what would you do?

[fishboy]

Ok here's a situation I ran into this year.  How would you handle it?

I have permissiojn to hunt a large farm near home, I have exclusive bowhunting on it but there are a bunch of folks that gun hunt it.  I have only ever met one of them .  The owner could care less if all the deer got killed. But he's a good guy just not a hunter, and its his bowling buds that gun hunt the property.  Soooo the last week of bow season I go in to retrieve my stands that, bythe way, I haven't hunted in a while and I find what appears to be about 50lbs of corn dumped in the corner of the cut off cornfield.  Also withing 50yds of the pile a pop-up blind is set up.  So I yanked my stands and got the hell out of there.  Now I have only been hunting there a few years compared to the guys that gun hunt it and can't help but think that whoever did it had permission so my Question is how would you tackle this one?  I should also tell you this spot is great and I am not going to make waves for fear of losing it, but I can't let this sort of thing go on either.  What would you do?

[deerhunter]

do nothing. mind your on busnies not theres. there will be next yr to hunt . no baiting allowed where you are?

[adkRoy]

It depends on two things is baiting allowed and are those other hunters going to get revenge if you turn them in.

[fishboy]

this is in NY, No baiting and no feeding allowed

[fishboy]

and If I hunt there I am hunting over bait even if I'm not near the bait.

[Dr. IceGeek]

You said it's on the edge of a cornfield...was it dumped there by another hunter or was it a small pile from the harvester or grain wagon?  If it's the latter I wouldn't worry, but if someone else dumped it there then that's not cool.  Doing nothing about it if it was intentionally put there is as bad as committing the crime in my opinion.  You don't have to confront the other guys, but if the pile is still there and was intentionally put, give the DEC a call and let them handle it.  Explain the situation to them and how you also hunt there and how it's a sticky situation....they might be able to help you out.

[fishboy]

the Corn was cut in August....it was dumped..... but What if the landowner told them it was OK?

[fishboy]

Ice geek

Would you jeopardize your permission?  This spot is Primo! Lots of deer and big bucks too.  By the way I believe there is no right or wrong answer.  I know what I did and will share it with you later.

[devil-man]

I would mention it to the land-owner and leave it in his hands.
It is a tricky one...

[Big_Buck_Hunter]

Tell the landowner.  Explain to him that it is illegal and you don't want HIM to be charged with baiting/feeding deer.  Watch his reaction - it will either be he allows it and knows about it or he doesn't.  If he knows/allows, then laugh it off with him.  If he doesn't know, then it is up to him how to proceed.  Chances are good that the bowling buddies will be gone within the next 5 years anyway.  Oh, and the most important point - enjoy the archery season when these idiots aren't in the woods.

[tucker]

problem comes up if someone else is tresspassing and finds the corn pile.  They call the dec and tell them and the land owner says your treestand was near there during archery season.  The owner may not know.  Now you are in deep crap.

[Bobman]

Personally I would talk to the land owner about, let him know that situation and let him handle it.  Since he doesn't hunt he may not even be aware of the fact that it is illegal so you could always approach it that way.  You could say something like, I noticed a pile of corn in the corn field with a ground blind near it and that's against the law.  Then tell him he may want to check who's doing it so that he can be sure he doesn't have any tresspassers because his other friends certainly wouldn't want to put him in a compromising position like that.  Or something along those lines.  If he knows about it and doesn't care or nothing is done about it then you have to decide if a good hunting spot is more important than hunting legally and ethically.  If you don't like the result you don't have to hunt there, find another place.

[tommyboy]

I would talk to the landowner.  As others have suggested, just make it sound like you are doing him a favor.  Tell him what you saw, explain why it is illegal, why following the law is more important now than ever since we now have Chronic Wasting Disease here, what the penalties are, and that you don't want to see him get in trouble.  Oh, take a copy of the regs with you, available at:  http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/regs/part189.html

Good luck.

[Dr. IceGeek]

I was thinking that maybe the farmer had just recently knocked the corn down....the pile was from the harvester and someone may have been trying to hunt near the field where the deer are probably still coming to look for a few kernals here/there.....I guess like everyone else said...talk to the landowner first, that's your best bet.  After that it's up to you to decide where and how to hunt based on how things play out.  Personally if I found a pile of corn in the woods I would probably take a big crap on it....but that's just me

[deerhunter]

the deer probally won,t go to that corn pile anyways and if they do it will be at night. now if it was apples thats another story.getting the wardens envolved will just cause more problems than its worth.