Lots of interesting anecdotes and experiences in here. I know plenty of people violate some game laws based on what they feel is ethical or not. Some people adhere to the letter of the law exactly. Hunter orange is a good example of this, some guys are pretty loose with it and others put orange on their packs "just in case".
I will say, from my experiences as a county deputy, and working with game wardens in Montana, there is just way more country than there are state resources.
And this is true of most laws and crime- the fear of getting caught, or someone’s ethics and morality, prevent far more crime than Law Enforcement as a whole could ever hope to do. It is likely far easier to commit crimes and get away with them than the average person thinks. The ethical and rational citizen doesn't commit crime because they don't believe it is right, and the risks far outweigh the rewards for them. I had a Sergeant who was fond of saying "we only catch the dumb ones."
I've been told wildly heinous things by pissed off neighbors, and I have stumbled into some other game violations while working as a deputy. When I talked to the local warden about these things it was usually a version of "I will try, but its unlikely I can do anything."
This season I watched a semi-offensive game violation being committed and had the warden on the phone, giving him a play by play. He was committed elsewhere and unable to do anything about it at the time. Those hunters suffered no consequences that day, or likely any other.
In a different location, I came across a bull elk that had its head and back straps taken, and the rest left to rot. I did my best investigation, and basically came up with zero leads or helpful evidence. When I contacted that warden, he was very appreciative of the information but with no leads, no timeline and a bull rotting in the backcountry- that does not leave him much to work with.
Ethical hunters are often frustrated by wardens who dive into the minute details of obscure law and write tickets for it. I think these hunters are correct to feel this way, because the game agency is slipping from it's intended mission. For a variety of reasons- logistical, administrative and pure effort, it is far easier and simpler to sit at a game station and write tickets for minor violations than it is to go after hardcore poachers. It is also tremendously safer, and that is no small detail.
This is not to discredit the hardworking LEOs who acknowledge and accept the risks of their job and still look to actively hunt criminals, however, it is the nature of bureaucracy to avoid risks, even if it means compromising the overall mission of the agency. Statistics drive administrations- dollars spent, citations issued, arrests made. Agencies follow the path of least resistance to achieve this. A non wildlife example of this would be an agency who is focusing on traffic violations and parking tickets while their community has a growing drug problem. Being seen writing speeding tickets is far politically safer (and technically easier) than kicking doors on meth labs.
Long story boring- it's up to hunters to police themselves and be ethical.
