Back before Christmas my teenage son went to fill feeders and got his truck stuck in a field. He ran into a real marshy area unknowingly coupled with a learning lesson. Anyways, we left truck in the field overnight until next day so we could work in the daylight. Go next day and get it out with tractor, all good I assume. He drives back to gate and it’s overheating. Kill it and I pop the hood I notice the neck for the oil cap is broke off and the metal is sheared off as well. Go on to find holes in heater hoses to the firewall. It’s pouring coolant. I’m scratching my head as to how in the world this happens. Anyways, get it repaired and back on road. My son goes to wash the mud off the truck and he comes home and says I guess when all that happened it busted a hole in my fender and dented my hood. I go out to look and plain as day it’s a damn bullet hole. Somebody shot his truck that night it was in the field. You can track the bullet all the way through and where it ricocheted into the hood but didn’t go out. Now I’m pissed! It could not have been shot from the road, it had to be on the property or neighboring property due to the angle of the truck and the hole. Should I cut my losses and move on from this place? Call GW or other law? I don’t want my family to be around anyone like that who could actually shoot a vehicle.

I can understand the anger. I would be fighting mad. Probably easier to either move on or just forget it. Do you not know the other lessee’s?

Tell the landowner. See what he says. Sounds like pretty trashy folks there somewhere.

I would think it's trespassers/poachers before I thought it was fellow leasers. Talk to the land owner first. Notify sheriff's office second. Talk to fellow leasers and see if you can smell fish. The truck is not game, why call the game warden?

Some landowners take big time offense to ruts and stuck trucks.

Honestly that is the first thought that went through my head.

I concur.

But putting a bullet through a truck? Doesn't get much more low rent than that.

Call to landowner would be a good idea.

I guess you know the landowner and probably have a feel of whether he is good people or not. If he is a good man I would talk to him first, if not call the local Sheriff.
Do not let A holes like that get away with BS like that!!

Think I'd be 100% absolutely sure of it being a gunshot before mentioning to either law enforcement or landowner. Accusations of that nature are pretty significant.

'Not rocket science to figure out a bullet hole.

Strange story.....Why would you just let it go?

Landowner is golden. He helped get us out that day. I have not told him yet.

Wow, some your responses are interesting lol. If a few ruts merit a bullet to the engine block then I should have been dead a long time ago. The teenage driver learned a lesson, like we all have before.

What could come from it though? I doubt an investigation will be opened for this. But who knows?

The part that pisses me off is my son sat in the truck in the dark while waiting on me to arrive. That damn bullet could have killed him if he had been in it at the time.

Somebody committed a crime against you

You have to decide if you want to go through the process and prosecute. If not let it go. If so, lots of evidence has been moved around. I’m not sure what level of service you would get from an investigation.

^^Little to none, as there’s no evidence the truck was shot in that pasture other than the truck owners word.

Sucks for your boy jskin! Some poor hearted folks walk around with us! Likely a poacher or neighboring kid. Talk to the land owner though, you may find info with that conversation.

I would put money on the neighbors,

and no I wouldn't leave because of it but I'd be watching them extra close from now on. Tell the LO about this, and ask him to contact the neighbor (if they get along). May just be some stupid kids.

Call the sheriff dept and the game warden. The game warden most likley allready knows a likley suspect. Dont forget to have your son to fix those ruts either.

X 2

Were you with your son at your lease at the time he went to check feeders and got stuck? Does the damage appear to fall in line with a bullet that had traveled some distance from a neighboring property, or did it appear to look more like what you would expect from a shot made at close range? I'm no ballistic expert but all the damage you describe seems more like what you might expect from a shot made at close range. A single bullet (you mentioned just one bullet hole) that passed through the fender, rubber hoses (two sides each), taking off a piece of an aluminum valve cover (oil cap hole) and then through the firewall, correct? You stated it could not have been shot from a nearby road and a chance hit from a neighboring property seems less likely, especially when you consider the energy it would have lost to make the distance. You also mentioned the landowner is "golden" and not someone to do such a thing. IF you can determine the shot was likely made at close range, the list of potential suspects gets much smaller.

Was probably a 30-30….those kill anything…..

Could the bullet have been accidentally fired from inside the truck, through the firewall in reverse path as described?

I’d be real sure of the facts from my son before I started looking elsewhere.

Bullet did not go through the firewall. It went into the front passenger fender and into the engine.

And those that have questioned, it is a bullet hole. And I trust in my sons story. No need to question my sons integrity and honesty. Yes he got stuck, shame on him for that.