It is also harder on helping the authorities to help you because they can't differentiate who is there with permission vs. those that don't have permission.
The papers the game warden had me sign last week states that they will arrest and detain anyone on my property caught in what appears to be all-terrain vehicle riding, fishing, or hunting activity -- unless they have a signed letter from me giving them permission to be on my land. Currently no one has permission to fish.
They also asked me to repost new "No Trespassing" signs, or to re-mark signs I now have posted. They want me to put about a half-inch red dot in the lower right corner of each sign. This allows them to immediately recognize that I have an active file with their office, allowing them to make on-the-spot arrests.
Although I've told almost no one (except PB readers), the word has gotten out. This is part of an e-mail I got a couple of days ago from a neighbor who lives just over the border in Virginia:
So, I hear someone likes to go fishing with 4-wheelers?!? Would that be West Virginia fishing? A new sport? I have some suspects you may want to check out...
... It took me a few times but I figured them out. Not sure if you remember where the old 2 story white house that used to stand down the road from my house that Patsy Cline lived in for a while....
One 4 wheeler is orange, other is green. One of the boys wears a helmet with lightning on it. Talk to [a mutual friend] and ask him whose property they have to cross to access your place from theirs. I think they just have to cut thru one yard to be on your place.
Two others have talked to me about this recently also.
A new Moultrie digital game camera went up three nights ago. So far, only lots of deer.
I've also given written permission to a very trusted friend to allow him to hunt my property. We've also printed signed/laminated signs, that he will post in the front and back windows of his truck and for his 4-wheeler, so that the game wardens will know not to harass him when he's on my property. He will be the only one with permission this year. He hunts all seasons (archery, black powder, rifle, antlerless, etc.), so he'll be there a number of mornings and afternoons for the next couple of months. He is very stealth. If anyone is on my property, he'll know it. He's also equipped and capable of legally confronting trespassers.
I'm now convinced more than ever, that most of my big bass, and lots of my big BG are gone. I'm afraid the poachers did to me what Matt Clark's wife's friends did to him. I'm just not sure how to know for sure, and whether I should include a stocking plan for this fall.
Over the past 3-4 weeks I just know that no large BG have been feeding (mostly just 5-7 inchers). I haven't caught any large BG for several weeks -- actually, I'm catching almost no bluegill of any size, which is very unusual. I've caught almost no bass, which is also unusual. The few bass I've caught have been 4-5 inchers, plus only one 10 incher. Based on what I had in June, there should be lots of 12 to 15 inchers in the pond. I don't see bass in the structure around the shoreline. I hope the big BG and big LMB are just hiding.
Ken
