Double drop tine buck poached in Vernal

BillyBoB · Aug 20, 2017

Vernal- Utah Northeastern Region officers are currently working a case from opening weekend of the archery season. A hunter reported the following:

The hunter was in close proximity of where this deer was located and heard a rifle shot. He quickly responded to investigate the origin of the high powered rifle blast. A vehicle was seen leaving the area quickly. The buck deer in the picture below was shot with a rifle and left at this location.

This information was relayed to conservation officers in Vernal. Officers are appreciative of the quick response of the concerned individual whom reported this and are working through leads.

"Wildlife and its habitat cannot speak. So
we must and we will."
Theadore Roosevelt

BillyBoB · Aug 20, 2017

LAST EDITED ON Aug-20-17 AT 04:22PM (MST)[p]

"Wildlife and its habitat cannot speak. So
we must and we will."
Theadore Roosevelt

Oneye · Aug 20, 2017

I saw that, amazing and beautiful buck. Too bad some POS had to break the law and do that. Hopefully they got to him before he went bad. People suck sometimes, hope they catch them.

Cooper · Aug 20, 2017

It looks pretty dark

elkassassin · Aug 20, 2017

2nd Buck of the Season Down & Dead!

No Silencer on their Feather Flipper Neither!

Back Me Off to 1,700 Yards,650 is a Little Close & I'm Not Comfortable with it!

A GUT SHOT at 1,700 Yards will Still Make Some Good BRAGGIN Rights so I Can Say I At Least Hit Him!

TOPGUN · Aug 20, 2017

>It looks pretty dark

Very, very dark!!!

Joe2Kool · Aug 20, 2017

Hope the G&F catches the perp.

And yes, very dark. For a sec, I thought I had my eclipse glasses on!

grosventrehunter · Aug 20, 2017

Can you prove the buck is dead? I believe he's just sleeping. Prostate tell everyone what really happened.

Cooper · Aug 20, 2017

dack77 · Aug 22, 2017

Just read from the DWR's Facebook post on this that they caught the person and will be pressing felony charges.

nvbones · Aug 22, 2017

And sadly will get a misdemeanor plea deal, lose his licence for 3 years and have to pay 1500 dollars in restitution. And poachers could care less about losing their licence because ... well they're poachers.

Tristate · Aug 22, 2017

Let the judges do what they do best, use judgement. This will all get sorted and as usual justice will be served, whether that's a year in prison and 20K in fines or 100 hours of community service and a $500 fine. Wishing pain and suffering upon others is not justice.

RoadlessHunter · Aug 22, 2017

The shooter verified with the Saint George DWR office that they could use a riffle in the basin on the archery hunt. They should be good to go.

hossblur · Aug 22, 2017

So, I was listening to the Meateater podcast. Poaching fines came up as they were talking to an Idaho F G guy. I believe Janis had an idea I love. Set the penalty at what an animal goes for at auction. So, IMO the fine for this one should be whatever the average auction price for a deer in Utah is. Since Tri is sooooo concerned about felonies for poachers, because as we all know shooting this buck with a rifle during archery season and leaving it, could happen to anyone, I believe he would love this solution, its market driven.

I can't help but wonder why $fw, BGF, RMEF, DU, MDF, etc has never pushed for much steeper penalties for poachers.

And for TRI, POACHING: The WILLFULL killing of an animal for pleasure or profit, without proper license, or in a closed area.

You know, killing a ram on a closed unit, shooting the town buck and taking its mount to the EXPO, killing a cow elk then burying it with a backhoe, shooting a buck and leaving it with a gun during archery season. Things that despite Tri best effort DONT happen to any of us.

Until we get serious about it, it will continue.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

brutus54 · Aug 22, 2017

Here's the update

https://www.facebook.com/UTAHWILDLI...948538444053/1731818523790387/?type=3&theater

Tristate · Aug 22, 2017

LAST EDITED ON Aug-22-17 AT 07:47PM (MST)[p]Hossblur,

Go ahead and make the fines as such. Be ready for you to pay the same amount for a tag.

Birdman · Aug 22, 2017

Hossblur, The DWR can suggest fines all they want but the DWR does not do the penalty, the courts do. The DWR can pull hunting and fishing privileges for up to five years set by the state legislators. The judges set the fines. In Utah judges don't seem to think much of Wildlife. Only a deer, fish pheasant etc. The DWR was set to take the ram killed illegally but the court system would not follow through. Had the dwr confiscated the ram a lawsuit would have followed. According to the courts, nothing wrong was done. Thus, no penalty for hunter or guide.

wstrntines · Aug 22, 2017

Misdemeanor at best i'm sure. A55 clowns are no different than the mighty texas ram hunter and the WLH F###kery crew of mt nebo. Wished we all could be treated like the celebrities of hunting sad part is these jackwagons make their mistakes with intent to do so and it's not a simple mistake it's an idiotic decision. Tri you doing the mount if so does shooting it with a rifle or a bow make a price difference after all the guy is gonna have to pay some fines maybe you can give him the good ole'boy discount.

