Drug Cartel on Public Land

[Gngardner]

I am going to be hunting in Northern California for the first time and came across this Pod Cast from Steven Rinella.

Ep. 179: The Weed Warden

Podcast Episode · The MeatEater Podcast · 07/29/2019 · 1h 44m

podcasts.apple.com

Was just curious if anyone has came across an illegal weed farm on public land while hunting in Northern California?

 

[rodney482]

Great podcast

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Seen em right after harvest...looked like a trash dump. Found some of their booby traps too including fishing line (green Spectra) with big treble hooks ties to soda cans.across the trail.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

I don't listen to alot of meateater podcasts but of the one's I have listened to, that one was my favorite

 

[jspradley]

My brother has a leg shorter than the other one due to a grower's 12ga booby trap on public land...

Now he may very well have been trying to harvest the other guy's crop but still...

 

[CAhunter]

They are very common in northern CA, especially in northern A zone and B Zone. I’ve also come across them in Lassen County. Be aware of your surroundings, if you come across one quietly leave the area and notify authorities.

 

[aclawrence]

They ought to carry some of these growers out with the rest of the trash


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[Pezboat]

I listened to that podcast Wednesday, and then ironically, found a bunch of these planted 15 yards from my favorite tree on some public land in MN. Only time I’ve ever seen anything like that.

 

[Brewski]

I hunted B2 near Hayfork for a couple of years. There are alot of illegal grows near water on south facing slopes. If you start seeing trash and anything that resembles growing supplies turn around and go back out on the same trail.

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[manitou1]

While hunting one afternoon, I found one on public land in the Missouri ozarks. Nice and groomed. When I came out at dark there was a vehicle hiding in the woods behind mine. I touched my brakes to start my motor and saw the reflection of the vehicle ceeping up to mine... just a few feet from my rear bumper. They chased me all the way to town, where I pulled into the P.D., even though there was no one there (small, 1-P.D. car town). They left. I reported it and led the drug task force to the acess road with a map. They recovered/destroyed quite a bit of $ worth. The family that lived up to the edge of that spot were suspect. A member of that family stabbed and killed a guy a few weeks later and went to the "pokey".

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Lived in a cabin on the edge if the Muir woods for a while,my landlord was in prison the whole time for growing.4 tons or more!Used to see growing plots all the time,just skirted around and kept hunting. Too many up to miss. Someone close to me grew a few plants...Wink,Wink.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Back when I was a young kid (around 1973 or so), my father took me and my two siblings fishing one day to an area that required a hike in on public lands in Humboldt County. We had been on the trail for about 30 minutes when we were met by a guy carrying a "machine gun", at least that's what it looked like to my 5 year old eyes. The guy stood in the trail and told us to turn around, that that was as far as we could go. After a brief and somewhat heated conversation with my dad, we all turned around and left. We got back to the truck, drove into town (I think it was Garberville, although I can't remember for sure), and my dad told the local sheriff the story. The sheriff asked if the guy had pointed the gun at us or threatened to kill us, my dad said no, he had not, but we were on public land, going to a public fishing spot. The sheriff said that since we were not shot at and the guy did not say that he was going to shoot us, he couldn't do anything about it, and we should just find somewhere else to fish.

 

[Soj51hopeful]

I have found gardens and poly pipe on my local forest (D zone). Even seen quite a few Mexicans scurrying through the brush. I talk with the local law enforcement, they say our illegal growers in this area are nowhere near as hard as the ones up north.


Very interesting podcast.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I grew up hunting eastern WV and eastern KY back in late 80s early 90s...there were places you just didn't hunt till after the 1st frost...granted they weren't cartel growers just entrepreneuring locals.

 

[deerhunt1988]

Back when I was a young kid (around 1973 or so), my father took me and my two siblings fishing one day to an area that required a hike in on public lands in Humboldt County. We had been on the trail for about 30 minutes when we were met by a guy carrying a "machine gun", at least that's what it looked like to my 5 year old eyes. The guy stood in the trail and told us to turn around, that that was as far as we could go. After a brief and somewhat heated conversation with my dad, we all turned around and left. We got back to the truck, drove into town (I think it was Garberville, although I can't remember for sure), and my dad told the local sheriff the story. The sheriff asked if the guy had pointed the gun at us or threatened to kill us, my dad said no, he had not, but we were on public land, going to a public fishing spot. The sheriff said that since we were not shot at and the guy did not say that he was going to shoot us, he couldn't do anything about it, and we should just find somewhere else to fish.

Sounds like the sheriff may have been making a little on the side!

 

[deerhunt1988]

Found a very small, abandoned grow site while deer hunting National Forest in Mississippi. Something you NEVER think about hunting in Mississippi. The site had the black polypipe exactly as described in the podcast. They left behind their trash, empty fertilizer bags, and empty 'deer and rabbit repellent' container too!

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Yep,these guys aren't cartel they are local growers.Lived amongst em'.
If they were cartel it would be a very large operation covering acres.

 

[colonel00]

I listened to that podcast Wednesday, and then ironically, found a bunch of these planted 15 yards from my favorite tree on some public land in MN. Only time I’ve ever seen anything like that. View attachment 113316

What were those GPS coordinates again?

 

[Huntindog45]

Hunted norcal all my life and have seen some signs but never run across a full scale operation. They are certainly around but they are often in pretty shitty areas that not many people go.. even hunters


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[AK Troutbum]

Sounds like the sheriff may have been making a little on the side!

Maybe, but there are several areas around there that the cops just stay out of, Alder Point being one of them. They pretty much just let the local scum bags deal with their own scum bag lives.


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