Rumors and disappointing hard facts
Ever since deer were found to be dying in Greene County, Southern Fayette County Wildlife Conservation Officer Steve Leiendecker has been hearing some “spooky reports” on sick deer. “Many people have said they are hearing about dead and dying deer in the county, but I can’t confirm any of the tales,” Leiendecker said. “It could be I’m just hearing a lot of rumors, spawned in the wake of the Greene and Washington County events, but everybody I come in contact with wants to know about the sick deer situation in Greene County.”
Another rumor that Leiendecker heard was one about an area hunter who bagged a deer only to be chased off by a black bear, which took the deer.
A couple of things Leiendecker knows that aren’t rumors is the fact that poachers have been taking some trophy bucks at night (see photograph at the top of page).
“One person faces charges for illegally killing and 11-point buck with an 11-inch spread along the Leckrone-High House Road.
A trophy 10-pointer was killed Nov. 1 in the Adah-Palmer area along Mine Hill Road. The State Police and Game Commission both responded to the incident, but the person or persons responsible hastily left the scene before just before either arrived, laving their trophy behind. Those antlers can also been seen in the photo at the top of the page.
Leiendecker would appreciate anyone with any information on the Mine Hill Road incident calling the Game Commission’s toll-free number at 1-877-877-7137. Callers do not have to identify themselves.
“I was happy with the jacklighting case last Saturday evening. I’d like for people to get more involved. Getting people involved is one of the biggest problems we have. Most people are just tight-lipped about illegal activity. It is hard to get the public involved. The Leckrone-High House road case was solved as the result of a tip from a confidential informant. We do not reveal the identity informants.”
At that point, I jokingly said maybe it was another poacher who turned that person in for targeting a deer he had his sights on (no pun intended). To my surprise, Leiendecker said, “Some of the best information we get on these cases is from other poachers.”
Small game season is under way, and Leiendecker said, “It has been frustrating with people shooting pheasants from the roadway.”
He is referring to the road hunters who spot the stocked birds near the road and jump out of their vehicles and shoot them. He noted that several arrests have been made for this road-hunting practice.
“That’s not what we put these pheasants out there for,” Leiendecker said as he released an inseason shipment of birds on a German Township Farm Thursday afternoon. “I want the hunters to get the birds. That is why we stock them, but we want to take them in fair chase. We don’t put the pheasants out to try and encourage reproduction. We put them there for the hunters.”
Leiendecker said he is looking for areas to stock pheasants. Persons with 50 acres or more that they are willing to leave open to hunting can have birds stocked on their property.
Landowners also receive other perks for enrolling their property in the program such as free threes and shrubs, seed for food plots and posters, just to mention a few.
“I talked with some real successful squirrel hunters, and one who went to Cameron County, because he wanted to shoot a black squirrel.
“A couple of days I went out and couldn’t find a hunter. I had to check my calendar to make sure I had the date right.”
On a humorous note, Leiendecker said, “One of my deputies has a 28-year-old son who still lives at home. A skunk wandered into their garage and sprayed last week, so the son went to stay with friends until the odor want away, to which the deputy said, ‘If I had known that was all it would take to get him out of the house, I would have brought a skunk home years ago.’ “
Herald-Standard outdoor writer Rod Schoener can be reached on line at rschoener@heraldstandard.com.