Has Anyone Ever Called the TIPS Hotline?
Connecticut
I've called the TIP line for these instances.
1. 2 guys that I work with were bragging about taking 3-4 birds on the weekend, turned out they were taking turkeys, not phesant and this was before we ever had a legal season for them. They got caught coming out of the woods the next weekend, arrested, lost hunting license for 3 years and paid a healthy fine.
2. Came across a guy hunting turkey on state land with just a private land permit. I had asked him if he knew he was on state land and he got pissed and told me he was on private. So I pulled out my cell phone and called when I was about 100 yard away, but talked loud enough so he could here me. He and his friends were given warnings. DEP said they didn't witness it, so they couldn't arrest them.
3. Caught a guy cutting trees on private land that I crossed over to get to state land. Called the caretaker and DEP. Don't know what happened to him, he was gone when I left the woods.
4. Saw guys hunting with rifle on a bow only area. No idea what happened, DEP never called me back to tell me if they found them.
FYI - I have zero tolerance for guys that even bend the rules or do things that may be legal, but not ethical, like take a shot outside their ability.
Yup.
The deep caught two poachers cause I called tip line.
No, I don't think I would either.
Almost several years ago when there was a guy Muzzle loader hunting the same area of public ground I was, but he never wore orange. Full camo only. This is here in MA where 500square inches is required chest/back and head during any gun season for deer.
Other than that, I have not had chance to consider it.
I would not. I learned early in my life that "Snitches get stitches ". Unless a child is in danger I try to mind my own. - Duncan
Funny you should ask, I have a buddy that never ever tags and reports a deer but kills several every year. To add insult to injury he will usually call me and "rub" it in when he gets on. I usually say to each his own. But have been thinking lately how is that fair????
That said dont think I would be able to turn him in, aside from being a poacher he is a really good guy.
Yes. Will again also. If you don't report illegal activity then you don't get to complain about it. No different then reporting abuse so the abuse continues IMHO.
I managed a hunt for the town of Darien in a preserve area for a few years. Saw some tree stands on the preserve, and knew whose they were. He was using private land permission nearby for access and was for sure on the preserve property. I left it alone, didn't report him. Feuding and bad blood with a townie is drama I don't need. Yeah, he's killing deer where he shouldn't be but the whole reason they were opening up to hunting was that the deer were wrecking the habitat. So while he was breaking the law, he was actually serving the cause. But he was a dick and I expected retaliation if I dropped a dime on him.
If I saw something that endangered the public, other hunters, wildlife or habitat I would call it in.
X2 cjb5591....Nice friend you have there Birdman. He sounds like he needs a dose of reality. Remember he is taking from everyone that is legit. I have zero tolerance for that shit...period.
If guys are shooting more deer than they are supposed to then they have something to worry about.
Snitches get stitches... I bet if someone hurt a member of your family or robbed you that you would hope that someone with info comes forward. Or should they worry about the stitches?
If people do what's right they have nothing to fear.
To everyone who said they wouldn't call in someone who is hunting illegal I would have to ask WHY?
If you knew that someone at work was stealing from your business would you report them? I'll bet the answer to this is absolutely. Do you realize that under the law, if you know of illegal activity and you fail to report it, you can held liable as well?
The old saying applies here - If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem. I don't care if it's a friend, towny, co-worker, stranger, relative, etc I would report them in heart beat. Why? Because when I look at myself in the mirrow and ask if this is the person my parents raised, what am I going to say?
In this case I can't say to each his own, not if it's illegal.
BBB,
To partially answer your question, in my experience LEO's and wardens are the biggest poachers around.
When I was a kid I grew up around LEO's and wardens and saw a lot of stuff to say the least (and even participated from time to time).
Maybe times have changed, it was a long time ago, but I would feel like a hypocrite now, calling a warden on a poacher.
I just don't trust them.
I called a few years back on 2 guys that continued to jack deer even after i confronted them and informed them that its illegal and this was private land. The night they came back was still light enough and i could see them from my stand. I didnt think twice about calling and within 15 mins dep was there and they waited at the entrance to the field for them. Caught and lost equipment AND truck. Dont know aboiy hunting privs though.I would do it again in a heartbeat.
I have been tempted a couple of times but didn't. In the future I may if it is a blatant deed. This summer there was a family killing trout on a section of the Naugatuck that I myself was not sure about. If not sure I release everything. Later that day I checked the book and it was a catch and release area. These folks had four big fish 18+ inches. A week later I went back and they were there again. I had the phone in my hand when I started talking to somebody. Left the phone on my roof and drove away destroying the phone.
Called on a guy once. Biggest reason I called the warden was that I was too heated to confront the guy without things possibly getting ugly. In general it may be a bad idea for a pissed off guy with a gun to confront another guy with a gun out in the woods.
