Learn now about the whitetail’s head fake.

Even young bucks do the head fake. Don’t get caught moving!

Many years ago, I was annoyed with the continuous head fakes that does and yearlings used at one stand. They were suspicious because it had been hunted hard, and the deer kept looking at my ground blind.

I really didn't understand it very well at the time, but it seemed as if every deer that passed my way, gave two to four head fakes. The fawns, seeing their mother do it, picked up a new trick and it was difficult to draw my bow without one or more deer looking up.

Often they would snort and run off. It was discouraging, and now I have people me ask about these head fake. It has them as puzzled as I was 50 years ago.

The head fake is [art of a suspicious deer's repertoire. They think they see a movement, or perhaps did see a movement, and raise their head to stare. When it didn't move, they would lower their head and quickly jerk it back up in an attempt to spot some movement.

The head fake is one of the most common tactics for deer.

It's still a very common trait among whitetails. The reason it is common is because the deer have caught people moving before. The deer are spooky, but are trying to learn if there is something nearby that represents a possible danger to them.

It slowly dawned on me to sit motionless, not make a sound, and if the deer played this game, I'd let them. I've had deer give me the head fake a dozen times, and when they don't see an movement, they relax and go back to feeding. And that is when a shot can be taken, but it requires some practice and nerve control to keep from getting spotted.

So what can people do to prevent having to face this problem every time they hunt? Deer are spooked by many things other than humans, but human scent is a major cause of jumpy deer.

Believe it or not, but there still are some people who prefer wearing leather boots in the deer woods. Leather is certainly more comfortable, but rubber boots are more practical. My rubber boots are knee-high but I know a guy who hunts in hip boots, and he is nowhere near water. He wears higher boots because it gives him even more scent control.

Movement is the second key element to conquer. People think they aren't moving, but an index finger may be tapping out the beat to a song playing in their head. The finger doesn't move much, but when nothing else is moving, it can and will attract the attention of deer. The same thing applies to toe tapping.

Some people are bundles of nervous energy which goes hand-in-hand with the jangly nerves of deer. Try pinning a tiny bell to arms or legs at home, and then try to sit still for 30 minutes without jingling the bells. Most people can't do it, but for a hunter to be truly successful, they must master the art of moving nothing but their eyes.

A friend of mine is blind in one eye. You'd think he would fidget and move around while trying to see, but he can sit motionless for hours without moving. Some people think he is hibernating, but let a buck walk out in front of him, he knows how and when to draw and shoot. Deer never spot him.

Noise is another enemy of deer hunters. How often have you sat in a tree stand, leaning back against the trunk, and have a buck walk in. The hunter moves an inch away from the tree, and the fabric of their clothing makes a slight noise against the bark, and unwittingly you have put the head fake into motion.

Practice sitting quietly at home without moving while wearing a tiny bell.

Many manufactured tree stands squeak. Some are impossible to sit in without having them make faint noises. Deer hear those foreign sounds, and are on red alert. And yet, how many hunters spend time trying to remove those quirky little sounds and establish a quiet stand? Not many.

There obviously is more to deer hunting than grabbing a bow and heading into the woods. We must contend with sight, sound and smell, and weird noises that emanate from tree stands, ground blinds, etc.

I always advise hunters to take a hard look at how they hunt and what they do to prepare for a hunt. Many will later admit that they squirm a bit, make a noise, or are spotted by watchful deer. Study how you hunt, and what you do, and it's always possible to find something that needs an improvement.

Find that one little thing, solve it now, and look for another. Sooner or later, through careful study and the ability to sit motionless without noise, a revelation will come to you. It takes time and practice, but finding these little things that spook deer can make hunting more successful.

Title: Learn now about the whitetail’s head fake.

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, whitetail, deer, head, fake, remain, motionless, let,  deer, move, head))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

It’s your hunt: Make up your mind.

This buck and fawn are ready to move closer and follow a doe through the woods.

Here is a loaded question. A guy like me could make a few enemies by taking a stand, one way or the other. It truly could become a no-win situation.

It's a potentially troubling issue because there are excellent points in favor of either choice. Taking the easy and honest way out, I can categorically state that both time periods produce super bow hunting. The choice is yours to make, and what follows are key points for early or late hunting.

