Moose Poacher - Lifetime Hunting Ban

[Iowan]

Helena man banned for life from hunting for poaching moose

A Helena man was sentenced to a lifetime hunting and trapping ban in Montana after poaching a trophy moose east of Townsend in 2019.

www.bozemandailychronicle.com

It does not say whether or not he had previous convictions but it is nice to see that the punishment finally fits the crime. He may still poach but the lifetime ban makes it a little easier to catch him and if caught the sentencing will likely he harsh based on what he received for this. Good job to all involved in catching him, convicting him, and punishing him. To me the biggest crime was wasting all that moose meat!

 

[OutdoorWriter]

Those MT wardens are alert, too.

In the 1980s, I was returning from a successful moose hunt in northern BC. The 60" antlers were tied to the top of my Scanoe, which was on a roof rack.

Crossed into the U.S. at Roosville & hadn't gone two miles before I had a black pick-up on my tail with blue lights flashing behind the grill.

I pulled over. When I got out of my truck, I saw no markings on the truck. So at that point I suspected it was a traffic cop in an unmarked vehicle. When the guy opened the door, a black Lab was the first to exit. The guy, dressed in a MT game department shirt, then followed.

He was very cordial & merely wanted to make sure the moose was legal. He glanced at the paperwork I produced, and I was on my way.

Then I made the mistake of going to YNP, which is another tale for another day.

 

[yoteduster]

Must be a tough area up there the two on the left look like they're ready for a fire fight lol...

 

[HORNhunter7]

We'll see if they really ban him for life or not. Eight or 10 years ago there was a young man in Western Montana who got arrested for poaching. Him and some of his family members had poached several elk and deer in a couple years time. Rumor was they were actually selling some of the meat. They were arrested and the young man received the same sentence. Banned for life. I actually talked to the one of the Game Wardens involved and he confirmed to me the sentence was banned for life from Hunting in Montana. A few short years later the young poacher was lobbying to get his license back. It's my understanding they lifted his " Lifetime ban" and he now caries a legal Montana Hunting License.

 

[JPickett]

limited resource and they take shooting these things pretty seriously.

unless of course a native does it. then no one wants to talk about it...

 

[BLooDTRaCKeR]

Yep…..how do you ban a “poacher” from “hunting legally”???

 

[eelgrass]

Yep…..how do you ban a “poacher” from “hunting legally”???

True. That's like telling a shop lifter he's banned from the check out line.

 

[DeerHunter53]

Do the crime do the time that simple

 

[BrowningRage]

Yep…..how do you ban a “poacher” from “hunting legally”???

There is some truth to this... Criminal Justice is not, unfortunately, preventative in nature, but rather reactive and punitive. It just sucks when people commit the crime despite the possible punishment.