Wyoming Hunter Fined $10,000 for Mistaking a Grizzly for a Black Bear

[7LRM]

poacher got caught, no feeling for him!

 

[Hnthrdr]

Not a poacher, not even close. Since I’m not some blameless angel I can empathize with the gentleman and his kid. They did the right thing and got absolutely railroaded for it… not a fan of filming hunts for public viewing or the commercialization of hunting (feel like it’s ruining it) but I feel for the dad and kid. I guess since the precedent was set with the biologist it was established… but it sucks

 

[LongWayAround]

poacher got caught, no feeling for him!

Did you read what happened?

This guy misidentified a bear and reported himself. That's not getting "caught."

Also, poaching is a deliberate and wanton act. Again, not the same as making a mistake.

 

[cuerro viejo]

poacher got caught, no feeling for him!

I dont know whats worse, your troll or the DA that prosecuted the father and son. Especially after watching video

 

[cuerro viejo]

No, it doesn't include the fine. The fine. . .or, "restitution" still needs to be paid.

Deferred justification is warranted, max 10k is asinine.

 

[Red Letters]

I guessed wrong on the same bear as well.

on a side note, have there been any documented cases of interbreeding of these two sub species?

 

[bmrfish]

Here is the story on this grizzly incident you will never hear in the media.

Good on you for taking the high road and self reporting. Stand up move. I agree that the fine seems excessive.

Watched the video but it troubled me. Playing the victim and rationalizing the mistake did not play well particularly after taking the plea deal. A better lesson for the son might have been to man up and take ownership on both ends of the thing.


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[atmat]

Here is the story on this grizzly incident you will never hear in the media.

I appreciate you sharing your side of the story. In my opinion, $10k is a steep fine for what amounts to an honest mistake.

With that said, the video itself left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t love the satire about the “unethical hunter,” because frankly the idea of unethical hunting is the absolute last thing we need anywhere in the media. Additionally, it eventually felt like one big advertisement for your social media, store, and book — which were directly plugged at the end but also indirectly as branding throughout the whole video.

I think I would’ve preferred a more humble approach (i.e., “hey, we made an honest mistake, immediately self-reported, and complied throughout the legal process; while we disagree with the value of the fine given the evidence, we are grateful to not have criminal records and will gladly pay it. Here’s video of the bear if you want to check it out yourself”).

This is just my opinion, I’m sure others will disagree with me and that’s totally okay.

 

[Bearwhisky]

Watched the video. Any sympathy I might have had was gone after doing so. Playing the victim and rationalizing the mistake did not play well with me particularly after taking the plea deal. A better lesson for the son might have been to man up and take ownership.


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This is petty. He did man up and take ownership. The man turned in the bear and admitted his mistake that day. After months of being slandered hes just telling his side of the story.


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[bmrfish]

This is petty. He did man up and take ownership. The man turned in the bear and admitted his mistake that day. After months of being slandered hes just telling his side of the story.


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Point taken. Revised to clarify


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[TaperPin]

Regardless if you agree with the original poster or not, we should be thankful he shared the story - people need to hear real world stories of unexpected things that come up, and getting a front row seat is really valuable. I don’t know what state, or what animal, but somewhere someone who sees this will be better prepared for something unexpected.

 

[LongWayAround]

Thanks for the thought. We can agree to disagree but I appreciate your comments. I realize there will be many different opinions of the video presentation, fines/restitution, etc. All the best to you.

I also didn't dig the "decline of the ethical hunter" satire, especially from a hunter education instructor. It seemed to be poor taste for me.

I'm sorry that you got railroaded for doing the right thing. It's not always easy to do what you know to be right, especially knowing that it won't just be over. When I saw the clip of that bear, I immediately thought "black."

I believe there should be some sort of penalty, regardless of intent, but $10k is just outrightly ridiculous. Clearly, that is an undue financial burden. Hopefully, you guys are able to put this all behind you soon and continue setting a good example for your son and others.

 

[KenLee]

Bad plea deal. Chumped

 

[KenLee]

lol

The chumped, then cries about it is what causes me to have no sympathy.
If ya gonna chump out, suck it up and live with your chumpness.

 

[atmat]

The chumped, then cries about it is what causes me to have no sympathy.
If ya gonna chump out, suck it up and live with your chumpness.

This is a really bad take. I commented earlier I didn’t like his video. But pleading no contest and accepting a plea deal of $10k is absolutely the right decision when your children are involved and legal fees are quickly adding up and will eventually surpass the fine value.

 

[KenLee]

This is a really bad take. I commented earlier I didn’t like his video. But pleading no contest and accepting a plea deal of $10k is absolutely the right decision when your children are involved and legal fees are quickly adding up and will eventually surpass the fine value.

With the video they had, no prosecutor would charge the kid. Would get them too much bad press, especially with Dad's ability to create nice videos.

 

[atmat]

With the video they had, no prosecutor would charge the kid. Would get them too much bad press, especially with Dad's ability to create nice videos.

I don’t think you have the credentials to speak for WY G&F. People have been prosecuted for very silly things. Do you have children?

 

[KenLee]

I don’t think you have the credentials to speak for WY G&F. People have been prosecuted for very silly things. Do you have children?

You really think G&F wants to get spanked by the press and a Jury for prosecuting a kid on these facts?
I have one kid. He's mean like his Mama

 

[Red Letters]

Is the the 10k fine the same as it would have been for an actual poacher? obviously there are other things that could be added for criminals like loss of hunting privileges etc. I just curious is this is one of the typical “zero tolerance policies“ the government uses because they are devoid of common sense.
kinda like when my kids were is school, they would get the same punishment if you sent them to school with an aspirin, as another kid that got caught with a joint.

 

[jpmulk]

I do think this is a problem with fish and game. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be a punishment. But, there is a difference between purposefully/knowingly and negligence. Fish and game punishes good behavior. A good hearted guy trying to do the right thing gets crushed for it. This Never sends the right message to the people. I’ve seen fish and game do this to others several times before.

Letter of the law versus spirit of the law is something game wardens often don’t seem to understand. Just my personal opinion.