Another poacher

[HalfAce]

LAST EDITED ON May-04-11 AT 06:39PM (MST)[p]Monday, May 2, 2011
Enforcement - Region 7

"On October 11, 2010 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game wardens received information that there was a fresh elk carcass close to mile marker 18 on Highway 12 between Miles City and Baker, MT. Wardens determined the elk had been shot and the head and antlers removed. The remaining carcass was left to rot.

An investigation was initiated which resulted in the prosecution of Jeff Poucher of Terry, MT. During the investigation Mr. Poucher admitted to having poached the six point bull elk for its head and antlers. The incident occurred while Mr. Poucher was traveling to an antelope hunt when he saw the bull elk cross the highway. Poucher reacted illegally and poached the bull elk.

Additional charges were filed against Poucher from crimes discovered during the investigation which included over limits of buck deer and antelope. Mr. Poucher was charged with three counts of unlawful possession of game animals and one count of wasting big game. He plead guilty to several charges and received $2,140.00 in fines and restitution and his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were revoked for three years."



Im glad they caught the guy, but then when they talk about "Over Limits" of both deer and antelope bucks. You gotta ask yourself. It seems cheaper to poach in Montana than to actually buy tags. (from a NR standpoint)Fines need to be stiffer in-order for this sh*t to stop happenning.

Wonder how he got his last name?

 

[NONYAMT]

Fn scum bags...why cant we just shoot these guys?

 

[robinsg61le]

Seriously! you're not kidding. Why not go to montana for an occasional out of state poaching trip. Get away with it a year or two and your fines just about pay for your tags you never bought.

It's irritating how lax all states are on poachers. The part that really gets me is that they hardly differentiate between a guy who makes an honest mistake and a guy that is a real poacher... my brother in law forgot to buy his fishing license and got a 230 dollar fishing ticket. The next month, some DB in the same county goes hunting in a unit where he failed to draw a tag and gets a 266 dollar ticket for hunting without a tag. WTH? My brother in law seriously forgot. This DB knew exactly what he was doing... anyway the same fine for that?.... BS

 

[lvelk]

NR's may want to check the regs on the poaching. In state is a slap on the wrist, out of state they are pretty stiff (if they enforce the max, which they would to set an example).

 

[muledeernuts]

I would say our punishments for in state or out of state simply needs to be worse. Poachers do not fear game laws at all due to lack of punishment. I'm sure the guys who just poached the sheds out of Clearwater will get a 500 dollar all while messing with 100 other guys weekend and rights to the sheds. Everyone poacher of any kind should be punched in the teeth and throw a big and i mean big fine. Find the horn Goose!

 

[drahthaar]

I think for a blatant act like that, on top of the other ones, the jerkweed should not ever be able to hunt in MT again. 3 years! Gimme a break. I guarantee he will fill someone's tags every year until he gets his back.

 

[HalfAce]

+ 1 on him not waiting the 3 years.

I looked in the 2011 hunt regs, and the fine for poaching a bull elk by itself is $8,000. True that the bull has to meet a few qualifications. The same goes for a poached antlered deer, $8,000. While an antelope buck goes for $2,000. I dont know if the animals he shot met most of the "trophy" criteria, but how do you have a potential fine of $18,000 drop to $2,100??? (thats assuming he shot only one antlered deer and one antelope buck with his bull)

Muledeernuts, I agree. Along with a higher fine, a guy should get popped in the teeth or a swift kick to the groin. Maybe then will they think twice before poaching.

 

[akamissedagain]

LAST EDITED ON May-08-11 AT 09:42PM (MST)[p]I think what is quoted in the regs is the civil penalty from the state. The fines previously mentioned were probably the criminal penalties.

That is usually what happens in AZ the civil penalty will be 5 times what the slap on the wrist is from the criminal court


>+ 1 on him not waiting
>the 3 years.
>
>I looked in the 2011 hunt
>regs, and the fine for
>poaching a bull elk by
>itself is $8,000. True that
>the bull has to meet
>a few qualifications. The same
>goes for a poached antlered
>deer, $8,000. While an antelope
>buck goes for $2,000. I
>dont know if the animals
>he shot met most of
>the "trophy" criteria, but how
>do you have a potential
>fine of $18,000 drop to
>$2,100??? (thats assuming he shot
>only one antlered deer and
>one antelope buck with his
>bull)
>
>Muledeernuts, I agree. Along with a
>higher fine, a guy should
>get popped in the teeth
>or a swift kick to
>the groin. Maybe then will
>they think twice before poaching.
>