Hunter ethics article

[mtmiller]

I got a guy last year off-road in a Monument. He helped me out.

His pickup was very dirty, but he had cleaned off his personalized plate and had his business phone number on the door. Couple quick pics with my GPS in hand with the lat/long and date on the screen and his vehicle in the background.

Busted.

Easy enough for us to step up and police our own.

 

[JLS]

The only way to curb these actions is for the Legislature to create severe penalty's for these crimes. Not the little fine of 2 or 3 hundred dollars or taking hunting privileges away heck they are not hunters they are criminals. There needs to be severe penalty's like sitting their miserable ass's in jail for 6 months to a year. The well to do laugh at the fines and do it again. They would think twice about it if they had to share a cell with Bubba bad breath.
I worked in the criminal justice system for 28 years and folks it's a joke at times and the laws for fish and game are a joke when it comes to justice

In general, all hunting violations are misdemeanors, so they are punishable by a maximum fine of $1000 and up to 6 months in jail. Asking legislators to fix this issue is pointless. How often do you ever see a poacher serve jail time? For that matter very few crimes anymore see any serious jail time and many don't see any unless there is a mandatory arrest.

There are too many meth heads occupying the grey bar hotel. When jail crowding and prosecutor caseloads are an issue, fish and game violations become trivial and are the first to go.

So... Pulling Sheds out of a National park you are looking at the possibility of 6mo Jail/probation.

Wasting an Elk you might loose hunting privileges for a year or two... Does that seem Skewed to anyone else? Shouldn't the penalty for Poaching or Wasting an elk be WAY STEEPER than illegal shed hunting?????

I get that the fines might be higher, but shouldn't there be the threat/possibility of significantly more jail time for poaching an elk than taking sheds?

That is seriously skewed.

As previously noted, there could be jail time assessed for wasting an elk.

The threat of jail time instead of just fines would be a big improvement in stopping poaching. There may be jail time possible already, but it seems all the prosecutors are ever going for on the cases I've seen are fines and revocation of privledges only.

Many fish and game cases NEVER see the courtroom. They are handled via plea agreement, which usually softens them up considerably. Even though many states have mandatory restitution, it isn't uncommon that this slips through the cracks and is never mandated or included in the plea agreements.

Wyoming is one of the few states in the nation that consistently hands down significant jail time as part of the sentencing.

 

[JLS]

I handed all the information over to the IDFG and it was dealt with swiftly. I also qualified for their CAP program and just this morning called in to collect on the program (which I found out today a past hunttalk member helped set up).

I will be donating the money back to the AccessYes program as I didn't turn in the dirt bags to collect a reward...I did it because this type of shit has got to stop.

Unfortunately, you guys are preaching to the choir. Too many folks out there won't "snitch out" their buddy for a hunting violation, because the reality is they would do the same exact thing if given the opportunity.

 

[1_pointer]

This topic is disturbing, and I agree 100% that as ethical hunters, we need to start policing ourselves.

I know I've had enough and just 2 weeks ago I reported 5 poachers while I was working in Idaho for illegally killing a cow elk. I had multiple photographs of their trucks, them, the dead elk, gps coordinates, driving off road illegally on a national monument.

I'm still actively following up on the illegal off-road travel which if nothing is done will be pushed up the chain of command until I get answers.

I handed all the information over to the IDFG and it was dealt with swiftly. I also qualified for their CAP program and just this morning called in to collect on the program (which I found out today a past hunttalk member helped set up).

I will be donating the money back to the AccessYes program as I didn't turn in the dirt bags to collect a reward...I did it because this type of shit has got to stop.

I find it a bitter pill to swallow when hunters blame predators, weather, lack of winter range, etc. for lack of game...then turn a blind eye to poaching as if what they do is akin to speeding on the highway.

Always carry a camera, a pen/paper, and get good information. The better the information the more likely these clowns are to find themselves on the losing end and the more vigorously the GF agencies will follow up.

IIRC that was Ithaca37 that helped start the CAP program in Idaho. I miss his pics/strories with his pudelpointer.