I'm in my early 70s, and personally do not care to get up long before dawn, crawl into a cold stand and wait for daylight to appear. That's just my personal feeling on this thorny topic, but to be equally frank, I do hunt the mornings several times each season, and doing so often pays off.

It’s your hunt: Make the choice. Morning or Evening?

There are some good reasons for hunting the morning hours providing you can get in front of the deer without spooking the animals. Morning deer, providing the wind is in your favor, means the animals may walk right past you because they seem to realize that more hunting pressure occurs in the late afternoon and early evening than in the morning.

Another factor in favor of a morning hunt is the light  continues to get brighter by the minute, even if the sky is overcast. There is a great truth to the fact that between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. deer often move well, and this is especially true during the rut when bucks get up to check estrus does.

If my land has a problem, it isn't very easy to reach an early hunting spot without spooking deer. The animals are everywhere on their return to bedding areas from feeding spots, and it is easy to bump a deer. If the deer is badly frightened, and runs off blowing and snorting, it may spell a quick end to your hunt.

However, in all fairness, there have been some deer I've spooked, and they run about snorting but soon settle down. Many things can frighten deer, and if whatever bothered them disappears, they often calm down and the hunter may still have a chance to shoot a morning deer.

Deer on my land have always moved from west to east in the evening and from east to west in the morning, regardless of wind direction. Our normal prevailing wind is from the southwest, west or northwest, although in the past five or six years, we have seen more eastly winds than before.

Good tips for those who prefer morning hunts.

Morning hunts can be the ideal situation for those who work the second or third shifts, and need mid-day rest. I know many who would prefer to hunt the evening hours but must hunt in the morning because of their job.

The chance of spooking deer in the morning is one sound reason in favor of hunting the late afternoon and early evening. The deer are usually bedded down in the afternoon when hunters head for the ground blinds or tree stands, and fewer animals are spooked by moving hunters.

Deer where I live and hunt are accustomed to vehicles moving during daylight hours. We tend to stands, check the roads, and deer are accustomed to a vehicle driving by and stopping periodically.

We often drive people to their stand. We stop long enough for them to climb into an elevated coop or tree stand, or a ground blind, and then we drive off. The animals pay more attention to the vehicle than the people unless they make a great deal of noise or other commotion.

An advantage of hunting the evening hours is hunters also can walk into a stand, and arrive an hour before deer start to move, and the wearing of clean rubber boots is a must. So too is to avoid touching bushes, tree limbs or brush to leave human scent behind. I wear a Scent-Lok suit, and spray my boots to rid them of foreign odors.

My choice is hunting the evenings. I like to sleep in the morning.

Another factor in favor of evening hunts is that darkness is approaching, and this is when deer normally move. They usually begin moving an hour before the end of shooting time, and this puts the hunter in the best possible position for a shot before dark, if the deer aren't spooked.

There is never a guarantee with morning or evening hunts, and for many of us, it is a matter of preference. I prefer hunting the evening hours after I finish writing my daily weblog, but many prefer to do their hunting in the morning.

It's one of the things I enjoy about bow hunting. There are choices we can make to suit our individual needs. Isn't that great?

Title: It’s your hunt: Make up your mind.

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, deer, hunt, morning, evening, buck, doe, tree, ground, your choice))



Here is a loaded question. A guy like me could make a few enemies by taking a stand, one way or the other. It truly could become a no-win situation.

It's a potentially troubling issue because there are excellent points in favor of either choice. Taking the easy and honest way out, I can categorically state that both time periods produce super bow hunting. The choice is yours to make, and what follows are key points for early or late hunting.

I'm in my early 70s, and personally do not care to get up long before dawn, crawl into a cold stand and wait for daylight to appear. That's just my personal feeling on this thorny topic, but to be equally frank, I do hunt the mornings several times each season, and doing so often pays off.

It’s your hunt: Make the choice. Morning or Evening?

There are some good reasons for hunting the morning hours providing you can get in front of the deer without spooking the animals. Morning deer, providing the wind is in your favor, means the animals may walk right past you because they seem to realize that more hunting pressure occurs in the late afternoon and early evening than in the morning.

Another factor in favor of a morning hunt is the light  continues to get brighter by the minute, even if the sky is overcast. There is a great truth to the fact that between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. deer often move well, and this is especially true during the rut when bucks get up to check estrus does.

