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Post by swilk on Mar 30, 2016 18:05:05 GMT -5
Hit em hard in the wallet but not a felony. Same penalty regardless of size or sex of animal killed but make that penalty steep and very well known.
A separate category for violations that don't result in the death of an animal. Not as harsh....
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Post by 76chevy on Mar 30, 2016 20:20:49 GMT -5
nope....
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Post by swetz on Mar 30, 2016 21:35:39 GMT -5
I would say no. Penalties are already pretty steep in many cases particularly if they confiscate your stuff.
I always try my best to follow all the rules and regulations, but it just takes one situation you may not be aware of and one CO who doesn't buy your story to get in trouble. Losing your gear, ATV, etc. is bad enough.
Now imagine you lose your job, right to own firearms, and a lot of other things because you're a felon as a result. I hate poaching too, but no thanks.
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Post by firstwd on Mar 30, 2016 21:41:20 GMT -5
Hit em hard in the wallet but not a felony. Same penalty regardless of size or sex of animal killed but make that penalty steep and very well known. A separate category for violations that don't result in the death of an animal. Not as harsh.... The only thing I would add is to make penalties MANDATORY and not let judges decide what the game are worth. We dealt with a judge that didn't really care and a prosecutor that would plea everything down or toss it completely if it wasn't a "big enough" case. They have been replaced.
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Post by beermaker on Mar 31, 2016 6:00:55 GMT -5
No, at least not under the current definition of poaching. We've got bleeding heart judges and lawyers that are letting drug dealers, violent criminals, child abusers, etc. off easy. Those are the s that need to be put in the pokey and kept there. Blatant poachers should be fined, stripped of all hunting rights for a few years, and performing community service that benefits the outdoors. My neighbor got nailed for $2k, lost a gun, and had to do community service for shooting two deer in the vicinity of an old salt block. The authorities were tipped off by an evicted tenant. The neighbor had no idea that he had done anything wrong. He could have very easily avoided the violation with a simple lie, but cooperated 100% and was, in my opinion, given a raw deal. So, should a good man who is a father of two, devout Christian, and a charitable medical professional be branded a felon?
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Post by kevin1 on Mar 31, 2016 6:49:00 GMT -5
I'm leaning toward no felony for a first offense (we all make mistakes), with increasingly stiffer fines/ confiscation for subsequent offenses. Serial poachers get no mercy.
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Post by boonechaser on Mar 31, 2016 12:23:59 GMT -5
No. I believe the current system has a "deer replacement fee" $500 for illegal taking of a whitetail deer.
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Post by featherduster on Mar 31, 2016 12:51:31 GMT -5
Correct me if I am wrong but I don't believe Indiana has a statute for poaching. I know that a Conservation Officer can arrest someone for hunting or fishing without permission and if the county prosecutor will except a case they can arrest for just trespassing but we do not have a statute for poaching.
The courts have a hard enough time keeping up with their felony case loads as it is right now. Make illegal hunting and fishing an infraction but have mandatory fines,suspension or revocation of license privileges and replacement values assessed for the destroyed wildlife. Also have escalating fines for repeat offenders.
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Post by tynimiller on Mar 31, 2016 12:59:45 GMT -5
No, at least not under the current definition of poaching. We've got bleeding heart judges and lawyers that are letting drug dealers, violent criminals, child abusers, etc. off easy. Those are the s that need to be put in the pokey and kept there. Blatant poachers should be fined, stripped of all hunting rights for a few years, and performing community service that benefits the outdoors. My neighbor got nailed for $2k, lost a gun, and had to do community service for shooting two deer in the vicinity of an old salt block. The authorities were tipped off by an evicted tenant. The neighbor had no idea that he had done anything wrong. He could have very easily avoided the violation with a simple lie, but cooperated 100% and was, in my opinion, given a raw deal. So, should a good man who is a father of two, devout Christian, and a charitable medical professional be branded a felon?I understand given the story and situation you described I whole heartedly agree....however I cannot stand when someone uses the "standing" of an individual to lesson their crimes. I concur in that your specific case it wasn't fair in my opinion....however in our past 5 years we've dealt with trespassers, poachers and in one case neighbors hunting state protected land where you cannot even remove a stick from let alone hunt ANYTHING on (photographic evidence even was taken)...all of these cases involved "devout Christian men with families" (or grandchildren even in one case). Sorry when you knowingly cross lines, break laws in the pursuit of a "trophy" (different for each man or woman) by crossing lines, trespassing and actually killing animals illegally...I don't care if you are the pope himself, the crime's punishment should be the same. Trust me beermaker, I get your case is for the most part not in the same category...but the comment of the man's "standing" be considered has always rubbed me a little wrong. I've had friends tell me before not to turn in "x" because it would tarnish his outstanding image and hurt his family....sorry my turning the man in didn't do that, he did that himself. Should "any" game law be considered a felony, I've been easily convinced not...however I believe habitually breaking game laws should at the least flirt with that designation.
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Post by Sasquatch on Mar 31, 2016 16:25:26 GMT -5
I think the level of offense should determine that. Some guy shooting ten deer and letting them lay, some dude poaching 20 big bucks off a state park, multiple offenses-- things like that.
Felonies follow you through life. While I find poaching odious, some offenses clearly don't merit losing the right to have a gun or vote forever. Some kid that shoots a buck standing ten feet into the wrong property - WHILE CLEARLY WRONG---should not have his life ruined IMO.
I'm with some of the others here too---fine the S*** out out of them, and especially take the weapons. Give them away at wildlife fundraisers!
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Post by trapperdave on Apr 1, 2016 8:09:30 GMT -5
Having an under/over size fish in your creel is poaching too. Think mismeasuring a fish should be a felony?
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Post by chubwub on Apr 1, 2016 12:10:02 GMT -5
What a great idea, gain $500 revenue in fines and spend thousands of dollars of taxpayer money jailing someone for 10 years and then spending thousands more having to pay for him to be on goverment assistance for the rest of his life because he's a unemployable felon. All over a crime that is arguably less heinous and catastrophic than a first time DUI offense. Sounds like perfect goverment efficiency to me.
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