Hunting conspiracy theories

[Greyman]

That's just a fact

 

[----]

I can't tell you how many dozens of times I've heard of FWP releasing g-bears into the Great Burn.

 

[FI460]

I can't tell you how many dozens of times I've heard of FWP releasing g-bears into the Great Burn.

I've lived in Oregon for just shy of 5 years, and if every grizzly story I've heard were true we would have a population that rivaled Idaho.

Interestingly, I've only met people who know a guy who has seen one. I've never met a primary source here...

 

[jabber]

After WildWill's comment you may think it is just an Oklahoma thing but I too have been chased into a tree by a hog. I was about 11 years old, deer hunting one evening with a .410. Camp lunch disagreeing with my stomach a bit and I climbed down the stand to use the facilities. A few minutes later, I heard what sounded like a herd of deer coming and between 10-15 hogs were coming down the trail next to the tree I was leaning against. I fired my single shot at the lead sow which really pissed her off and ended up climbing a cedar tree with my pants not fully secured. Interesting hunt for sure.

We believe you. NO pictures required.

 

[jryoung]

Interestingly, I've only met people who know a guy who has seen one. I've never met a primary source here...

Sounds like wolf stories in CA. Guy on internet "I knew a guy who saw them unloading them out of the trailer"

"Wow really, so this was some covert act by the USFWS and CDFW and the groups like CBD and the Cattlemen's Association were kept in the dark? Did he get pictures"

"He said he had them, but he passed away"

 

[LousyResident]

I'm more skeptical of a 400lbs sow running in the woods. Even most "200lbs boars" I see people kill I'm can probably throw over my shoulder. Based on more encounters than I can count I would lean on side that they run away every time and leave the piglets, but I absolutely would like to hear your story. I'm sure my days are numbered until I have an unpleasant encounter.

View attachment 126778

Did yall know that just this past year LDWF released panthers into the Florida Parishes (area between New Orleans and Mississippi)? Oh and these aren't the fake black panthers, they are actual tan colored panthers. And the reason it's true is because my brother's crazy in laws saw them going around with antennas tracking them. Heck since they are collared they aren't even trying to hide the fact they released them. It was even on the news.

I want to know the story behind that picture lol.

 

[daltrix99]

Janis-
"So um Steve the thing about Bergmann's"... [interruption by Steve]... "so I found"...[ digression with gross story about drill bits and fingers]... "so back to Bergmann's"... [long tirade about silicon weddings]... 90 min into the podcast
"Yeah so you should really do some digging before you use Bergmann's as a catchall.. it seems to be pretty controversial" ...[thanks Jani, so back to my story about the flip flop flesher]

"Bergmann's rule, claiming that in homeotherms body size increases inversely with temperature so that, intraspecifically, body size increases latitudinally, is not valid, nor is the explanation of this rule. In large mammals body size at first increases with latitude, but then reverses between 53 and 65° N, so that small body sizes occur at the lowest and highest latitudes. This is predicted by the hypothesis that body size follows the duration of the annual productivity pulse, so that body size is a function of availability of nutrients and energy during periods of growth. Correlations between body size and temperature are shown to be spurious. If reduction in relative surface area is indeed an adaptation to conserve heat, then mammals should increase in size from south to north at rates two orders of magnitude greater than they do. Bergmann's rule has no basis in fact or theory." - Valerius Geist

Geist, Valerius (April 1987). "Bergmann's rule is invalid". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 65 (4): 1035–1038. doi:10.1139/z87-164.
Gohli, J., Voje, K.L. An interspecific assessment of Bergmann’s rule in 22 mammalian families. BMC Evol Biol 16, 222 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-016-0778-x
SHAI MEIRI, TAMAR DAYAN, DANIEL SIMBERLOFF, Carnivores, biases and Bergmann's rule, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 81, Issue 4, April 2004, Pages 579–588, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2004.00310.x
Michael A. Huston Steve Wolverton, "Regulation of animal size by eNPP, Bergmann's rule and related phenomena". First published: 01 August 2011 https://doi.org/10.1890/10-1523.1

Great reference! That's why I was careful with my language in saying this 'can' happen, but more importantly, it certainly has no ecological impact, and would not be noticeable if individuals were moved around between northern and southern populations.

 

[bushman13]

Not within that generation, but it would be noticeable in future generations. When they repopulated southern sates for whitetails they used stock from states like Wisconsin. The offspring did retain traits of the original stock, but body size does regress over time, to what the environment dictates.

