Starting this years season with last years story. Poacher, herds of elk/Tag soup and Pizza.

[BAJA]

I want to start out this year season with a story from last year.

I accompanied my dad on an elk hunt in Colorado last year. He had access to a ranch that bordered public land.

I started of by telling my family that I loved them before leaving and told my four year old that we were going to bring her an elk. She secretly whispered in my ear "No, bring me back a pizza." After a quick laugh we left.

This was our first elk trip to Colorado so we didn't know what to expect. No guide but the owner hung around to keep poachers off his property. It turned out that this area is a migratory path and elk mostly just migrate through by the hundreds.

On the fourth day the owner left for a wedding in California and left us alone. We finally started seeing elk. We stalked two within a hundred yards and finally determined they were not legal elk, Questionably close, so better safe than sorry my dad didn't take the shot.

On the fifth day we see five legal elk. As we start to get close, two vehicles deliberately spook the elk away from us and in the direction of public land. This was quiet upsetting. We figured we keep positive and said to our self's we would see bigger elk.

On day six, early in the morning we see a heard of over a hundred elk. At least 60% big bull. We stalked the herd within 300 yards and the herd stops. It appears the lead bull is trying to decide to go right (Towards us) or left away from us. Then we could see why the herd stopped. A poacher went into the private property we were on. We could see the driver look directly at us.

The lead bull decides to come towards us and he is big. My dad was going for this one. As soon as the bull starts to come in our direction the poacher accelerates cutting the herd off making them double back and go in the opposite direction from us. We were extremely disappointed, we raised hell but figured it would get us nowhere.

We tried again the next day but saw nothing.

Never the less when we got back home i bought my four year old her pizza.

 

[jackman]

should have started hunting the poachers-License plate,description, make model-Give to turn in poacher
Colorado is pretty keen on getting poachers

 

[BAJA]

Couldnt get the plate but we got the vehicle and occupants description. We called the owner who is friends the the local wardens. He called them but was told they coildnt redpond because it was a busy day.

 

[Marty]

I think this is an example of why it is a good idea to carry a camera. Even short video clips would cement a case for prosecution.

 

[Bankrunner]

Even though you didn't harvest your animal i hope you guys had a good time. Enjoying the pursuit of game is a big key and it sounds like your in on that one.
As far as these guys that where driving elk off the private you were hunting on, they could be guilty of many things, the worst of which would be poachers.
They could be locals that knew the landowner or knew the the landowner wasn't around and decided to push the elk away from you and onto public land. There could be several reasons why they did it and a few that do not qualify as poaching.
Don't get me wrong, i think what happened to you and your Dad was bullshit. I think calling them poachers just might be a stretch. They where more than likely locals who new the migration and figured the worst they could be busted for was trespassing. Can't help but wonder if there was a gate to block access to the private property?
Seems like if the owner was guarding against trespassers or hunter trespassers a gate or two or three would be in order.

 

[BAJA]

We did have a video camera with us, but did not use it because we were stalking. They were poachers. They had there hunters orange on which only hunters have to use and we could see the barrel of one riffle. I think the only reason they didnt get off and shoot was because the saw us. But yes they are more guilty of harrasing wild animals and interupting their migration while tresspassing. But i reasonably know had they not seen us the outcome would have been different.

Theirs a public roadway that ran through this part of the private property so the access through cannot be blocked. But the point were the elk were were harrasses was clearly private land. I confirmed it with my onx app.

We did have a video unfortunately we were trying to figure out our stalk and not recording.

 

[TheGDog]

That's about the time a scanalous-a** mofo gets a rifle shot thru his radiator, if you ask me.

But... in lew of that... you can always bust out your tripod and binos or scope and hold your cellphone up to the lense and snap pics that way.

If it's not a overly hot day with heatwave distortion you can read license plates up to like maybe 350-400 yds with maybe 16-22 power.

 

[BAJA]

ive done that to take pictures of deer before so I know it works. We didnt have time to do anything because the guys emmediately backed up and drove to the main road after those elk. We drove around looking for them but could not find them.

 

[warren nelson]

Sounds like a good place, Maybe next time leave a old board with some big nails in it laying in the driveway that should slow them down.
I would hunt it again just make sure you have a back up plan for poachers.

 

[OPAH]

Sad, but I most agree with Bankrunner here, trespassing and harassment of the animals, but that still would have red flagged them for future seasons. But on the other end of this doesn't it piss you off when Private lands owners can land lock public land and prevent the game from moving on to Public lands by fencing, gates and planting food sources.
I do not condone herding of Game or of trespassing but I do know there has been times when it was very frustrating and Bad thoughts crept into my mind. It is Sad they did what they did and I am sure you and your Father have a second or two thinking one or two well placed radiator or tire shots would be fair and just.