See Something, Say Something

Afew buddies and I had pulled a permit for a relatively new Wildlife Management Area an hour from home. Vehicle traffic was prohibited save for a pre-hunt scout day and the hunt itself. Wanting to explore the area a couple weeks ahead, we parked the trucks and hiked in. After a long day of hoofing it in the humid August heat and finding some promising sign (including the biggest feral hog I’ve seen to date), we trudged back out while downing the last of our water. Just a few minutes from our vehicles and the promise of cold sports drinks and snacks in the cooler, we decided to have a look at a game trail we’d ignored earlier as it was a bit too close to the parking area for our taste. Fifty yards in, corn was scattered over the path, 20 yards from a climbing stand friendly tree. We mumbled our collective disgust to one another. In Florida, baiting on public land is strictly prohibited. There weren’t as many cell towers at the time but we managed to get a signal, called the local game commission office, who said an officer was actually in the area and would be on scene in 15 minutes. When he arrived, we walked him back to the corn pile, he thanked us for being good citizens, and we wished him success in apprehending the perpetrator.