Great reference! That's why I was careful with my language in saying this 'can' happen, but more importantly, it certainly has no ecological impact, and would not be noticeable if individuals were moved around between northern and southern populations.

 

[jryoung]

I’ll start: Where I live in California, there is this perpetual idea that the animal rights activists buy all the deer tags in the beginning of the year, just to throw them away and deprive hunters a chance at their bloodsport. As if a non-hunter is going to go take Hunter Education, buy a license, apply for a tag, pay for a tag, and then toss it - just to protest deer hunting. And as always, there’s no actual evidence of this, but of course, everyone knows it happens.

It's sad how many people believe it is true. You can list all the barriers to entry like you did, but you can also list the actual license and tag sales and see there is no corresponding increase in sales. It's just painful to watch.

 

[WildWill]

Squirrels intentionally mess with deer hunters.

As others have said not a conspiracy theory and the damn armadillos are in on it to.

After WildWill's comment you may think it is just an Oklahoma thing but I too have been chased into a tree by a hog. I was about 11 years old, deer hunting one evening with a .410. Camp lunch disagreeing with my stomach a bit and I climbed down the stand to use the facilities. A few minutes later, I heard what sounded like a herd of deer coming and between 10-15 hogs were coming down the trail next to the tree I was leaning against. I fired my single shot at the lead sow which really pissed her off and ended up climbing a cedar tree with my pants not fully secured. Interesting hunt for sure.

Good thing you'd already gone or you might have ruined those pants.

I'll share a few of mine. In my early teens I was stalking along a creek bank with my bow when I came upon a descent
sized boar bedded. He was bedded in the bottom below me at about 25 yards I got into position drew and released. I was probably 13 or 14 and my High Country youth bow only went up to 50# that along with my shot hitting him forward in the shoulder equaled minimally injured yet extremely pissed pig. I watched my arrow hit his shoulder which seemed to be made of concrete, watched him stand look around see me skylined on the creek bank and charge. I dropped my bow and scrambled up the closest tree just as he came thundering past right where I had been. The other time I was treed we were chasing them with dogs and things got a bit hectic. The scariest incident I've ever had with them was one morning when I was walking to my treestand in the dark. I was not using a headlamp as I know the property well and it was a good hour before shooting light when I came up to a part of the trail where a spring bubbles up leaving a mud hole year round. As I began to step through the mud my boots made the normal suction sounds of walking through sloppy mud amplified by the still morning. Suddenly the woods erupted with noise all round me squeals, grunting, and some noise I haven't heard before or sense. I felt a couple what I'll guess were piglets bounce of my legs before being hit by what felt like a NFL linemen sweep my legs from beneath me. Luckily the pig kept on running leaving me sore and very muddy.

 

[JDH]

In Indiana we have a naval base (seems odd, but it's real). Every rumor regarding any kind of new animal starts here. Bobcats, rattlesnakes, mountain lions were introduced at the base if you listen to the rumors.

 

[JTHOMP]

I want to know the story behind that picture lol.

It's actually a funny story and for what it's worth, the piglets were after we had caught and killed the sow. But I have on two other occasions caught piglets by hand after bumping a sow off a bed.

Dogs bayed the sow and after we killed her, the piglets were scrambling all over the little island bed surrounded by 2 inches of water. We caught all 7 and the guys that had the dogs would use the piglets to train young dogs. One guy walked diagonally back to the boat carrying 4 piglets while me and two others walked straight to the river. He would come around to meet us then we would drag the sow out.
I had 1 dog on a lead and 3 piglets in the other arm. Other two guys had the rest of the dogs. The guy carrying the 4 drops one of the piglets and picking it back up caused it to squeal until it's comfortable in your arms. Well all the dogs go crazy including the one I have which knocks a pig out of my arms. I'm having to catch to piglet, kick the dog off, drop another piglet, kick the dog some more....
Finally got squared away and I got my friend to put the piglets in my booksack, "Talk about a piggy back ride"

 

[dgc1963]

I got it, guess I'm old!

yup you sure are I think many did but we lost a lot on this one lol

 

[JTHOMP]

As others have said not a conspiracy theory and the damn armadillos are in on it to.
Good thing you'd already gone or you might have ruined those pants.

