This turkey hunt took an unexpected turn!
No one likes the crime of poaching. It's an act that steals precious natural resources and opportunities from law-abiding sportsmen and women. Worse, the illegal taking of wildlife makes all hunters look bad in the eyes of the public. Unfortunately, these crimes are difficult for wildlife officials to investigate and prove unless the person committing the crime is caught in the act. Game wardens are often not there when that happens.
Which is why it is so important for hunters to self-police and watch out for illegal activity. In this video from one of our favorite hunting YouTube channels, the Hunting Public, the boys are down in Arkansas looking for a fat spring gobbler.
The hunt takes an unexpected turn when they spot what appears to be another hunter acting suspiciously. They soon discover a Jake illegally taken and breasted out. They end up doing the right thing and it pays off in the end.
It's true what Aaron was saying in this video. The guy who shot that Jake may have simply made a case of mistaken identity. However, the act became poaching the second he decided to take some of the meat and leave the rest to rot. We're guessing he probably got hit with some wanton waste charges for that too.
Fortunately, they were able to give enough details to wildlife officers that they were able to catch the guy and he then confessed his illegal actions. As Aaron said, if you make a mistake like that, it's best to fess up to it rather than try to cover it up. That is what gets many people into trouble.
No one wants to be thrust into a situation like this. It's a pain in the neck to go and contact the proper authorities and give a statement. However, in this situation, it ended up resulting in a cash reward for helping catch the guy responsible. We often read about these types of situations playing out, but in this case, it was interesting to watch it all go down on video. Nice work guys. You did the right thing!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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