Fake Deer Bust Poachers

[jtluttrell]

Four days before muzzle-loader season opens, deer poachers are getting caught in the act. They are all firing at fake deer set up by Tennessee Wildlife Resource Officers.

The stake-out for deer poachers takes place in nearly every county this time of year. Illegal hunters can be seen on surveillance video firing from the front seat of their vehicle. "The people who shoot at these aren't hunters, they're poachers," says Bill Swan with the Chattanooga Chapter of the Safari Club International. His group raises money to buy the fake deer for the T.W.R.A. The decoys are made of real skin with robotics installed to control the head and tail.

Hunters fall for it time and time again. The poachers are putting other people's lives at risk. "There's always a possibility that there's another hunter in the woods or a home behind where they're shooting or another vehicle coming up the road," cautions T.W.R.A officer Brandon Wear. And they're putting their own lives on the line as well. One dad can be seen steadying a muzzle-loader in the cab of his truck for his teenage son to shoot. After an apparent miss, the dad pulls the gun in, packs it with more gunpower, then tries again. "And the problem is if the parents do it, or the daddy does it," says Swan, "the kids grow up doing it and so you've got to break that mindset."

Most of the poachers are busted. Some try to run from the officers, who are always waiting to hunt down another illegal hunter. "We just want you to do it legally," Wear says. "The regulations are there for a reason, for public safety and the benefit of the wildlife and the hunters. Just do it right, do it the right way, do it the safe way."

Each one of these deer decoys cost about $1,400 and often when they're shot the damage is so bad they have to be recovered at a cost of about $700.

The Chattanooga Safari Club has donated about ten deer over the past five years.

Archery season for deer hunting is currently underway in Tennessee. Muzzleloader hunting opens this Saturday, November 7th. Rifle season opens the Saturday before Thanksgiving and runs through early January.

Violators can be fined, lose their hunting license, and in some cases like those drivers who had kids in the car, can be charged with reckless endangerment of their children.

Fake Deer Bust Poachers | poachers, deer, opens - Local News - WTVC NewsChannel 9: Chattanooga News, Weather, Radar, Sports, Lottery

[Rightwinger]

That would be ole "Timex" catching the dirt bags. Saw one once on the Natchez Trace. You got to be a real idiot to risk so much for a shot at a deer!

[ShaunM]

I see them every now and then in Perry County. I know several people who have got caught. I have a friend which he is stupid get caught by a fake turkey, he shot it with a 270 at about 80 yards.

[DaveS]

Folks that shoot from the road need caught. Wonder how fake turkey taste? Can't be very good! LOL

[TripleDigitRide]

Shooting from inside a vehicle cannot be good on the ears.

[TNTitan]

I would going to comment on a $1400 decoys and government waste till I watched the video.

wow.

now THATS a decoy.

[Guest AmericanWorkMule]

I wonder if fake turkey tastes like a jail house bologna sandwich?

They ought to fine those poachers in the amount of a new decoy?

Folks that shoot from the road need caught. Wonder how fake turkey taste? Can't be very good! LOL

[ShaunM]

Well I know it cost him a lot of money. He even had to go and bid at auction to get his rifle back.

[Guest H0TSH0T]

i think poachers and those that shoot from the road should never be able to own another fire arm ever as the max punishment ,the min punishment is banned from hunting in the state for ever. if your to fkn stupid to follow the rules you should not be able to participate, i was almost shot during turkey season a few years back cause some ass wanted to shoot from the road, this was on a wma, and rangers were informed and he was questioned, and i was assured he would never do it again, but at the cost of possible loss of life it made me even more angry thinking about it. not to mention it cost me my birthday bird, it makes me mad now just thinking about it.

[Guest TnDeerHunter]

You think they would take these for funniest home video?

[Guest Jcochran88]

These things are awesome! At the NWTF convention they showed the national parks service ones and they had the usual ones like deer and turkey. They also had black bears and coyotes.

[bvarnell]

Folks that shoot from the road need caught. Wonder how fake turkey taste? Can't be very good! LOL

Probably a lot like crow.

[strickj]

Hunting from the road would be nice for someone like me,but I guess a quad will have to do to get around on

Probably a lot like crow.

[Chucktshoes]

[Guest m&pc9]

WTF, Dont forget the gravy.

[dralarms]

Shooting from inside a vehicle cannot be good on the ears.

It's also illegal.

Well I know it cost him a lot of money. He even had to go and bid at auction to get his rifle back.

which if he got caught he could get busted again. TWRA does not allow you to bid on your own siezed guns. (No I haven't had it done to me, but know someone who did and asked to bid on their gun)