Poaching data

[mtwarden]

If a person is charged, it is up to the county attorney to go forward and prosecute the case. There have been instances where the county attorney, an elected official, has declined to prosecute. It doesn’t happen often, but it has happened.

If the case is big enough, it’s often the State’s AG office that does the prosecution. Sometimes the case is prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office as well or both.

But to proceed with the prosecution is always up to the prosecutor, regardless of the jurisdiction.

As a game warden you quickly learned the importance of maintaining a good relationship with your prosecutor.

 

[canyonhunter47]

I was told years ago in NM more than half the deer shot were poached. Not sure if it was true or is true, and if it was the region or the whole state, but I wouldn’t be surprised

 

[AHayes111]

A 170 class buck close to the road will be lucky to last a day before he is the victim of someone willing to poach on our ranch. One of the reasons many landowners dislike the current five week season in MT.
@mtwarden, what part of region 7 did you work?

 

[Dust Rider]

MT Region 3: I saw 4 bulls confiscated in two days.

 

[mtwarden]

A 170 class buck close to the road will be lucky to last a day before he is the victim of someone willing to poach on our ranch. One of the reasons many landowners dislike the current five week season in MT.
@mtwarden, what part of region 7 did you work?

Same one as you live in

Your Dad (unless you're another Hayes) used to let us run our decoys at your place (he would even custom pile bales of hay to hide our trucks in!) and also let us use the little cabin do spotlight patrols out of.

 

[AHayes111]

Same one as you live in

Your Dad (unless you're another Hayes) used to let us run our decoys at your place (he would even custom pile bales of hay to hide our trucks in!) and also let us use the little cabin do spotlight patrols out of.

Some of those decoy stories are classics.

 

[cnelk]

I saw a deer get poached this fall.
A truck with 2 guys stopped on the county road not far from my Wyo cabin and they were watching a buck out in the field.

They ended up shooting from the ditch, opened a gate, drove out and picked up the buck and drove away.

I didnt know if they had permission or not to hunt there, but found out later that no hunting permission is given.

 

[MNGrouser]

As a game warden you quickly learned the importance of maintaining a good relationship with your prosecutor.

We had a local guy work as a city police officer for years and was recently selected for the conservation officer academy. One of his instructors was telling the class something similar.

This new Conservation Officer relied, "I drink beer with my prosecutor. Is that good enough?"

 

[mt terry d]

MT Region 3: I saw 4 bulls confiscated in two days.

View attachment 805143

I'd like to know what exactly the violations on those are that required confiscation.

I'd not be surprised if they are what most people would categorize as "technicalities" rather than "poaching"; "improper something or other". Like getting tagged for a "california stop".

Yes I'm cynical when it comes to MT game wardens in general. No personal offense meant to MTWarden

I've seen too many things done by the F&G over the years. I will admit that I think the Gallatin area
cleaned up their act some in the latter 90's but I'd credit public outcry for that.

 

[Marble]

Did you miss the part where I am a prosecutor? I'm on the other side of the table trying to get tougher sentences on cases where defense attorney's, jurors and often judges are the one's not taking fish and game laws seriously.

Holy shit did I step in it with this one!! For the record, @IDVortex was the one who initially suggested it would be interesting to hear @mtwarden 's perspective. That was over on the Outfitters Pay Cash for Pins thread at post #55. Not that I'm trying to blame him or drag him into this fire. I thought it was an interesting question and was genuinely curious of the responses. I didn't expect confessions but I also didn't expect the backlash.

I do agree with @Caseknife that we won't ever really know. My initial post contained my anecdotal evidence from Wisconsin on some headless bucks I discovered while trapping during the DNR's failed initial response to CWD there.

You boys sure do know how to make a guy feel welcomed!

The worse poaching cases I have seen have been Marijuana growers. Either on national forest land or on private property. I've seen them kill damn near anything they can eat or that may disturb their crop.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[mt terry d]

Several years ago the Hmongs in the Mpls/St Paul area made a killing in western Wisconsin.

I've heard nothing lately about them.

 

[Rich M]

Most poachers are shooting for horns. You see the cases and they are usually multiple trophy critters or some dumbass who shoots a monster buck and thinks he can pawn it off as a fair chase kill.

 

[AHayes111]

Some of those decoy stories are classics.

One time we gave permission to a guy and his two teenage sons to hunt. They just happened to choose to hunt the ridge above where the wardens were running the decoy and parked behind the hay stack. The hunters spot the decoy and make a careful stock to with in range. The two boys then fill the decoy full of holes. Wardens got to watch it all. No it would have been ok for the two boys to shoot the decoy, except upon investigation it was found that nether of them had valid tags and the only one in the group with a license was the father and he never took his rifle off his shoulder. Just goes to show you that you can not be too careful when giving permission. If they are willing to bend the rules like this, it is likely they would bend the rules in other ways,

Another time the wardens were running the decoy on a small parcel of our property on a popular access road to the National Forest. The wardens were just finishing up writing tickets to one group of violators when they see another hunter coming up the road. They quickly move to get themselves and there truck back in hiding in full view of the oncoming hunter. Much to their surprise, when the hunter sees the decoy, he stops and shoots right from the county right-away. The wardens asked if he saw them in the truck an why did he shoot. The hunter replied, " I though you guys had run a buck out for me".

I have many other unethical hunting stories. As a landowner you are always getting exposed to the bottom dwellers with hunting licenses. One of the reasons I get on sites like this one is to interact with ethical hunters and keep myself from getting a very jaded view of sportsman.

 

[wind gypsy]

I'd like to know what exactly the violations on those are that required confiscation.

I'd not be surprised if they are what most people would categorize as "technicalities" rather than "poaching"; "improper something or other". Like getting tagged for a "california stop".

Yes I'm cynical when it comes to MT game wardens in general. No personal offense meant to MTWarden

I've seen too many things done by the F&G over the years. I will admit that I think the Gallatin area
cleaned up their act some in the latter 90's but I'd credit public outcry for that.

My only interaction with wardens in region 3 was after I watched a Jeep run down a herd of elk on BLM, flock shooting out of the windows while moving. Not sure if that falls under the definition of "California stop" but it was ugly. The circus that happens when herds find themselves surrounded by the shooting galleries near the road is an embarrassing example for hunters.

 

[mt terry d]

Nope. Not even close to a California stop.

hang 'em high.

Had a similar experience the first time I took my young son along antelope hunting.
We were making a stalk on a buck when over the hill comes a pickup hell bent for election
with a couple trigger men in the back . They managed to eventually kill the buck but it
took several rounds. The antelope ended up running towards us ( we were hidden in a fence row)
and it dropped maybe a hundred yards away. We stayed hidden until they were all at the buck
and then stepped into the open so they could see us and walked back to our truck.
It was a local rancher and pals.