Something similar to grizz's post. Was on stand bow hunting during the gun season. Here comes a guy trespassing through my piece with no orange and a rifle. I give the usual whistle and expected the usual I'm sorry body language to turn and walk away. No sir, this guy must have been on drugs cause he started yelling and breaking branches, swearing f bombs at the top of his lungs. I'm like you got to be kidding, I started to get down from the climber to straighten this dude out but quickly thought twice bringing bow to gun fight. I did not call. Found out the guys property neighbors where I hunt and apparently believes he can go where he pleases. If it happens like that again I'm afraid I would call a co. I will still give the I'm here whistle but if he acts like that again I'll call.
along with hunting, I was big into Dirtbikes and quads and off road racing (before it was a sin,punishable by death). Years of the 2 have left me with distaste for the mans strong arming thugs..
Where I'm from you don't call the cops you handle the problem yourself.
Depends what it is. If I see a bait pile i would want to avoid connfrontation but if i see shooting deer with a spotlight in a field i would call. What makes me sick is when the deer shot at night are left to rot. Those guys make a big dent in a deer population. Ive seen in it in VA and NY but didnt call because it was too late but probably should have, who knows how many more were shot after that.
yukon
where you are from?
Turtle - so you're the guy on the dirtbike/quad that was running through private property tearing things up? :)
Toonces - what's a LEO?
I've called 4 times, and 2 of the 4 I was there to see what happened and the wardens took care of it, not sure what happened wit the others as I wasn't there, so my experience is that the DEEP is there to do the right thing.
Yea and now instead of being out in the woods "tearing up the land" on a 1 to 4 foot wide trail in acres and acres of land.(same land they clear cut 50 Acres at a time to build ugly sub divisions every few months)).the young kids do drugs and become pill head junkies..eventually doing heroin Cuz the pills cost to much..and them break into your car in your driveway to steal the change out of your ash tray...
Both times I called it was for shooting more than their legal limit. DEEP investigated and discovered that it was happening. The people that got caught, hunt the same state land I hunt and were cleaning the deer out of there.
I would turn them in again.
Many of you talk about depleted deer herds.
How do you think they got that way?
Poaching...
LEO = Law Enforsement Officer
What's the number? I used to have it in my address book but for some reason it didn't transfer with my other contacts when I upgraded phone.
Sorry this came out in print wrong.
Turtle504, there's no reason why you can't ride dirtbikes & quads or participate in off road racing. Just can't do it on state land. If you don't have access to where you can do it legally then you're out of luck. Being out in the woods "tearing up the land" on a 1 to 4 foot wide trail in acres and acres of land? Take a walk into Town Woods at Rogers Lake in Old Lyme, State Bow-hunting Only Area and see what these illegal dirt bikers and quad riders have done to this beautiful section of state forest. They have permanently scarred and ruined huge sections. I don't bother hunting there anymore. I have called DEEP and gotten fast responses in the past. A few tickets were handed out but same old same old continues. People buy their kids these toys to keep them out of their hair but of course don't have a place for them to ride them. They shouldn't buy them in the first place. No respect for the law = less places for us to hunt.
Not sure I'd admit brandishing a weapon here. But I can say that where I hunt in New Mexico, nearly every bow hunter has a side arm in the open. Guess what? I think we all treat each other better when that's the case. Not a lot (a few, but not a lot) of stands and cameras go missing out there.
TIPS 1-800-842-4357
turtle - I agree 100% about getting kids outdoors, but it must be done legally. Bristol F&G had a big problem with dirt bikes running through our property during hunting, and can't begin to tell you how dangerous it is with guys shooting each other in the crotch!! Thomaston dam, only legal place in CT.
LEO - didn't know that.
yukon - I would never walk up to someone and open my jacket to show my handgun or pull up my shirt. That is considered threatening and you could get in get in big trouble for it. Call the LEO next time. Getting in a shootout over a deer is not worth anyone's life!!
Didn't mean to get off topic. You wouldn't find me out there riding during hunting season, that's hunting time...but being on both sides of the argument I just wish there was more of a medium..where everyone could coexist..state lands everyone's land. state will surely take your money to register your off road vehicle...then tell you, you can't ride on our land...so why is there registrations on quads Dirtbikes and sleds?? ..and CJB...permanently ruined???cmon..we have some of the most ridden whooped out woods around...and honestly...people still shoot deer in those woods. when I was a kid...we all had 80s and tore around after school, and ran from the law man, and I'd imagine trespassed....BUT we didn't hurt anyone or anything...it was healthy fun....I don't wanna start an argument here because I can't really totally take sides..take this post to a trail riders forum and it will be " them damn hunters, they think they own the woods..blah blahblah" .just wish everyone would just use common sense and get along I guess..
Never. I leave people to themselves.
"we all had 80s and tore around after school, and ran from the law man, and I'd imagine trespassed....BUT we didn't hurt anyone or anything...it was healthy fun..."