I'll share a few of mine. In my early teens I was stalking along a creek bank with my bow when I came upon a descent
sized boar bedded. He was bedded in the bottom below me at about 25 yards I got into position drew and released. I was probably 13 or 14 and my High Country youth bow only went up to 50# that along with my shot hitting him forward in the shoulder equaled minimally injured yet extremely pissed pig. I watched my arrow hit his shoulder which seemed to be made of concrete, watched him stand look around see me skylined on the creek bank and charge. I dropped my bow and scrambled up the closest tree just as he came thundering past right where I had been. The other time I was treed we were chasing them with dogs and things got a bit hectic. The scariest incident I've ever had with them was one morning when I was walking to my treestand in the dark. I was not using a headlamp as I know the property well and it was a good hour before shooting light when I came up to a part of the trail where a spring bubbles up leaving a mud hole year round. As I began to step through the mud my boots made the normal suction sounds of walking through sloppy mud amplified by the still morning. Suddenly the woods erupted with noise all round me squeals, grunting, and some noise I haven't heard before or sense. I felt a couple what I'll guess were piglets bounce of my legs before being hit by what felt like a NFL linemen sweep my legs from beneath me. Luckily the pig kept on running leaving me sore and very muddy.

The one in dark sound sounds like it was just trying to get out of there and you were in the wrong place. Not discrediting the threat or impact of the hit. But The boar sounds like a full on "I'm badder than you attack". Crazy!

 

[dgc1963]

"As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly".

hey mule creek your deff an old fart like me lol as soon as I read the post abt snakes being dropped my mind went to the turkeys falling to the ground I think I need mental help !!

 

[JaegerRex]

Squirrels intentionally mess with deer hunters.

This is the truth. They coordinated with the deer. During squirrel season I see lots of deer & few squirrels, during deer season the dag on squirrels are all over the place & the deer hide.

 

[Europe]

I suppose these are more ‘myths’ than conspiracy theories;
Coues are superior to mule deer.

This one is simply a fact (-;



Panda Bear---Polar Bears and Penguins together, that would be a neat trick---well, not for the penguin

JT13--rattlesnakes dropped to kill turkeys ?

 

[Bux_N_Beards]

The southeastern US is full of black panthers, everybody seems to have seen one and all the game departments are lying about them not being here so they won’t have to deal with the issue... blah blah blah. If I had a $ for every black panther sighting I’ve heard about I’d be well on my way to affording a sheep hunt.

Beat me to it. Every person in the Southeastern US that has achieved anything above Cub Scout status, and owns a Red Ryder BB Gun, has either seen or personally knows somebody who has seen a black panther. Some of my other favorites:

- Coyotes that were mixed with the "original red wolves the game and fish stocked"
- Any 1.5 yo buck with a non perfect rack, or a spike = a cull buck. And you cannot reason with these people, no matter how much science you show them on the subject.
- Every time someone goes turkey hunting after the first two weeks of the season and doesn't hear a gobble, it's because "they're done", which to them means breeding has ceased for the year. I love these folks because I have traditionally taken my largest gobblers late season, after "they're done", and when fewer people are in the woods.
- Every year, people wanting to know when the rut is going to start, and if the weather is warm and decreases daytime movement, they think the rut either didn't happen, or was later. Same folks as the turkey statement above.
- Any reference to a "brush gun".
- Engaging in a ballistics discussion with someone who's longest shot ever was at 50 yds in a pine thicket, but they carry a 26" barreled Magnum with a 6-24x target scope sighted in 5" high at 100 yards because the guy at the counter at WalMart told them it shoots flatter that way.

But my biggest conspiracy theory of them all, among both hunters and non hunters is that ALL wild game tastes "gamey". I can't stand to hear that.

I could fill the page with them from my area. Definitely some good ones on here. Keep it up.

 

[morley.tyler]

Wyoming G&F changed the NR draw date so they can make more on the interest on the money they hold.

Except this is true...

 

[FI460]

But my biggest conspiracy theory of them all, among both hunters and non hunters is that ALL wild game tastes "gamey". I can't stand to hear that.

This drives me crazy. Just this weekend I had a friend that my father recently introduced to deer hunting as an adult ask me how people even eat elk. He dropped his buck off for processing and said the smell from the elk cooler was so "gamey" that he had to be sure that his deer wouldn't be stored near any elk.

Antelope aren't edible.
Ducks aren't edible.
Squirrels aren't edible...

Oh and jackrabbits can only be eaten after the first freeze.