Messing With The Truck of a Night Hunter

Bizarre experience last night. I had finished up at one property and had a load of hogs in the back of my truck when I went to check another property up in Montague County. As it has rained the night before, I am not to drive in to said property (landowner rule) and I parked behind some tall brush along the fence to shield me from the view of the property and the half dozen or so hogs that were about 300-400 yards away. I got my gear together and made the 20 yard walk to the gate, hopped the gate and started into the property when I heard a car coming up the road. I hunkered down into a squat in the field as the car passed so as not to be illuminated by the lights and look like a human walking in the field. The car passed and I continued stalking toward my quarry.

Almost immediately the car turns around and makes a bee line for my truck. I squat back down and watch the vehicle through thermal. A guy gets out and checks out my truck with a flashlight from his vehicle, then scans the field several times. The light shines over me but he apparently doesn't see me and I am not about to call out to him and spoil my hunt. He then proceeds to do a walk around on my truck, looking in windows, checking out what was in the bed, etc. I figure he is looking for his daughter on a date or wondering if I am a driver in distress. He then scans the field again with his light. As it pans over me, I attempt to wave at the guy to let him know everything is okay, but he doesn't see me. I am too far for the beam of his light for him to pick me out from the background.

The guy goes back to his vehicle, retrieves something, then returns to my truck, looks inside some more with the light and starts jacking with the driver's door. My thought at the time was that the guy was attempting to gain entry to my vehicle. Then, he gave up and returned to his vehicle, drove down the road and U-turned again and headed back the original direction he was heading. His commotion pushed my hogs further in to the property, but I eventually found them and had a very good hunt.

Here is a picture of his car. Anybody know the make and model? Just curious. I will be contacting the game warden later today. Want to have as much information as possible to provide.

Here is what he was doing. He was flagging my truck. WTH???

That is pretty strange man.

I’d talk to the landowner...oh and it’s a Suburu.

Thanks, Judd, I thought it might be a Subaru, but a lot of those cars all look alike to me.

Strange!

DNS, he might have been a concerned neighbor or someone who knows the LO and was concerned about poaching. When he saw the hogs in your bed he should have moved on, but some folks can get wrapped up in the thought someone is busting into their neighbors/friends land without permission.

I have nothing to add about the car, but a tip that might prevent future similar situations:

Make a little card or sticker or something and place it on the window of your car, have it state you are legally hunting for hogs and predators with permission from the landowner.

Might calm some liberal minds, and only liberals drive subarus....

Here is where he was messing with my driver side door.

Sounds to me like a neighbor keeping an eye on things, flagged the truck just to let whoever owned it know they were there.

Strange about the tape, but I think I'd of hollered at him--from behind cover...

Talked to landowner. Nobody has contacted him. I have hunted the property for three years now. Many times I have parked in the same place.



Ha! What cover in a big, open field. I was probably the most substantial piece of cover for 200 yards in any direction and I can't hide behind me, LOL. Had I not had hogs in the field, I think I would have made my presence known in a most surprising manner.

We used to flag vehicles during harsh weather after checking to be sure no one was inside. We did it so the next shift would know it had been checked and all was well.

Beautiful clear night, temps in the upper 30s. Roads were dry as the rain had been from the day before. The engine was still hot on my truck. His pic above is within 5 minutes of me parking.

Heard from the game warden. My vehicle had not been reported to him.

Wow, had something like that happen when went on a hog hunt at OSBWMA.
It was thundering ,lightning, rain was letting up..
Horses had gotten out, fence down. So got them back in, stopped at house ta see if they new land owner.
If one was hit by car, land owner is liable.. went on hog hunt..
Few days later, police show up at house.. Said had report, my truck has a HB with circle around it. Hog Buster. Took a bucket & cycled it... They said I was causing trouble..
So asked details... Told officer, of only activity had done. The horses & my hog hunt, only talked ta one person, try figure out who horses belonged too.
Also told officer he better check on who reported it...
Then heard over his Mike, asking if he needed back up...
He said No everything under control...
We then talked about hunting, he said he hog hunts. With AR we discussed ..
He was just following report. . ta officer.. later found out land was owned bye his ranking officer. .
& he had hired guys ta fix fence...
Ya a concerned neighbor, probley flagging your truck letting ya know keeping an eye out. .
Look at the resent shooting, in a church again...
Had gotten permission ta hunt a place were was seeing hogs on way ta WMA, seen guy on ATV, stopped him, asked for permission, he said okay, so asked for his phone #'er so could call him, letting him know whin i would be thar.. He didnt give #'er , so never hunted it.. Too much so kept hunting WMA & at were was living..
Seen the arguements on leases, were people say let em walk, yet if no one else around, they will shoot ta fill thar tag, & claim (ground shrinkage)...
Reason say: Twas a Blessing whin a WMA opened up down the road...
Ya, Hunting has become a Richmans sport... just my then again, still say, man does play a roll in global warming...
edit : most complain about me bad Grammer & use of emoji so did best i can... Did get D- in grammer.

Keep your head held high & your powder dry...
Stay after em DNS. Tis sure twas just a concerned neighbor, flagging truck just letting ya know...

Glad to hear this ended incident-free.

