LDWF investigates illegal harvest of deer near casino construction site

[Duck Butter]

We had these two awesome bucks that would hang together in late January in Tensas. Uncle would put corn out in the yard and get them every night right outside the camp since they were 2.5 yrs old. Got pics of them when they were 4.5 and then a guy shows me a picture of a buck that an acquaintance had shot with a bow that weekend. He had entered it into a constest at Simmons and that was one of the bucks. I was working at Tensas at the time and the guy then sent me another picture and it was the other deer. He had killed them in the exact same spot. We found that there was a permanent stand with corn and rice bran in a thicket on the NWR right down the road from us in front of another camp. The game warden tried to catch this guy but wanted to get him in the act of hunting. He said there was an almost zero chance of getting him on the charges of shooting those deer over corn, because he would have to basically admit doing it. I ran into the guy the next year out in the woods. We were talking and came about that he had shot two big ones the year before. I wanted so bad to call him out on hunting over bait but am hoping that he will get what is coming to him. People like that just get greedy and will slip up one day. Both of those deer were 160" deer
On another note, a couple of the self-proclaimed greatest bowhunters at Tensas NWR and also the loudest in voicing their opinions got busted a few years back. They constantly talk about need for antler restrictions, archery only, blah blah blah, yet one was caught with a spike and a 4 pt during the gun season The big bust was right close to the headquarters in a reforested area in the early season where a huge buck had been spotted. There were 4 of them and they all set up lock on stands and all had rice bran piles. The wardens were onto them and just had to catch them in the act. They caught them all on stand hunting over bait and they also had night sights on their bows. They had planned on hunting all day and night to kill this deer. Never got to see the pictures, but it was supposedly a beast. They had to pay a fine but still get to hunt there. Had they actually killed the deer it would have been different.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

We had these two awesome bucks that would hang together in late January in Tensas. Uncle would put corn out in the yard and get them every night right outside the camp since they were 2.5 yrs old. Got pics of them when they were 4.5 and then a guy shows me a picture of a buck that an acquaintance had shot with a bow that weekend. He had entered it into a constest at Simmons and that was one of the bucks. I was working at Tensas at the time and the guy then sent me another picture and it was the other deer. He had killed them in the exact same spot. We found that there was a permanent stand with corn and rice bran in a thicket on the NWR right down the road from us in front of another camp. The game warden tried to catch this guy but wanted to get him in the act of hunting. He said there was an almost zero chance of getting him on the charges of shooting those deer over corn, because he would have to basically admit doing it. I ran into the guy the next year out in the woods. We were talking and came about that he had shot two big ones the year before. I wanted so bad to call him out on hunting over bait but am hoping that he will get what is coming to him. People like that just get greedy and will slip up one day. Both of those deer were 160" deer
On another note, a couple of the self-proclaimed greatest bowhunters at Tensas NWR and also the loudest in voicing their opinions got busted a few years back. They constantly talk about need for antler restrictions, archery only, blah blah blah, yet one was caught with a spike and a 4 pt during the gun season The big bust was right close to the headquarters in a reforested area in the early season where a huge buck had been spotted. There were 4 of them and they all set up lock on stands and all had rice bran piles. The wardens were onto them and just had to catch them in the act. They caught them all on stand hunting over bait and they also had night sights on their bows. They had planned on hunting all day and night to kill this deer. Never got to see the pictures, but it was supposedly a beast. They had to pay a fine but still get to hunt there. Had they actually killed the deer it would have been different.

These self-proclaimed greatest bowhunters .......are they brothers from a nearby town. If so, I hunted up there this fall with a guy that had a problem with them a year or 2 back. My firend had found 2 of there tri-pod stands while one of the brothers was hunting on it. They exchanged words and the next day his tires were cut. The Game Wardens know about these 2 guys but just can't catch them.

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Gerald

These self-proclaimed greatest bowhunters .......are they brothers from a nearby town. If so, I hunted up there this fall with a guy that had a problem with them a year or 2 back. My firend had found 2 of there tri-pod stands while one of the brothers was hunting on it. They exchanged words and the next day his tires were cut. The Game Wardens know about these 2 guys but just can't catch them.

There are a couple sets of them, but yes they are all from nearby like Delhi, Tallulah, and all the little towns in between. They will do anything to kill bigger deer than the others. Jughead is the nickname of one of them. I wouldn't call anyone out usually but this guy has been caught before more than once, so he is guilty. He hangs around the Sharkey area mainly. There are some others like you mentioned that hunt the reforested areas and hunt from tripods. Every year there are meetings at the headquarters and these are the ones who think they run the show and voice their opinions the loudest and the ones that really don't like people from south Louisiana coming to hunt 'their' refuge. The reason your friends tires got cut are likely due to the south Louisiana thing unfortunately