If my land has a problem, it isn't very easy to reach an early hunting spot without spooking deer. The animals are everywhere on their return to bedding areas from feeding spots, and it is easy to bump a deer. If the deer is badly frightened, and runs off blowing and snorting, it may spell a quick end to your hunt.

However, in all fairness, there have been some deer I've spooked, and they run about snorting but soon settle down. Many things can frighten deer, and if whatever bothered them disappears, they often calm down and the hunter may still have a chance to shoot a morning deer.

Deer on my land have always moved from west to east in the evening and from east to west in the morning, regardless of wind direction. Our normal prevailing wind is from the southwest, west or northwest, although in the past five or six years, we have seen more eastly winds than before.

Good tips for those who prefer morning hunts.

Morning hunts can be the ideal situation for those who work the second or third shifts, and need mid-day rest. I know many who would prefer to hunt the evening hours but must hunt in the morning because of their job.

The chance of spooking deer in the morning is one sound reason in favor of hunting the late afternoon and early evening. The deer are usually bedded down in the afternoon when hunters head for the ground blinds or tree stands, and fewer animals are spooked by moving hunters.

Deer where I live and hunt are accustomed to vehicles moving during daylight hours. We tend to stands, check the roads, and deer are accustomed to a vehicle driving by and stopping periodically.

We often drive people to their stand. We stop long enough for them to climb into an elevated coop or tree stand, or a ground blind, and then we drive off. The animals pay more attention to the vehicle than the people unless they make a great deal of noise or other commotion.

An advantage of hunting the evening hours is hunters also can walk into a stand, and arrive an hour before deer start to move, and the wearing of clean rubber boots is a must. So too is to avoid touching bushes, tree limbs or brush to leave human scent behind. I wear a Scent-Lok suit, and spray my boots to rid them of foreign odors.

My choice is hunting the evenings. I like to sleep in the morning.

Another factor in favor of evening hunts is that darkness is approaching, and this is when deer normally move. They usually begin moving an hour before the end of shooting time, and this puts the hunter in the best possible position for a shot before dark, if the deer aren't spooked.

There is never a guarantee with morning or evening hunts, and for many of us, it is a matter of preference. I prefer hunting the evening hours after I finish writing my daily weblog, but many prefer to do their hunting in the morning.

It's one of the things I enjoy about bow hunting. There are choices we can make to suit our individual needs. Isn't that great?

Title: It’s your hunt: Make up your mind.

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, deer, hunt, morning, evening, buck, doe, tree, ground, your choice))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Tricky Turkey Decoy Tactics.

A gobbler approached a decoy with head up. Kay Richey sets out decoy.

Many decades ago, when turkey hunting was popular only in southern states, using a decoy was unheard of, and for a very good reason. There were no decoys available because they hadn't been invented yet.

And now, almost ever hunter with one or two gobblers to his or her credit has two or more decoys stuffed in the back of their hunting vest. Some use as many as five decoys, and I wonder how they get time during a hunt to put out such a large flock of fake birds.

Hunters who have fallen into the turkey decoy habit may have missed the heart-pounding excitement of calling a gobbler through the woods, and have it come to the call looking for you. The bird may arrive from any direction, including the wrong one, and the hunter must be patient as the gobbler struts, drums, gobbles, spits and tries to find the hen. Often the bird may be within a few feet of the hunter, setting your nerves a'jangle, as you wait for him to move to a spot where you can shoot.

Hunting gobblers with decoys is but but it’s bigger challenge without decoys.

I was calling for my wife in Iowa several years ago. She was sitting a bit uphill from me, and I worked a gobbler on  and off for an hour before he shut up. I had my back to a big maple, my left elbow resting on a wire fence, and was ready to hang it up when something brushed my elbow.

It was a gobbler and a big longbeard at that. The bird was less than a foot away. I sat still, and the bird walked down hill, jumped through a hole in the fence, and walked within two feet of my out-stretched boots before heading uphill to her. Kay killed a 28-pound gobbler, and regardless of where you live or hunt, that is a huge turkey bird.

But this is about turkey decoys, and although I think there is more excitement when hunting without the fakes, I always carry two or three. A flock of four, five or six decoys may work, but I find it cumbersome to carry that many fakes folded up in my vest.

