Poaching Penalty

[Stonefly]

I have read in different forums about the penalty received for different people who poach. The response from MM's differs on weather the penalty is to much or not enough., So, what do you folks think a "fair" penalty would be, for a few different situations. Lets say the "honest mistake", "Smidging the Rule", "I dont care what it take to have a trophy", and the "I'll make a huge profit when I sell it " jerks.

 

[Vanilla]

Tough to say. I think punishments should fit the crime, so with said, it becomes very fact based. Not all 'honest mistakes' are created equal, as an example.

 

[Zeke]

I agree with Vanilla. The punishment should fit the crime.

There will always be a few "accidents" but usually it's a case of greed mixed with low moral character that causes the problem.

Story time:
In Nebraska, my son-in-law shot a whitetail with his muzzleloader and when he walked over to it he found 2 deer. He was shocked until he remembered that he had plenty of tags to cover the "accident"! This is rare but certainly not unheard of.

The penalty should increase exponentially the further we move away from an honest "accident".

I'm glad I don't have to be the one to decide.
Zeke

 

[hossblur]

To me an honest mistake is accompanied by a phone call to the fish cop.

Once you cut off the head, or transport, its not a mistake and IMO it that crime should be a felony with mandatory jail time.

Once you kill it, cut off a head, then sell it, it should be accompanied with mandatory PRISON TIME.

In the 38yrs that I have been in the field I have never seen an instance when someone accidentally cut the head off an animal.

Now, shooting and leaving and animal, not in season, not in unit, etc, should come with JAIL TIME.

No one wants honest mistakes to be puinished, but to pretend that we can't differentiate honest mistakes with poaching, they are either stupid or have something to hide.


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

 

[Zeke]

Hey Hoss,
Read about the guys in the Wyoming forum and the sweet penalty they got.
Zeke