Charlie

like several have said : chances are a concerned person stopped...
You havent said nothing on your truck harmed, if i read it right, just a ribbon...
You felt okay with it, went on with your hog hunt...
interesting thread... interesting comment on post from Dennis in Ft Worth on your part...

Strange. I've had my truck reported to law enforcement but never flagged like that....

Weird! I was out there last night in Montague but driving same truck as you! GW visited us last weekend. Good guy. I assume his flagging is letting you know someone is watching you... I see some weird things up there. I stay inside our gate as much as possible.

You met the new game warden, Preston Kleman? I didn't realize Chase McAnich was gone until I tried contacting him and got Kleman. He does seem nice.

I stay inside the gate as much as possible as well, but the wet conditions prevented that in this case.

I have now contacted everyone I know in the area, only four folks, but none know of anyone that has this vehicle. If the guy was trying to send me a message that he is watching me, I am hoping that my local folks get the word out that I was watching him.

Yep. Thx for the PM.

Pigs would be there another time. I’m walking up and get closure on this situation.

Subaru. Lotta tree huggers and PETA members drive Subaru's. Just sayin.........

??????????

It's like saying a lot of dumbarse rednecks drive trucks.

Only if I was serious.

Have you ever had any issues with the anti hunting community? That was my line of thinking. I've been hassled a time or two.

Well, I drive a truck.

Never had any issues with anti-hunting folks in the country.

Myself. I had an encounter while buying "deer hunting" corn, not in the country. I'm familiar with the area you hunt. I'll keep a eye out for the vehicle.

There are a lot of those.

Dumbarse rednecks don't drive trucks. They drive crappy cash cars that are ready to die any day.

Average rednecks usually have used pickup.

Well heeled rednecks have new trucks, Ford Platinum or etc. and probably a dually or at least 3/4 ton 4x4

Yes, looks like a Subaru

Interesting. I guess I would have gone up and talked to them. From your photos looks like you could have easily done it without messing you hunt any more than you did.

My guess it was a warning that someone (probably a neighbor) was alert - maybe they have had problems with poachers in the area. This person saw the pickup and wanted to make it known that they were on the lookout - if hunting honestly, no foul, but if illegal/trespassing, maybe a warning to avoid the area.

I bet he would be pretty wigged out if he knew that he was being viewed through NV by a skilled hunter.

Post-hoc prognostication? No way to know at the time what the hogs would do.

He's got a big head

I don’t touch other people’s property, period. That includes tying a flag on a door for whatever reason.

I would have been tempted to “shake him up” a little.

Pretty certain I would have.

My thoughts are you drove up in a truck and he is sitting there with a vehicle idling. Your close enough to see this hear this and record it. Seems like you could have went and said howdy without blowing your hunt. I like hog hunting, but I would have gone and figured out what was happening blown hunt or not. Then you wouldn't be wondering. Just what I would have done.

Wow, you know what the hogs will do and you have a different set of events for what happened. He didn't show up until I was out in the field already, LOL.

My landowner noticed that as well...hasn't a clue as to who he is.

I think I know who it is. The large head, that profile and distinctive nose made me remember.

It's that Dude in the movie 'Jeepers Creepers'.....I'm sure of it. You were wise to stay put.

Hogs will eat screw root and repeat

I don't know what happened other than what your telling us. I know I would have taken the chance at not shooting a hog to go see what was going on. Better?

I'd do the opposite of this if I witnessed what DNS did.

If someone was merely shining a flashlight in and scanning the car... my guess is they were simply curious and would be on their way within a few minutes. No sense in interrupting the hunt over some stranger's curiosity.

If that same person started fidgeting with the door handle of my car... in the middle of nowhere... at night... odds are they are trying to break in.

I value my life over my property. Approaching a potential thief is a recipe for disaster. No sense in putting your life at risk for what is probably less than $1,000 in potential damages.

You are completely correct. I just hope I could do that too. My first response would be to engage. Especially if I had all the night vision stuff DNS has. Again, you do have the logical point.

Yeah and look at that chin sticking out there.

DNS is a very patient man. I would have certainly approached him and would have been ready to throw down. My face gets hot when I even think about it.

With all that sweet gear probably even moreso, if it were me and this guy were a crook he would have been royally screwed.

DNS is a good and patient man indeed.

Beanie and beard

If the big headed guy isn't ballsy enough to search a random truck in the dark on the side of the road, he's probably carrying a weapon and if you approach him, he's likely to reach for it and use it at the drop of a hat.

The smart move is to do what DNS did. Keep your distance, observe and ask questions later.

If the guy was shining his light in the field twice, looks in your truck and flags it. Sounds like a nosy neighbor or someone that frequents out there just checking the situation out and probably not for bad intentions.

If I was a thief and saw a truck parked like that, I would have waited by the truck for a few minutes listening to see or hear if anyone is around, if not I would discretely shine the flashlight in the truck only to see if there was anything worth getting in trouble for. I certainly would not shine my light into a field alerting the owner that I was up to no good with his truck!

And like Skinner I would have engaged the person based off his passive actions.

He might have flagged your truck then called the GW, the flag marking your truck as the one in question for the GW.