I get what you mean - no one got hurt - back then. But breaking the law and running from the law = healthy fun?!?! I personally wouldn't consider this healthy fun - well at least running from the law part of it. :)
I think that's the problem, isn't it? What some people look at as Healthy fun or not hurting anyone, others see as breaking the law. Just like Speeding, or talking on the phone while driving. We all know it's against the law but the reward out ways the risk because we haven't been caught or been in accident because of it. God forbid that accident causes someone to die - now that risk of talking on the phone isn't so minor.
I'm not trying to be an A$$ to Turtle just using this as an example of what growing up we might have thought vs what people think now. Wrong is wrong. every person has to decide themselves whether to follow those laws or not and those that don't should plan on being held accountable and not complaining that it's only a deer, or I was only going 5 miles over the speed limit and blaming the LEOs - which happens a ton.
As far as turning someone in, if you saw someone running from a bank that was just robbed would you ignore it and move on or tell someone? Sure to some trespassing, or not tagging a deer, or baiting where it is illegal may not consider this the same as robbing a bank, but last time I checked they were all illegal? So what makes one worth reporting and the other not? For some, things are black and white no grey, others live in the gray.
And we wonder what is happening to society. I remember my neighbors growing up not hesitating to grab me by the ear and dragging me home to mom. Never a pretty site. I grew up in the city in a single parent household with lots of free time on my hands so it was probably a good thing neighbors were watching out for my brother and I.
I get what your saying. where do you draw the line........and agree to an extent, but it's gone to far...and the laws have reached to far...we had t a kid in our property straddling cabage rows murdering produce in a side by side, out running us in my truck...he had to slow way down to go around the gate...I caught him by his hair.......took his key and called his DAD not the police.
Turtle504, yes, permanently ruined. Nobody is going to go in there, repair the circle tracks they've built and put it back the way it was. Not to mention all the garbage they leave in there. If it was on your land you would be very pissed off. And remember it's bowhunting only all season long, how happy would you be to hump everything out there and then have those dopes blow your whole hunt?
Funny thing how people don't get that it's the hunter's who do actually pay a lot of money to use the woods, and for only about 16 weeks a year out of 52!
Ever seen an abandoned sand pit? 10 15 years it's a pine forest deer haven...not to continue this..I'm not against you completely. I do understand what your saying...just put the shoe on the other foot I guess...imagine paying the state for a huntong license and not being able to hunt any state land...
ive called plenty of times when people are taking shortie stripers, too many blue crabs at night,bunker trawlers and such. but it has gotten to the point where encon doesn't even come out anymore unless its during the day and even then maybe. I still call and its on file I guess.
Living in the Berkshires everyone from Ct comes here to ride in our state forest. Marked trails and maintained by local clubs.If there were places for kidscto ride legally most of these kids would not be riding illegally, apparently we can build skate parks everywhere but not off road trails and mx tracks. Myself and my boys rode and had to travel to mx tracks in ny to ride. As far as destroying land, we used to host an annual hair scramble off road race through NETRA in windsor mass for years until the land owner sold the property to to the state, and it is now open lands. I hunt there often and have seen some great bucks, its amazing to see how the trails have grown over and you would never know they were there. I have a good friend that is a Mass EPO I have his card im my wallet and would not hesitate to call if I felt I need to report something, sorry for getting off track.
Fess I rode netra for a while...used to ride with the Knox guys quite a bit...friends with a lot of them still
I was with tge Greylock riders. Great bunch of guys just not enough of them to kkep it going. Did you ever ride our scramble?
Let the wardens solve the problems! Showing your sidearm is not the answer and could land you in prison! Is your propert in ct? Just want to make sure I don't stumble over the line!!!
I ride enduro a ton, I have a wr250r, always wanted to hook up with one of those clubs, looks like they put on some great rides.
My two cents, again. Have been acquainted with a few wardens over the years. All were straight arrows. I think it's rare that one is a law breaker, certainly not "most LEO's". They have their whole career to loose if caught, and with cell phone videos etc that we all have afield with us nowadays, they'd be insane to chance it.
I don't agree with showing /brandishing your sidearm. However, if you open carry is OK. Brandishing is illegal, open carry is not.
If they are breaking the law, Report them. Everyone who breaks the game laws reflects badly on all hunters. There is enough anti-hunter sentiment out there already, we do not need to give them any more ammunition.
I did once (up here in MA) when I found someone baiting illegally behind my house (baiting during hunting season & on public land, is still illegal here in MA). called the EPO (environmental police officer) left a message with my cell # and the GPS coord of the bait pile/treestand. never heard back.
next year found the exact same spot baited and figured the EPO weren't going to do anything about it...so I 'suddenly felt the urge to answer natures call', all around the bait pile.
Try putting a note on the tree next to the pile. "THIS BAIT PILE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE POLICE ALONG WITH YOUR TRAILCAM PICTURE"
If they where on their own private land I would never get involved, but State land I would call DEP
I found a giant salt lick 20 yards in front of a ladder stand on state land, I carried it up and put it right on his seat. I found a corn pile in a field in front of a ground blind on state land, I filled the blind with the corn. Both were in northern Litchfield county. I think they got the point.
