Texas Hunting Forum

Poachers

Posted By: Dave Davidson

Poachers - 02/09/19 03:49 PM

I have 133 acres of what would be considered junk land in Montague County just South of Bowie. Owned it for 35 years. All rocks, trees, a couple of fishing holes and hills. And lots of deer and hogs. I don't live there but have a trailer house, tractors, etc. This year the deer went nocturnal on my place prior to bow season. Never happened before and didn't happen to neighbors. We actually saw only 11 deer in 3 months. Didn't see a hog. This isn't a new occurrence and had the GW out last year. He recommended game cams. I know he can't camp out on my place. So, I put them up in various places but never saw anybody on them. One of my grown Grandsons was walking in last year and saw somebody with a flashlight walking in prior to daylight. He yelled, the flashlight went off, and the guy escaped. That's a dangerous situation.

I have 6 feeders with game cams at each. When I went to pull cams the cards were missing from all of them. Next year, I'll invest more $ for no flash or blackout cams covering every approach to the place.
Posted By: Jimbo

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 04:10 PM

Once poachers get in and they don't see anyone they get greedy, then after several times they tend to spread the word to their buddies.
It's kind of like throwing chum out to the sharks as they smell blood in the water.
Usually you have some locals, or someone who knows the locals, that probably know your land better than you do.
Posted By: Gacman

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 04:32 PM

I used several of the wireless game cams recently to monitor our property the year before we sold it. They can email, text, or both the pics they take in real time. Not only was in neat to get the deer and hog pics in real time, but anytime a potential buyer or a contractor I hired was visiting the property, I knew about it in real time. Now about 25% of the time the pics were delayed, often by several hours due to poor signal strength. But what are you going to do. I was glad I had them, but if you don't get a good signal on your property for whatever network the cameras you buy will be on, then they are just high priced regular game cams and no need to buy them. Anyways, they could be an option for you.
Posted By: Rustler

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 04:36 PM

Start with no trespassing signs, new signs give the undesirable people the idea you know what's going on.
Look for where they're coming onto your property & set up concealed cameras in those areas.
Everyone is used to & expects to see cameras pointed at/around feeders, not so much away from them.

Try a few solar powered motion sensor activated lights in a few locations visible from a distance from road & from house.
Sometimes these work as deterrents, see lights coming on & going off on property might give them the idea someone is there or you are wise to their activity.
If they trigger one they'll think twice about what else is set up out there.

If you can, show up at unexpected days & times, always have a camera in your vehicle or on you when you do this.
Posted By: Creekrunner

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 04:43 PM

'Hate that you're having scum on your place. Unless you really have that many hunters, I'd consider dropping down to just a couple of feeders that you fill and concentrate your efforts and well-hidden cameras on those - one camera obvious, one or two well hidden, if possible. Buy the old "You're being videoed," sign and nail it high in a tree. They may shoot at it, but that may also alert the neighbors. If you have electricity to the travel trailer, I'd leave a radio blaring and I'd buy one of those fake TV's that flash colors against your windows for several hours, starting at dusk.

And if I saw a flashlight on my place, I'd shoot. NOT AT IT, but make 'em at least change their drawers when they get home. 'Not saying to tell your grandson to, I wouldn't tell mine to, just if it was myself seeing it on my land.


'Just several random ideas. I hope you and law enforcement can sort it out soon.
Posted By: Western

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 06:23 PM

I'm with CR, I'd take out as many feeders as I could before they get damaged or stolen, then new IR cameras where you suspect entrance. I hope you catch them and justice served, just the thought of my grandson encountering an ah, takes this to another level imo.
Posted By: Dave Davidson

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 06:47 PM

These grandsons are mild mannered, polite young men, 19 and 20 years old who can whip their weight in wildcats if the situation is needed. However, when guns are involved, that takes it to a whole new level.