Hunters ask: "Do decoys always work?" The answer is no. I've seen many cases where they didn't work, and many times where they may have spooked incoming birds, but on average, if they are properly used, a decoy can toll in a big ol’ Tom. One major problem is it's possible that two many gobblers may have seen one of their siblings get dusted, and if they see a decoy, some birds quickly head for distant parts.

There have just been too many cases noted among very accomplished hunters where birds come just so far to a small spread of decoys, turn and head off in another direction. Just seeing a small bunch of decoys spooked the birds. Decoys are not a cure-all for any of your turkey-hunting problems. Good hunting skills also are required.

There are some key things for turkey hunters to remember when using decoys. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when the season opens next spring.

Some decoy-hunting tricks to try next year.

*Have the jake turkey facing you at 25 to 35 yards. An adult gobbler can and usually will go to a jake decoy, and face it although they sometimes slip in from the rear. The gobbler, once his attention is riveted on the jake decoy, usually forgets everything else. Wait until the bird turns his body and lifts his head and neck to make that area visible for an accurate shot. Don’t shoot at gobblers when their head and neck is down to their shoulders.

*If you know where the gobbler will come from, it's possible to position the jake decoy 20 yards out and 20 yards to the opposite side of your position. The adult gobbler will walk past you on his way to smack the fake jake around. It offers an ideal shot. Just make certain you have the shotgun up to your shoulder and be ready for a shot before he reaches the decoy. Things can get a bit frenzied when a gobbler goes after a jake.

An adult bird that spots a jake decoy may come or may not. He may be ready to fight, and may hang back. A long-spurred gobbler, once he gets riled up, will put the spurs to a jake. I’ve had more than one jake decoy shredded by the hooks of a big gobbler, and it doesn’t take long for it to happen. It’s a sight to behold, and there’s nothing nice about it.

Place an old soft hen decoy flat on the ground with a gobbler decoy straddling it.

*Once, many years ago, I had a single hen decoy out and a light breeze made Henrietta turn just a bit on her stake. I had taken an old aluminum arrow, cut it in half, and put a target point on the end that goes into the ground. The end of the stake that went into my decoy had a washer next to the insert, and then another target point was used. The threads went through another washer, and screwed into the insert. This allowed the decoy to move slightly in the breeze, which adds a convincing touch of realism to a decoy spread.

A gobbler began a slow approach through the woods, and when the bird was 50-60 yards away, the wind picked up and gusted hard. The wind blew the hen decoy around in a full circle, and that movement didn't put a gleam in this gobblers eye. He ran off like his tail feathers had been scorched.

When I returned home, I found another scrap aluminum arrow, cut it in half, painted it dark brown. I moved the decoy tail back and forth, and inserted one of these stakes at each end of a half-circle swing. If the wind gusts, the decoy would move a bit but not too much, and it added even more realism to my set-up.

*I dislike a motionless decoy. Watch real hens, and they are head-up, head-down, flapping their wings, shaking their feathers and moving around. Your decoy should do the same, but it’s hard to make that happen unless there is enough breeze to stir the decoys and make the move.

*My preference, when hunting near a field, is to have the hen decoys out about 15 yards past the jake decoy and away from where the gobbler  will come. Separate the hens (if using more than one) by at least 15 to 20 yards. They can be positioned facing in most directions away from the jake.

Keep decoys separated and with the gobbler decoy closest to you.

*Most decoys are made so the stake can be placed at an angle. I like at least one hen decoy to be tipped forward with its head near the ground as if feeding. It makes your rig look more realistic.

*One of my old hen decoys has been jumped and half-shredded by a randy old  gobbler. Often, when gobblers are breeding hens, I use this hen and lay her flat on the ground, and place a jake decoy astraddle her. This can bring a longbeard streaking in to rescue the hen for his personal pleasure.

*I’ve owned and used many different decoys. I dislike gaudy looking jakes with too much red (and have seen some with orange heads). To me, they just don't look real.

*Spread your decoys out. Don't jam them together because this is what threatened birds do before they fly or run. Do not use decoys with erect heads. One with its head up is fine, but change the body and/or head position of the others. Don’t have all the hen decoys facing the same direction.

*Decoys require some experimentation. Move them around, but I've found that keeping a jake decoy between hen decoys and the woods gives the illusion that the jake is keeping them corralled.

