It has been a late spring. The snow remains low on the rocky slopes. Today my mining partner and I, backpacking up Two-Mile Creek near Saint Regis, Montana, stumbled upon disgusting evidence of poachers. Although I am not a hunter myself, big game hunting is a Montana tradition I respect. I would not be troubled if someone poached a deer in a time of hunger. This scene was beyond forgiveness. Two mule deer, illegally shot, lay dead on the side of the mountainous logging road; the head of the buck, severed and removed. Obviously, the shooter required a trophy mount; proof of the kill. The complete carcasses of the noble buck and the gentle doe positioned on the embankment, indicated these magnificent animals were shot for sport, not the meat.
These human predators lacked a moral compass. Their campsite yielded further evidence of an arrogant attitude. Garbage, beer bottles and toilet tissue littered the forest floor, a defiant affront to those who support responsible stewardship of the environment.
The poachers, were apparently, also hunting bear. A few hundred yards away from their camp, we discovered plastic bags of rotting meat, dripping blood. There was still liquid in the bags, so the "bear bait" was fresh. The stench in the air was noxious, a sour stench of death and decay. Human feces littered the ground just a few feet from the fire ring. How can humans like themselves and live in such squalor?
I followed the bait trail for a distance, then decided, unarmed, we should not proceedl. Would we find more garbage, odorous bear bait or maimed carcasses? Was a cougar above us in the trees, investigating the scent? We didn't know if the human "vermin" that left this blight on the land were around the next bend.
I have difficulty fathoming how anyone could violate the land in this manner. Both humans and animals share our fragile world, yet only man "desecrates his own nest and defiles his habitat." The area where this "noxious demonstration of studity" played out, borders a pristine wilderness; breath-takingly beautiful. The site was hauntingly quiet. Not a bird sang nor a squirrel moved. I was in presence of evil. The poachers perpetrated a violent rape of nature. I am exceedingly angry.
The poacher's campsite is located at the mouth of Two-Mile Creek. The incident has been reported to the USFS Game Warden. We will return with gloves and garbage bags.
Please show Mother Nature respect. The next time you go to the woods, remember to leave only footprints.
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