As a Juror, would you vote to convict someone that killed a wolf?

[Flyjunky]

once I hear people say "it's my job" to excuse their shitty behavior I lose all respect for them.

I wonder if that explains the connection to the FBI and DOJ having their lowest ever confidence levels

 

[Hnthrdr]

No, But I would also never in a million years choose a career path that forced me to act against my own will/morals because "its my job".

once I hear people say "it's my job" to excuse their shitty behavior I lose all respect for them.

Remember lots of Nazi soldiers and guards were just doing their job, just carrying out orders…

 

[TaperPin]

When you let people off, they take advantage of it and all the sudden it not just wolves, but deer, elk, beers, etc. Everybody has an excuse - for some reason hunters act like teenage boys when it comes to excuses.

 

[Jason Snyder]

 

[MattB]

I doubt I would ever make the jury pool, but if I did I would vote to convict if the evidence supported it. Whether you agree with the law or not. It is what jurors affirm they will do in the event they make the pool.

 

[roadrunner]

EDIT

Just for discussion purposes let’s say the person mistakenly shot a wolf thinking it was a coyote.

Nope.

 

[huckfin]

Nope, they need to be managed year round. I do not trust the "state" that imposes completely arbitrary dates that we the people can and cannot shoot a preditor. Wolves are the farthest from being "endangered", there has not been a single wolve population in the USA that has been on the decline since 1980. There are real criminals out there hurting our natural recouses like the liberal bureaucrats managing our natural recourse, they have done more damage to our game populations than any group of poachers. The real poachers out there that have killed 6 trophy bulls, bucks, bears a season need to be dealt with rather then the low hanging fruit of someone that made a mistake or didn't dot an I or cross a t within the fine print of game laws that are so wildly different from unit to unit and state to state.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Love that cnelk posted a good thought provoking question, thanks sir!

 

[roadrunner]

Let`s just pick the laws with which we personally agree to uphold, correct? This thread is in danger of spiraling out of control pronto. It will slip into the political instantaneously.

One would have to cite from memory the 20,000 ridiculous laws already in existence.

As far as the "pet" laws commonly enforced, most of them are petty anyway...

 

[Huckleberry Hound]

Let`s just pick the laws with which we personally agree to uphold, correct?

Everybody else is, from top to bottom. When youre playing by the rules, and everybody else plays dirty, youre gonna lose

 

[Hnthrdr]

Kind of wonder what age our hard and fast black and whiters are? Something tells me they are in their 50’s/60’s conversely how old are the not guilty folks? I’m a millennial, in the not guilty category. This isn’t some attack on folks either just call it sociological query

 

[doc holiday13]

EDIT

Just for discussion purposes let’s say the person mistakenly shot a wolf thinking it was a coyote.

No.

I've shot lots of coyotes and I can see how it would be difficult to tell the difference between a coyote and a wolf when using NV.

At most i'd say there could be a marginal financial penalty without any negative impacts on licensure in the future

 

[doc holiday13]

If CA/DA and law-enforcement can pick and choose I see no reason a jury shouldn’t be granted the same opportunity.

If you're a juror, then you are a peer. You aren't the law, you aren't the prosecution. You are viewing that person as a friend, sibling, parent, or yourself. You get the opportunity to put yourself in that persons shoes and evaluate the evidence to see if there was malice, willful negligence, honest mistake, and see if there is room for mercy/lenience of application of the law

 

[Westernduck]

You know the battle is lost when our side is choosing to do what’s “right” and the other side is fighting to win.

And that’s a NO from me. I’d actually try to get on the jury just to help the guy.

 

[wind gypsy]

I would give them the same conviction muley freak got for his first 2 poaching charges.

AND the blowmars.

"Are you guys talkin about poaching wolves?" - Brian Call

 

[ReaptheHeat]

Very Caffeinated Rant Ahead.

Meh, this state barely enforces law anymore. Denver is a craphole. Friends tell me they can't even get cops to respond to events. Open air drugs, speeding, recklessness... Yet, they keep enacting laws in this state that target people already trying to be law abiding (recent gun laws and constant proposed legislation). At some point you will be a criminal for just trying to exist.

I reported an illegal outfitter to CPW and the Colorado Outfitters Association 4 months ago that has a website, facebook, phone number, email, twitter, instagram, the works, etc. Absolutely nothing has come of it. They can at least use their huge surplus of NR fees they get to hire some more people and clean things up.

Shoot and kill a man with a muzzleloader while hunting due to complete negligence? Couple years and a pity party for you.

Shoot a wolf? You will be hung to dry.

At what point do we stop caring?

 

[Haro450]

The government fails to enforce our laws all the time. DA's publicly saying they wont try certain crimes. That would lead to me saying I would vote not to convict!!!

 

[Yoder]

Depends why. If a wolf killed your dog and you shot it, I'm good with that. If you just shot it because it was a wolf, no. I feel the same way about people. If someone rapes your child and you kill the guy, I'm not voting to convict. In fact, you should get a reward. I see the rich, famous and powerful get away with just about anything. Just because it's the law, doesn't mean it's right.

 

[dogtorbahr]

This is a good question that I thought I had the answer to right off the bat. The truth is, wolves are badass critters thrown into an environment where they no longer belong. The only reason they don't belong here is us...humans have altered the landscape so much as well as taken over as the apex predator. Expecting wolves to help restore some sort of pre-human natural balance is absurd.

What all the ballot box biologists don't seem to realize is that "us" aren't going anywhere. Humans are the problem here, and yet, humans are here to stay...

Hard not to go off on a rant here but I guess I'd have to agree with the civil disobedience approach - no vote to convict from me

 

[cnelk]

This thread is in danger of spiraling out of control pronto. It will slip into the political instantaneously.

4 pages in and still going strong