*If a gobbler is seen coming fast or slow to the decoys, let the fake birds do their job. Too much calling  is a major mistake. Two or three hens, if they are feeding and spot an approaching longbeard, will usually shut their beak. Take a cue from the real birds. Don’t call too much but play this part of the hunt slow and easy. Do this, and you’ll probably punch that gobbler’s ticket when your season next year.

Title: Tricky Turkey Decoy Tactics.

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, turkey, decoy, tricks, movement, positioning, spread, out, decoys, be, ready))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Ten tips on safe & successful tree-stand hunting.

Pick the right tree to hunt from, and if you don’t move, you’ll shoot deer.

Some great story ideas come from my readers, and one that came in last week asked me the question: what are the major things that bow hunters must remember when hunting from an elevated coop or a tree stand?

It’s a good question and worthy of an answer. I put some thought into it and  here are common things to remember. They are in no particular order except for No. 1. It is very important for all deer hunters to remember.

These tips will keep you safe during a hunt and increase your success.

1.)   Knowing how to hunt the wind is paramount to hunting success and to keep from spooking deer. The really savvy deer hunters test the air movement several times during each hunt because the wind seldom stays from just one direction. To be an effective tree-stand hunter, one must either be directly downwind of the deer or across-and-downwind. I use milkweed seeds once they have dried out, and release  one or two several times during a hunt. If any seeds blow toward where the deer come from, get down and leave
rather than spook the animal. Learn to play the wind, learn how to stay downwind, and more deer will provide you with better opportunities.

2.)   Know your equipment. It’s always nice to have a new bow, but a hunter must become familiar with their bow. We must know what the bow will do under any given circumstance. If we shoot an unfamiliar bow, and find ourselves having a problem hitting the sweet spot of our anchor point, the chance of a miss or wounded deer is possible. Become very familiar with the bow to the point where drawing, aiming and shooting becomes mechanical. Good shooting makes deer hunting much easier.

3.)    Know your ideal shooting distance. It’s important to know our limitations and never exceed them. Your ideal range may be 30 yards, but in a wooded environment during that 30-minule period just after sundown, judging 30 yours can be tough. Most hunters find their effective shooting range is shorter in a shadowed or wooded spot. Never try to stretch your established shooting distance because it seldom pays off.

4.)   My favorite trees for a stand are cedars or pines, but it’s not always possible to find such a tree. Hunting from hardwood trees can be equally productive if the hunter chooses the right tree. I prefer that deer  come from behind me and on my left side. I can usually hear them coming, and there is no need to move until it’s time to shoot as the buck walks past and is quartering-away. Obviously, this means knowing exactly where deer travel and then choose a tree wisely with success in mind.

The “right tree” is very important when choosing which tree to hunt from.

5.)    Any hardwood tree can work but it must be positioned absolutely correct. Make every attempt to situate the stand so that you can achieve full draw without being seen and with a minimum of movement. Reach full draw, allow the deer to walk past and shoot when it is quartering away. If it sounds easy, it’s because it is easy. It just requires patience.

6.)   Check your tree stand before each use. If it squeaks or makes noise when climbing into or out of it, it will make noise when you sit or stand to shoot. Eliminate any and all noises while checking for any defects. A squeak at the wrong moment will send bucks heading for thick cover far away.

7.)   Avoid cutting wide shooting lanes around your stand. Instead, look for holes in the vegetation where a killing shot can be made. It’s one thing to remove a few twigs, and still another to remove all the brush. Deer travel where they do because of the brush.

8.)   Always wear a safety harness. Most tree stand accidents occur when climbing into, out of or when moving up or down the tree. Even with a harness, always maintain three firm contact points with the tree. This means two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand. Falls can occur when only two contact points are used. Wear the safety harness, make certain it is securely attached to the tree and get accustomed to wearing it. The life you save may be your own. There is no excuse for not wearing one whenever hunting from a tree.

A safety harness is cheap life insurance when hunting off the ground.

9.)   Practice shooting from an elevated position. Shooting at a steep downward angler can cause your anchor point to shift. Learn how to shoot sitting down to remove most of the movements required. And know how your arrows fly when down at a steep angle.

