Poached Deer

WE can promote legislation for minimum fines and higher maximums. WE are sitting back and letting THEM (whoever they are) to run the system. I've always thought that anyone who is caught without the proper licenses needed to be required to buy a license. Fines go into the State General Fund which never makes it to the wildlife side. License money's get matched with Federal DJ and PR moneys, thereby making every $ a $+. I've always thought there should be a dilinquent license that costs 10X what a regular annual does. Anyone caught without the proper license should have to buy the dilinquent license that would be void after the day of their arrest. This would make them repay the wildlife fund instead of the general fund. Just my own bias.
 
As Drifter said, the public in general lumps poaching and game law violations into the same categories as traffic tickets, gambling,and prostitution. They are considered victimless crimes. Most average citizens believe that people who commit game crimes, speed constantly, visit the local hooker, or gamble illegally in office football pools, all illegal, are otherwise straight arrows, who subscribe to societal values, live normal lives and contribute to society in some way. Hence the lack of enforced penalties in any but the most agregious cases.This was certainly one, came all the way from Texas, over a period of years. One does wonder how it would have gone if it was the local ner' do wells, with their trespassing, seasons be damned, and what's mine is mine and what's your's is mine attitude. I hope the same. It does seem like they must have had some local help or at least acquiessence, since it went on for a while and nobody turned them in. Emphasis now is on the drug trade, due to the fact that most of see that as morally destructive, a vast underground, untaxed economy, and last but not least that drug dealers carry and use Mac-10's and AK-47's, and use them on each other and any innocent bystanders who happen by. We didn't have Mexican-American-Bolivian drug gangs in 1918, and up to then you could buy cocaine over the counter, along with heroin and just about anything else, taxed and legal. Compared with the game thiefs, there is no comparison. In Africa, poaching is a war, just like the drug trade here, poachers carry automatic weapons and fire fights are fairly common. Penalties are death or long miserable imprisionment, legitimate hunters and concessionaires are predisposed to shoot on sight. When we take it that seriously, poaching will become to hazzardous for the mainstream participants. Now it's a largely a joke, pay a fine and go home and tell the war story, far to often.
 
Maybe "shoot on sight" is a bit harsh...:eek: But I fully understand your point that if the reward for committing the crime is larger than the potential punishment for getting caught, then it is difficult to keep everybody honest.

Isn't "shoot on sight" an accepted policy for trespassers in Texas? Do they have any trouble with poachers?

Also, I like PD's idea about the delinquent license fee.
 
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:cheers:I think if you were looking at loosing your truck and a min of a year in county jail for poaching a deer you would think 2wice. Not to meantion no hunting in that state for life. Plus loss of your right to keep and bear arms. If caught with a gun after it is a 2nd felony. 3rd auto life sentance. people just would not do it. add to that the rewards for turning in a case convicted, and you have your peace.
 
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