doing their job and he was transferred to a different state after only just months of being here. I liked him and never had a problem with him, but when he started ticketing people because they broke the law somehow it was his fault.

Another thing is, take their information down and turn them in ASAP. If you see things you don't like send in a tip. Send an email for an area to be watched you've seen things happening in. It's all worth a try and it's the publics job to report things to an extremely stretched green line of conservation officers as well.
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while im not a 4 wheeler hater in fact I love mine the problem I have seen this year and in other years past is the driving into the back country off established roads and trails this year if caught up with a couple above town and there were 2 folks that had to be air med to the hospital and a couple of others that were ambulatory its so sad that ones ride or hunt has to end that way and just because folk will not use common sense when riding and that they are ruining public and private property because they just don't give a **** that latest issue was a elderly gentleman was going up a very steep grade no trail just wanting to get to top and had his 15 year old grandson on back you can probably guess what happened, he hit a little step ledge and flipped the wheeler back on him and his grandson both survived but there wondering if the 15 year old will ever walk again. the blm has been informed on this and they still have not contacted any one about closing these area to motorized vehicles my next guess someone is going to have to die before they do. so folks if your up there using your wheeler and the trail stops there is as a rule a very very good reason that happened its just not worth your life are health to go to a spot that with a little extra effort you can climb into.
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As to not being checked, I have been checked no less than 5 times in my 27 years. I have heard it said that just because you weren't checked doesn't mean you weren't observed as they can often see a law breaker and notice the tell tale signs from a distance in the binocs or simply how they react when they see the officer approach them.
The problem is that hunting is gaining popularity with over civilized, hipster, city people who get themselves into tough situations while out hunting and they lack the will power to finish the job and clean up after themselves.
The problem is that hunting is gaining popularity with over civilized, hipster, city people who get themselves into tough situations while out hunting and they lack the will power to finish the job and clean up after themselves.
What exactly do you mean? Do you think they shot the animals and didn't know what to do with them? Just trying to understand.

I think the bull is definitely a case of "shot a bull then saw a bigger bull". As far as the cows who knows. Maybe they thought they were going to be checked so they dumped them.
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