Poacher Ruined my hunt - still upset

[Rifle2Bow]

So I had a tag for 34a but couldn't hunt the opening because my sister got married last weekend but by Sunday I had drove down ASAP and set up over water honey hole. I figured a buck or two woulda have been taken over the weekend but hey I was just excited to be out there hunting. So Sunday evening getting there I notice there is a lot of hunting pressure and many of the campsites were being utilized by fellow hunters, some had taken spikes, small bucks and I was super excited to get to my spot after conversing w other hunters. Well, this is when it goes to shittt! I get to my spot for the evening hunt setup and after 3 hours and seeing doe after doe and fawn after fawn it started getting dark when all of a sudden I see a nice 3x3 that I start ranging (I'm hunting w my bow) but I'm waiting for him to clear some brush for a shot when all of a sudden I hear BANG right behind me and scares my buck away. At first I'm thinking someone was taking a shot and missed the same buck but that wasn't the case. I come outside my blind to notice another 'hunter' about 100 ft running away from where I was and thinking he took a shot on another buck in the area. That wasn't the case. Then I hear some ruffling behind some brush close to where I had come out of my blind and can see the silhouette of a deer so I draw my bow just in case I see antlers to my disbelief I don't and then I see the 'hunter' come up right behind the deer and catch a glimpse of me and get spooked realizing that he had just been caught in the act shooting on a doe. The deer was blasted in the hind legs and could barely move. Upon seeing me and being scared out of his wickets he asked if I was a game and fish warden and said he "totally thought it was a buck". Yea right man especially after I said I wasn't and told him to put it out of its misery did he acknowledge that it was his last night and he had to get something and to boot he looked wasted. It was a situation where the safety on my pistol was definitely off since he was probing questions that made me start to question what his intentions were and who I was that I was on the defensive now and just told him to get outta here and that I didn't see anything. My predicament was that I had just gotten there and was going to hunt that area till the close of my tag and I'm wondering about my safety in this spot over the next few days. I didn't say anything to game and fish about this piece of shoot poacher for that reason. To add to the hostility of the poacher in question, when he was packing his gear to no surprise he offered me a beer and left his trash, another 8 beer cans where he was sitting. Anyone had a situation like this and what have you done? To say the least it ruined my one week I look forward to every year and can only compare it to a time I had my car stereo stolen.

[elkhunter]

I would report it and once you do that you have done the best thing possible as a sportsman, you couldn't get any info from him because you felt like you were in danger, give Aaron miller a phone call about this situation and perhaps he can go out there and put the doe down out of misery and maybe he can catch this guy

[bonecollector]

Turn him in and find a new place to hunt.

[Millhouse]

Definitely report to OGT.

[elkhunter]

Game warden for unit is Aaron miller AMiller@azgfd.gov

[Rifle2Bow]

He slit its throat and left it there and by the time I got to my blind in the am, the deer was gone.

[lefty]

did you get his liscense plate # if so turn his a$$ in forsure

[Rifle2Bow]

No. He phoned for someone to pick him up in a SxS who was obviously camping around there.

[huntjunkie]

/>Definitely report to OGT.

He will continue to do this and ruin other hunts until someone turns him in.

[Coach]

Definately turn him in. Since you actually talked to him, I'm assuming you could give a pretty good description. It's things like this that make me think it would be a good idea for G&F to stop by all the camps in heavily hunted hunted areas and get an idea who is out there. Then if someone like yourself comes forward, they have something to go on.

 

Sure am sorry to hear about your hunt being ruined, and glad you got out of there safely.

[Elkhunter1]

Game warden for unit is Aaron miller AMiller@azgfd.gov

I thought Dianne Tilton was the warden for 34A. Anyway report it

[photofool]

There is getting to be more and more slob hunters out there. To bad you didn't have a camera with you

[sherman]

30 B was the same way but g&f was out we talked to him each day of the opener. One camp had beer cans all over the ground and g&f stopped by and they all got picked up. But these pos hunters took turns driven up posted closed roads and there quads they even messed up a youth hunters shoot on a buck when asked to stop moving they went right for the deer. And glassing with there rifle scopes. That is what makes us all look bad. Sorry that your time got messed up

[azffhunter]

Turn him in for sure...I'm sure it wasn't his first time. As a responsible hunter...i think you have Ian obligation to report it. You call always remain anonymous by call Operation Game Thief at 800-352-0700.

[naturegirl]

I agree and think that you must report it asap with all info you have. G&F is good about following up on poachers.