Dangerous side of poaching
The crime of poaching has been going on for centuries. Originally, it was done for need of food, but that rarely is the case today.
Poaching, especially deer poaching, is practiced for fun, cheap thrills and, in some cases, for profit.
No matter what the reason, poaching is still illegal. Not only is the kill illegal, but the act steals an animal that may have been harvested by a licensed hunter.
Hundreds and probably several thousand deer are killed illegally each year in Pennsylvania.
For some, poaching is a business, and they kill deer to fill the orders of regular clientele.
Others kill big bucks just for the antlers. It is common to hear reports of deer killed with only the head being removed.
What is a symbol of strength and power for a buck is a trophy for man. Above average antlers decorate the walls of many dens, game rooms and offices of dedicated sportsmen, but a world-class set of antlers is something else. They are regularly sold to collectors for thousands of dollars.
World-class antlers from legally killed deer are often displayed at sportsmen’s shows, but unscrupulous collectors will pay any amount for larger set, even if they can not display them publically.
Poaching is wrong for all the above reasons, but it often places innocent individuals and their property and pets in danger.
That is just what transpired with a recent poaching incident between 4 and 4:15 p.m. last Wednesday evening along Braznell Road in Redstone Twp.
Northern Fayette County Wildlife Conservation Officer Jason Farabaugh reports that an individual or individuals shot at and hit a doe in the back paralyzing it.
The doe was 20 feet from the kitchen door of a house in a densely populated residential area.
“It was shot with a small caliber bullet that went through the deer and traveled somewhere,” Farabaugh said. “We could not determine where the shot came from.”
The bullet that killed the deer could have easily struck a child playing in the yard or a man or woman who was going about daily chores.
Farabaugh said, “We did a lot of knocking on doors, looking for anyone who may have heard the shot or saw the incident take place.”
This is far from being an isolated poaching incident.
“We had three shooting calls with two days in that area,” Farabaugh said. “Wednesday we were out on a call near White.”
Calls about shooting are common in the lowlands.
“We had five or six calls from Redstone Twp. and a dozen from Luzerne Twp. in just a few days,” Farabaugh said.
Illegal nighttime activity is also taking place in the mountains on a regular bases with Farabaugh noting, “We had 20 to 30 calls from the Saltlick and Springfield Twp. areas alone.”
Farabaugh and his deputies have made some arrests, but it is hard to make a case unless they almost catch the shooter in the act.
He encourages the public to get more involved and to call the Game Commission’s radio dispatcher at 724-238-9523. Dispatchers can then alert the officer nearest to the incident.
Farabaugh encourages callers to get as much information as possible, including the make and color of the vehicle involved and the license number, if at all possible.
“We don’t get information on many incidents, but I know somebody knows something about the incident involving the deer found near the house. Any information they give will be kept confidential,” Farabaugh said.
As far as Farabaugh knows, nobody made any attempt to recover the deer shot near the house on Braznell Road.
What does it take to deter poaching? Some states outlaw spotlighting, which Pennsylvania does not want to do for they consider it a family activity.
Other states are pondering much higher fines for poaching, but in order for that to work, the courts have to treat poaching as a serious crime, and what can make it more serious than a stray bullet injuring or killing some uninvolved individual?
Then there is old English Law, which dealt with those who killed game belonging to the lord of the manor.
If the local magistrate found the poacher guilty, he often sentenced him to jail or to be beheaded the next morning with his head placed on the landowners’ gatepost as a warning to others with similar ideas.
A little harsh, but it made poachers think, something some in these parts don’t do when they shoot illegally in populated areas.
Some good news
On the plus side, Farabaugh said that he has been seeing some big-racked bucks while on his rounds, but on a bad note he is seeing many killed on the road as well.
“Antlers have been disappearing from many of the ones killed on the road, telling me they were probably really nice,” he said.
“The other day I was checking a five-point that was shot and left in the woods. I heard something behind me, and when I turned there was a 10-point that walked right up behind me.”
Farabaugh said that he hasn’t seen a bear in quite a while, and has not even had any calls of sightings or complaints, noting that he does see tracks in the game lands on a regular basis.
“The bears have been staying in the woods where the food is,” he said. “If the weather holds, I think it will be a good year for bear hunters.”
He hasn’t checked a bowhunter with a really big buck, but he has heard reports of some.
“The rut is definitely in full swing,” he said.
I have seen how the deer are really moving right before dark, and Cap’n Al Packan also noted how goofy the deer are acting. He was bowhunting the other night and, while he didn’t get a shot, saw several bucks and just as many does chasing one another all around.
I don’t know why the lack of interest in turkey hunting. Farabaugh said that he is seeing lots of turkey but very few turkey hunters, while noting that pheasant hunters have been doing well.
“I mentioned a friend showing me a photo of an albino doe he took in Georges Twp., and Farabaugh said he heard of one in Luzerne Twp.
In getting back to the poaching, Farabaugh said that in one two-day period he had 11 poaching calls – all from different areas.
With all the poaching activity, he is putting out another call for individuals interested in becoming deputy wildlife conservation officers.
“It’s really getting out of had right now,” he said. “They are really shooting a lot of deer. All the callers are saying that, but I can only confirm the ones I see. Poachers can really put the hurt on some areas.”
Persons interested in becoming a deputy can call the southwest office of the Game Commission at 724-238-9523 for more information.
Herald-Standard Outdoor Editor Rod Schoener can be reached online at rschoener@heraldstandard.com.