Poached elk

[Hammsolo]

Poaching. If I am unemployed and steal from 7-11 to feed my kids or rob a bank to pay the utility bill then the law does not really differentiate as to motive when knowingly break laws. Ignorance is not a very good defense either even if you rush to pack your bags to fly to Russia.

It wasn’t the same. These people were not ignorant. They were a large population of hardworking laborers with specific skills left holding an empty bag.

Be careful to research prior to judging. Chuck, my buddies Father, was a wonderful man. He worked his ass off in the mine and smelter. He had no transferable skills and their were no jobs for the size of the labor market left. There were only so many grocer jobs. His face was pockmarked from the tunnels and forges and he eventually died of COPD.

Growing up in Anaconda you saw a generation of men with ravaged faces die young. Prior to his death he was able to return to a smaller scale mine when it opened years later. He worked hard until he was incapacitated. I lived this personally, and was blessed that my family had the benefit of education.

You’d have to live it. This was a total collapse of an economy. There have been books written about it. The world of Butte, Anaconda and the surrounding area was built on mining. The company “shut off the lights” and left. It went from being the richest area in the country at one time to being one of the poorest. Butte was wealthier than NYC for quite some time.

Feel free to read.

 

[Hammsolo]

You can't equate the two. Shooting a deer to feed your family is not the same level as robbing someone. I mean where do you put someone that's stealing cable? Or using someone else's Netflix account? It's stealing so it must be the same and come with stiff penalties!


Does anyone find the irony in the shoot shovel shut up mentality when it comes to wolves vs how horrible poachers of elk and deer are viewed.

Poaching is wrong but to pretend it's as serious as crimes thay would send a person to prison for years is ludicrous.

It doesn’t fit “natural consequences” either. Form direct connections, like lifetime bans.

 

[Hammsolo]

Huge fines and jail time seem like a great idea until you realize that in most of the country you have to commit a violent felony against another person to actually spend a single night in jail right now. You’ll never convince the judges or prosecutors to give the guy who killed an elk prison time, a $150,000 fine, and public whipping in the town square. The same judge probably just ROR’d a guy with felony warrants who got in a pursuit with police in a stolen car. Wildlife crimes are unfortunately a long ways down their priority list.

It is also extremely expensive. Taking away their hunting privileges and such (not rights) doesn’t cost us a dime. What about community service? It would benefit us and the animals if it had to be tied to the crime.

 

[wytex]

WG&F has posted asking for info on this incident on their FB page.

 

[Simpleman64]

What a waste

 

[Trophy Cow]

Jail doesn't do anything for people.

Felony status and hit them with MASSIVE fines. The amount of the fines should financially torpedo people. $50K - $75 seems like a good starting point.

Take their truck, all contents, guns, and put it on auction for CHEAP. Give people 1 bonus point for every poacher that they turn in that leads to a prosecution as well.

People don't learn unless their wallet is impacted.

I have 0 sympathy for a thief and that's exactly what these people are.

Jail time from September to November for a few years might help.

 

[Topdog]

Well, found this bull dead on our way up to do a little ranch work. Some idiot shot it from the highway.
Sadly , the GW left the head attached but it was gone when we came back by, brazen idiots it seems I guess.
Shot once in the neck and once in the antlers.
Truck in background just shows distance to the highway.

Notice the amount of blood from the velvet antlers, quite a bit so still growing, tips were not pointed off yet.

Pissed is an understatement for us, GW's are on it though.

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I found a beheaded elk last year and reported it but not sure what happened. I also found salt licks in 34 and reported it only for game and fish said it was fine…there was cattle in the area?