Sooner or later, I’ll catch the poachers/thieves.
Posted By: Stub

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 08:49 PM

Sorry to hear that Dave I am north of Jacksboro and our whole area got hit hard this year. Hope you catch the POS and whip rifle
Posted By: Wheelin' Outdoorsman

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 10:15 PM

This completely sucks! I would recommend the Wireless cameras as an option. I have two different friends that started using them on their properties. Both of them added an antenna hung over a cleared branch up higher in the tree. It did make a reception difference.
Posted By: Superduty

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by Stub
Hope you catch the POS and whip rifle

Posted By: Txduckman

Re: Poachers - 02/09/19 10:18 PM

Dang, that stinks Dave! Hope they are busted. I have never seen the GW there but heard him drive near my stand opening day. He stopped by the neighbors lease whose camp is near the road. Glad he was out patrolling and hope he catches them.
Posted By: Tbar

Re: Poachers - 02/10/19 02:45 AM

After catching a hog dogger on camera at my farm property I put up additional cameras everywhere including 3 or 4 dummy cameras.
Posted By: FayetteCo

Re: Poachers - 02/10/19 02:57 AM

I got one too. Game warden and neighbors working with me on it.

This is him.

[Linked Image]
Posted By: Sniper John

Re: Poachers - 02/10/19 03:14 AM

Originally Posted by Tbar
After catching a hog dogger on camera at my farm property I put up additional cameras everywhere including 3 or 4 dummy cameras.


I was having the same problem at one of my stands. Unfortunately the pictures were always blurry from them moving or just out of the range of the IR to get a clear night picture. It was easily accessible down a bladed road off a public ranch road that runs through our lease. I had put up a locked cable gate and sign, but they just drove through it. So I did exactly what you did. I got together every old game camera I no longer used, old film home brew cameras I had made, and every broken one I could find. I put the dummy cameras up at random places all round the woods near my stand and feeder and on the road going in. The poaching stopped, no more pictures of people, and cards in the working cameras stopped disappearing.

I did one other thing to mess with them as well. You know those little white reflective tacks people use for marking trails? I put them on trees in pairs close to the ground like eyes in random places back in the woods around my road and stand. I could tell someone did shoot at least one of them when I first put them up.
Posted By: Creekrunner

Re: Poachers - 02/10/19 03:29 AM

Originally Posted by Sniper John
I did one other thing to mess with them as well. You know those little white reflective tacks people use for marking trails? I put them on trees in pairs close to the ground like eyes in random places back in the woods around my road and stand. I could tell someone did shoot at least one of them when I first put them up.



rofl That's awesome! Anything to mess with their little in-bred minds. up
Posted By: Bee'z

Re: Poachers - 02/10/19 04:42 AM

Originally Posted by Creekrunner
Originally Posted by Sniper John
I did one other thing to mess with them as well. You know those little white reflective tacks people use for marking trails? I put them on trees in pairs close to the ground like eyes in random places back in the woods around my road and stand. I could tell someone did shoot at least one of them when I first put them up.



rofl That's awesome! Anything to mess with their little in-bred minds. up


Love this... clap
Posted By: SnakeWrangler

Re: Poachers - 02/11/19 02:34 AM

Originally Posted by 2Beez
Originally Posted by Creekrunner
Originally Posted by Sniper John
I did one other thing to mess with them as well. You know those little white reflective tacks people use for marking trails? I put them on trees in pairs close to the ground like eyes in random places back in the woods around my road and stand. I could tell someone did shoot at least one of them when I first put them up.



rofl That's awesome! Anything to mess with their little in-bred minds. up


Love this... clap


Brilliant! up
Posted By: Wheelin' Outdoorsman

Re: Poachers - 02/11/19 05:51 AM

Originally Posted by Creekrunner
Originally Posted by Sniper John
I did one other thing to mess with them as well. You know those little white reflective tacks people use for marking trails? I put them on trees in pairs close to the ground like eyes in random places back in the woods around my road and stand. I could tell someone did shoot at least one of them when I first put them up.



rofl That's awesome! Anything to mess with their little in-bred minds. up

I couldn't agree more. Brilliant! If you can't catch em, you gotta make life uncomfortable for them for sure.
© 2024 Texas Hunting Forum