Poachers

David T

Well-Known Member
Got back from holiday late Monday so put a rifle in the car and went for an armed walk on Tuesday morning to clear my head. Walking around the perimeter of a field and a target had been set up using a strainer as a backstop. 15 holes in it so they clearly weren't in a hurry. Dropped the farmer a text to see if he had been zeroing his rifle. Carried on walking up the hedge line and there's a dead buck in front of me. Shot through the head and left to rot. Called the farmer who knew nothing about it.

Keep your eyes open gents there are some feckers about.
 
Not Poachers david that's a problem 15 shots in to a post and a deer left lying.Farmer not knowing a thing this being lambing????????I smell a rat.
 
No stock on this farm all arable. Farmers reaction was animated to say the least and is now arranging for alarms etc on gates and buildings that will send a message to his and my phone should they be triggered. Maybe poacher wasn't the right word. Scrote, fecker, to55er etc better ?

I didn't realise I had a life pattern !

Point is keep your eyes open.
 
Many years ago a DI said to me, "Al, 2 grains of sand may form part of a beach but they donot always make a beach". ie beware of coincidence

Yes the 2 things may be related, but are they?

What calibre for zeroing? 22lr entry holes in the post or larger?
 
Something sounds rather odd and worrying here and I'm certainly not going to doubt David's word.
The worrying questions here are why the heck would someone spend the time and money zeroing their rifle with 15 shots ....... then go on to head shoot a Buck .... and then just leave it there to rot? Why in heavens name would any "poacher" leave a perfectly good carcass to go to waste unless they simply weren't strong enough of didn't have a suitable vehicle to recover the carcass, or they got disturbed by someone/something?
Just out of interest David, were you able to judge what calibre rifle they were using from the bullet holes in the target, and how far was the carcass of the Buck from any public footpath/highway?
 
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Sounds perhaps like someone has just got a rifle and wanted to find a secluded place to let fly with it. Thoroughly disgusting!
 
Totally Disgusting mate, time for a few cameras to be set up to catch the feckers. Maybe think about passing the word about the farmers friends and police of the ongoing situation, so if anything should go untoward at least you have mentioned to plod about it, as you should certainly not let this sort of act to come back from anyone and tarnish your name. Did you find out about rough size of calibre used? All the very best in getting this sorted.
 
Report straight to police - unauthorised use of a firearm. Chances are he has dropped a cartridge case, and there will be bullets embedded behind the target. That'll narrow the numbers down, and won't take much detective work. There will be fingerprints etc on the target and on cases etc.
 
Report straight to police - unauthorised use of a firearm. Chances are he has dropped a cartridge case, and there will be bullets embedded behind the target. That'll narrow the numbers down, and won't take much detective work. There will be fingerprints etc on the target and on cases etc.
I think you watch too much CSI without a suspect gun, a non expanded head, and finger prints on file, it would be a waste of time, what if it turns out to be the farmer or someone he gave permission to.
 
I think you watch too much CSI without a suspect gun, a non expanded head, and finger prints on file, it would be a waste of time, what if it turns out to be the farmer or someone he gave permission to.

+1

When the police aren't interested in investigating road signs with bullet holes in them, what chance of them investigating a paper target and straining post!!
 
15 shots at a straining post and the buck still in the same county never mind same field , olso if it had been a deer legal cal say 270, 308 , 30 06, there would have been no back to the post , and a spell of fence repair work
 
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