10.) How high is too high to hunt? It’s a matter of personal comfort and feelings,             but most of my tree stands are fixed at 15 feet/ A hunter who sits will be       shooting  from 18 feet while a standing hunter will be shooting from about 21       feet. I      know people who hunt 35-40 feet in the air, and such heights can be       very dangerous. Learn to play the wind, know how to sit still, know when  and how to draw on a deer, and 15 feet is plenty high enough.

Title: Ten tips on safe & successful tree-stand hunting.

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, hunting, up, high, safety, how, when, to, shoot, a, deer))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

The Good, Bad & The Ugly.

A poached buck goes to waste. Many poachers trespass.

Clint Eastwood coined the above phrase as a title for one of his early spaghetti westerns movie filmed in Italy years ago. It well describes the illegal taking of fish, fur and game by the poachers of this era, and it’s difficult to argue any good but you be the judge on one case.

I met Bob (not his real name) 37 years ago, and his sad reputation preceded our introduction. He was an avid poacher, and proud of his somewhat legendary skills.

He bragged openly about spearing fish, jerking them off spawning beds with a pool-cue rod, heavy line, huge reel and a weighted snag hook. Bob loved telling about the night he and his buddy shot six whitetail deer in less than an hour. That he gave the deer to needy families is beside the point. Nothing changed; he was still a poacher, not Robin Hood.

Fish and game laws are being broken now. People are making money at it.

Bob was looking for, and getting praise, from his peers who were doing the same thing. He and his friends were the wrong type of poacher: they didn’t always shoot deer to feed a bunch of hungry little kids; they shot deer and took fish to sell.

“I’d like to go fly fishing for steelhead with you some day,” he said. “I could probably show you a thing or two about snagging them off their spawning beds.”

\My views about poaching have not changed since I first learned it existed many years ago and now. I detest people who steal the state’s fish, fur and game.

I agreed to take Bob steelhead fishing only if he realized that if any laws were broken he would be turned in. He agreed, and we greeted the April 1 dawn on the Little Manistee River in a stretch I knew would hold more fish than fishermen. But before we left, I checked to see if he had a current license and salmon-trout stamp. Surprisingly, he did but seemed a bit put out by the cost or that I’d check him.

He was taught how to cast, how to tease a male steelhead into striking a spinner or fly, and how to carefully stalk fish on a spawning bed. He already knew how because he  often speared the fish, and you had to be close to do that. I soon hooked and landed a nice fish, and now it was his turn.

He could see very well, and had been paying attention to my instructions. Within 15 minutes he had hooked and landed his first legal steelhead, a nice 12-pounder.

“Man,” he hollered, “hooking that steelhead was the greatest thrill of my life. I never realized that fishing in a legal manner for these fish could be so much fun. There isn’t much fun gill-netting or spearing them. This is real sport!”

Bob underwent a complete transformation from being a profit poacher to a guardian of our natural resources. He is a fine fisherman, but his real expertise comes while deer hunting. He no long jacklights deer, doesn’t string a web (gill net) across a spawning stream, and now he even reads the Fish and Wildlife rules.

The reason for this dramatic change is important. He frankly needed personal recognition, and needed to feel good about himself.

“Poaching was how I got some recognition,” Bob said. “Poaching was how I became known as a young kid. I used to break every fish or game law just so others would admire or like me, and many laws were broken before I was 12 years old. Now things are different. I fish and hunt for personal pleasure, and take great pride in outwitting and legally taking fish or game during the open season.  I needed the approval of other people before. I  don’t need that peer recognition any longer.”

Bob, a former longtime poacher, quit and learned how to fish and hunt.

In the past, many kids of Bob’s age would turn to poaching and sell whatever illegal fish, fur or game was taken. This concept may be self-limiting now in some urban areas where kids spend their spare time on computers, not outdoors. In more rural areas, many children learn about poaching from family members or friends.

It’s a well-known fact that rural children relate to friends and relatives who poach. Reaching these kids as I reached Bob is difficult. It seems now that more kids are chiding friends and parents who poach, but this illegal act will always be a major issue. Many poachers do so because they enjoy the challenge of trying to outwit the game warden. It’s a big game for them, and if caught, they accept the consequences.

Children and young adults must learn that poaching is wrong, but by becoming involved, it may cause them to detest their parents because of their poaching crimes. The key is to educate and allow children the chance to see both sides of this thorny issue, and decide that legal fishing and hunting is much better than illegal acts.