 

[MKotur325]

As previously noted, there could be jail time assessed for wasting an elk.

Ok, that's updating the information I have in front of me. I've also yet to see anyone sentenced to Jail time for wasting or poaching an elk.

The point I was trying to get at is that the penalties are nearly identical for poaching an elk and taking sheds out of a NP or WMA. To me it is so bogus that more emphasis isn't placed on The ELK since the penalties are so similar for steeling horns out of a NP or WMA and Steeling the entire elk.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I really think the penalties need to much harsher on poachers.

 

[ingomar]

Since a first trespassing offense is only a $135? fine, it is not much of a deterrent. Need to have harsher penalties for premeditated trespassing and poaching. Anyone leaving game to rot should be hung up by their thumbs or other body parts.

 

[JLS]

Since a first trespassing offense is only a $135? fine, it is not much of a deterrent. Need to have harsher penalties for premeditated trespassing and poaching. Anyone leaving game to rot should be hung up by their thumbs or other body parts.

That $135 fine COULD come with a hunting license revocation if the judges would do it. That's a deterrent.

The point I'm trying to make is that the harsh penalties are available, but the judges and prosecutors rarely implement them.

 

[JLS]

Ok, that's updating the information I have in front of me. I've also yet to see anyone sentenced to Jail time for wasting or poaching an elk.

The point I was trying to get at is that the penalties are nearly identical for poaching an elk and taking sheds out of a NP or WMA. To me it is so bogus that more emphasis isn't placed on The ELK since the penalties are so similar for steeling horns out of a NP or WMA and Steeling the entire elk.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jai...microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&gws_rd=ssl

 

[Pierre]

Thanks Rob: All states need to be proactive. We need to get these guys out of the field permanently.
Pierre


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Poacher to Pay $30,240 in Fines

11/3/2014

LARAMIE - A tip to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Stop Poaching Hotline helped wildlife investigators apprehend a Chugwater man on multiple counts of taking big game animals without licenses.

Cheyenne Game Warden David Ellsworth said the tip lead investigators to a social media site where 47-year-old John Clark had posted photos of the animals he shot, including a photo of a buck antelope that he said was his “first antelope with a bow.”

Further investigation revealed Clark, who lived in Rock River at the time, never purchased a hunting license for at least six big game animals that he killed between 2010 and 2013. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Clark’s residence that lead to the discovery of antlers and horns from the poached animals. They also discovered a pelt from a swift fox and talons from great horned owls and golden eagles.

During the investigation, Clark admitted to shooting a mule deer buck each year from 2010 to 2013, all without a license. When presented with the social media photograph of his “first antelope with a bow,” he admitted that he had also shot that buck without a license in 2012. He then confessed to taking an additional buck antelope in 2010 and another in 2012.

Clark was charged with four counts of taking mule deer without a license; two counts of taking antelope without a license; illegal possession of elk meat; and two counts of illegal possession of mule deer meat. He was also issued warnings for illegal possession of raptor parts, and for theft/removal of a Game and Fish Department “road closed” sign. The Game and Fish Department did not take action on charges of trapping without a license, illegal take of a swift fox, or an over limit of trout that was also discovered during the investigation.

Albany Circuit Court Judge Honorable Robert A. Castor ordered Clark to pay $30,240 in fines and suspended his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for 36 years. Four charges of illegal game possession were dismissed by the prosecution.

Ellsworth thanked the Wyoming Game and Fish Wildlife Forensics Laboratory for their help in identifying the species and gender of the game meat found in Clark’s possession during the investigation and the Albany County Attorney’s Office for their work on the case.

Ellsworth said this case demonstrates the importance of poaching reports from the public. “This whole investigation got started with a Stop Poaching tip. It stresses how important it is for members of the public to contact us if they have any information about possible poaching crimes,” he said.

Anyone with information on a wildlife crime can call the Stop Poaching Tip Line at 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847). Tips may also be reported online at wgfd.wyo.gov, or by text at TIP411. Informants can choose to remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward for information leading to an arrest.

(Contact: Robin Kepple (307) 777-4523)

-WGF