Tristate · Aug 23, 2017

Is that English? I can't even tell what any of that says.

hossblur · Aug 23, 2017

I get the system. Thats why I prefer a felony charge. However, since the Tri of the world are against it, I would love to see the Trib headline on how a DA passed on a $50k fine for a poacher. Let the spotlight fall. Let Nebo county(for example) explain how it is constantly at a shortfall for funding, yet they refuse to charge and collect on a 5 figure poaching fine.

Send some folks back to Texas on a Greyhound, call all the news agencies and show the new Truck, gun, etc., that poachers get to give up. Talk about how that animal was worth 6 figures, and that in Utah, you don't steal from the state. Make it a PR blitz. Then let a DA try and backtrack, as he is taking the local weed smokers house.

We give this crap a wink and a nod, then post pics and wring our hands. Opening day, daylight, this deer, with a rifle, when they know there are folks in the forest watching. There is no fear of the penalty, thus, another deer down!

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

Tristate · Aug 23, 2017

Hossblur,

At no point on this thread have I said this shouldn't be a felony. Go back and read.

Second you don't base criminal fines on the fiscal appetites of the state. It's an eye for an eye, not an eye for a police cruiser.

Third do you have a felony on your record?

huntin50 · Aug 23, 2017

Years ago SFW did help pass a trophy fine on big game species.
If a buck has 24 inch spread and at least four points on one side it is classified as a trophy and the value is 8k. Some say a buck like this should be 20-30K. At least there is restitution minimum of 8k to the DWR. The Hyde Park buck restitution was 8k, and fines about 2k each, and lost of license for 10 years for both involved. We will see what happens here.

To bad this buck died like this.

hossblur · Aug 23, 2017

Tri. Explain to me the difference in killing a "trophy" buck worth 8k and stealing an $8k car? The financial damage is no different. The only difference is attitude. Tri, there is also ZERO difference in this case, where you don't debate a felony is appropriate, and the wyoming case last year you stood on your head protecting. At least be consistent in your stupidity.

Taking a poachers hunting license by definition is useless.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

Tristate · Aug 23, 2017

Hossblur,

I didn't debate a felony for the Wyoming case nor did I protect him. Again, go back and read. If you want to live in a make believe world at least make it the slightest bit interesting.

By the way I don't know about stealing 8K cars in Utah but in Texas if you steal an 8k car you probably won't get any time for that either. But if you want your deer to get the respect of an 8k value YOU NEED TO PAY 8K FOR THE TAG. Or at least the tiniest portion. Right now the state won't even value your tag at %10 of that.

SO you dodged the question. Do you have a felony record?

hossblur · Aug 24, 2017

Funny tri. There are over 600 posts on the nebo ram thread and you covered there. There is a thread about how easily any of us could kill an illegal then bury it with a backhoe. Your defense of the wyoming genius was how charging him would hurt his family.

There's a reason whenever there is a poaching case your name comes up.

No I don't have a felony.

Now I answered, your turn.

What did you do to get pinched on a poaching related charge? Seems this subject hits pretty close to home for you. What did you do?

Tri, you keep comparing everything to Texas. We, in the intermountain west, use Texas as the model of what we FEAR happening here, just so u know.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

pufftuffly · Aug 24, 2017

LMAO!!!

Pudge is whining about someone dodging questions.

Hey Pudge, why did you take down your WLH is a sheep poacher thread?

grosventrehunter · Aug 24, 2017

Are we sure this deer is even dead? No one has proven that yet.

Tristate · Aug 24, 2017

The Nebo ram was humor. If you couldn't figure that out too bad for you. Your second sentence isn't even english so I can't tell what accusation you are making. As for the Wyoming claim, whether or not it would hurt his family, ISN'T A DEFENSE. Like I said before, go back and read.

As for a poaching related charge against me it has never happened.

Now you talk about I am comparing this to Texas which I haven't done at all here. Once again, if you are going to make up something, PLEASE MAKE IT INTERESTING. Anything else makes you look stupid.

So have you, or your attorney, ever negotiated a deal in the courts to keep you from being charged with a felony? You need to think really hard before you answer this with a lie.