*Education is needed …..

It’s a difficult problem but continuing education at home, with friends and at school is necessary. The reality is that today’s poachers are not the Robin Hoods of old who poached the kings deer and gave this bounty to needy neighbors. It was true in Bob’s era but most modern poachers are in it for the money.
Now
Very little subsistence poaching occurs because the state has many programs to help feed needy families. Curbing profit poaching where illegally taken fish, fur and game is sold has become a major business. The DNR’s Law Enforcement Division, aided by its special investigators, have made some huge busts in the past 25 years.

Time is against today’s poacher. Modern law enforcement techniques and personnel make getting away with profit poaching much more difficult than in the past.

The Report All Poaching (RAP) program began in late 1980, and since then, it has been instrumental in shutting down some major poaching rings in this state.

The RAP program is funded by a 25-cent fee added to the sale of every fishing, hunting and trapping license sold within the state. These monies support a team of special investigators, the RAP supervisor and a secretary. It also pays rewards to people with good tips; pays informants, and supports an educational program.

Over many years I’ve spent days  and nights in the field with RAP officers, and regular conservation officers, and these operations work. The public has responded  well to the RAP Hotline number (800-292-7800) to report suspected violations.

However, the urge for children to follow in their parents or grandparent’s footsteps, and take fish and game illegally, is a difficult one for some kids to resist.

Manhood and social acceptance by one’s peers have always been a thorn in the side of a growing young man. One wonders just what manhood and peer acceptance really means to many of the state’s young men from 14-25 years of age? How can a male child achieve manhood without retaining the acceptance of his peer group?

Those questions have troubled children since Day One. There’s no quick fix.

Today’s  society would like young people to be someone and to have heroes. Kids need to be recognized for their achievements, either through sports or in everyday life and school classes. But not everyone can excel at football or in a classroom, and many find it difficult to gain any recognition. Bob’s story is a good example of being an outcast.

Youngsters who grow up in a poaching family have heard Pa tell of outwitting conservation officers or have heard about the daring deeds of Grandpa. So, youngsters may turn to poaching to gain recognition from family and friends.

*The law speaks out …..

Studies and conversations with conservation officers indicate most poachers are social people, but are only at ease with their own kind. Many poachers are cheaters and as often as not cheat the Internal Revenue Service, the Welfare Department, Aid to Dependent Children, and the Department of Social Services, to just name a few. These facts are well-documented by the Department of Natural Resources-Environment and other state and federal law enforcement agencies.

“Many young poachers and  their families have a ‘Billy The Kid’ attitude,” said one conservation officer who prefers anonymity because he has worked undercover and in uniform against poachers. “The kids grow up believing in their God-given right to take fish and game at any time, and they play the game of rugged individualists fighting the establishment. In reality, they are fighting themselves and their personal image. Many poachers have a real identity crisis.

Many poachers are convicted felons, and many use and peddle drugs.

Some of these young men (few women become poachers but are often rounded up when officers stop their male friends) grow up seeing their mother being beaten by their father, Many longtime poachers possess a Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde personality flaw, and many abuse alcohol and illegal drugs. Many poachers are long-term violators and bullies who surround themselves with people they can intimidate.

“It’s too bad, but in some cases,” the officer said, “boys in poaching families may grow up to be high-school bullies while trying to emulate their father. It could be a good idea but in most cases it results in choosing the wrong person as a role model.”

Many kids from such families reach puberty feeling that poaching puts food on the table and that Dad is a good provider and a real man, and they quickly learn to do as their father does. In reality, Dad feels the days of the Old West are still available where fish and game can be taken at any time by any means and sold for profit.

“They seldom realize the long-range effect such acts have on their family,” the game warden said. “It’s a tragic loss when these kids follow in their father’s footsteps.”

Poaching is considered a non-personal crime by fish-game thieves, but an  old axiom states: “There can be no crime without harm to the public.”

A major harm to the public is done to impressionable kids, and constant exposure to poaching leads to a breakdown of childhood principles and the child’s willingness to adapt to society. All too often they become society’s misfits, which more often than not, leads to a life of crime in one way or another.


Title: The Good, Bad & The Ugly Of Poaching.

Tags: Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, profit, poaching, fish, fur, game, law, breaking, stealing, from, public))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors