Long time poacher busted in CO

[BuzzH]

Schmalts,

He should have thought about the EXACT questions you just asked me before he started his poaching. Evidently, he either didnt think about it (which I doubt) or just like every other criminal out there, thought he was above the law and wouldnt get caught.

My reasons for not poaching are made for all kinds of reasons. Many of them have to do with exactly what you mentioned. If I were to poach and get caught, my career would likely be over with the FS. I could also lose my standing with the School of Forestry and basically "lose" my college degree. I could lose a large portion of my savings with large fines. I dont know about a divorce, but I couldnt say for sure how my wife would handle it (she hates poachers more than I do). I know my family would not approve of it.

If he doesnt like whats happening to him now, he should have put more thought into that PRIOR to becoming a criminal. Those are the things you have to judge as worth risking or not worth risking.

My opinion you have one chance...the first one, after that, you're risking it all by engaging in illegal activities. If you lose it all...dont cry on my shoulder and dont expect a second chance to "start over".

Our jails and court rooms are over-flowing with second, third, fourth, fifth chance "victims" of circumstance.

 

[schmalts]

fair enough Buzz, I respect your opinion but you should also respect mine

 

[Oak]

What i did say was that It seemed that he didnt get a break for cooperation, and that was just an observation and not a opinion on the severity of his sentence. He got what is handed to him and that is what he must take.

I'll admit that I haven't seen the court documents, so all I have to go by is the article above, but I'd say that they could have charged him with a lot more than what he plead guilty to.

Illegal possession of a deer is a $700 fine, plus 37% victim's compensation fee. He plead to three deer. Plus, if any of the deer had an inside spread greater than 22", an additional fine of $10,000 for each one would apply.

Taking the trophy portion of an animal (antlers or cape) and leaving the rest to rot is a wanton destruction violation...Class 5 felony punishable by 1-3 years in prison, mandatory 2 years probation and $1,000-$100,000 fine per incident, plus 37%.

The false statements charge is a misdemeanor punishable by twice the price of the highest license cost for the species in question. A non-res. bear license is $250, so the fine would be $500, plus 37%.

So he could have received fines totaling over $130,000 and 1-3 years in jail, plus a felony conviction which would have restricted a whole host of rights. It seems like they may have given him a break for cooperating.

The DOW is typically more interested in suspensions for poachers rather than huge fines that will affect a poacher's entire family. That's why they will often plead away some charges. They know they will be able to get considerable suspensions levied by the Wildlife Commission.

 

[schmalts]

Oak, I was referring to the suspension part. I have no clue what the fines normally are.

 

[Nemont]

Our jails and court rooms are over-flowing with second, third, fourth, fifth chance "victims" of circumstance.

Buzz,
Are you certain you are not a closet Republican?

 

[JoseCuervo]

At this point I could care less if everyone hates him or not, it's more of me caring about why some do not understand why I am not joining them in the hatred. I think some of you are taking some of the things typed here in a way not meant to have come across, and are not seperating the acts, from the future i guess you can say.

Schmultz, Part of it may be that you defended him, and even went so far as to say he did not do anything else, as evidenced by the 1 year license revocation (see earlier thread that I cited).

Straight up question: Given that you are "friends" with him, have you asked him if he has ever poached anything or knowingly broken any other game laws other than the 3 he plead guilty to?

What Jeff did was a discusting act of waste and greed. I flat out do not tolerate it if it is knowingly going on. I was bothered mostly by the waste part.

Schmultz, so, if he would have made stew meat out of the poached animals and made tamales with the venison, you would not have been bothered? Why is poaching trophy animals less bothersome if the guy eats tamales?

However, if for one second I feel that Jeff has not learned his lesson from this, or if he shows me he hasn't done a complete 180 turn on his outlook of why we all hunt, and ever once copped an attitude that made me think that he didnt have this coming, or if he ever once made me think that he was not at fault in any way, I would tell him to take a hike.

Do you honestly think the 3 charges he pleaded guilty to are the only ones he committed?

 

[schmalts]

Jose, most of your questions as usual are not worth answering or even reading because your to stupid to understand what i typed so far anyway, so i wont address most of them. As far as the one year sentence thing, there was a circumstance that ended up being some kind of higher revocation given by the F&G over what the DA and attorney had worked out. At the point i posted that he was supposed to be getting a much shorter revocation but things changed and i dont have the details enough to post them.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Schmultz,
You don't have to answer them if you are embarassed. You are the one that has to look in the mirror each day.

It doesn't matter what the answer is if you are afraid of the questions. But, you lost all your "credibility" on arguing issues like Wealth Tags taking away opportunity for hunters when you are ok with poachers taking away opportunity as long as they don't waste the meat.

 

[AkBearHunter]

Thats stretching it a bit ain't Jose??

 

[JoseCuervo]

Thats stretching it a bit ain't Jose??

How so? Have you seen Schmaltz rant and rave about Wealth Tags?

 

[noharleyyet]

Buzz,
Are you certain you are not a closet Republican?

If not, he should be charged with wanton waste of intelligence.

 

[schmalts]

Schmultz,
It doesn't matter what the answer is if you are afraid of the questions. But, you lost all your "credibility" on arguing issues like Wealth Tags taking away opportunity for hunters when you are ok with poachers taking away opportunity as long as they don't waste the meat.

A typical idiotic post by someone who cannot understand anything he reads. I have to think everyone else here has the brains enough to have comprehended my statements better that this moron. I am O.K with poaching as long as long as he eats the meat... almost funny douchbag

 

[AkBearHunter]

How so? Have you seen Schmaltz rant and rave about Wealth Tags?

Can't say that I have but your comparisons do seem a little out of whack IMO. I don't remember him saying that poaching was ok, he was just trying to defend his friend. I can definetley see some real anger between some of the members here, guess I haven't been on this site long enough to know the history of it all but it does seem to appear in a lot of these threads.

 

[Moosie]

I am O.K with poaching as long as long as he eats the meat...

I don't remember him saying that poaching was ok,

..............

 

[schmalts]

AK, I have yet to defend him for what he did. What he did deserves what he is getting. As a whole this whole topic i have done nothing but to defend my decision to not stone him to death and nothing more. I never once said he didnt do it, never once said he should get a lighter sentence, never once said he didnt do a terrible thing. Joser just likes to stir the pot, that is about all he really does on this forum. I have doubts that half the things he posts are even what he feels, but rather just to be a dickhead.

 

[cjcj]

Well Buzz, I think you put down everything a good hard-core conservative American would say. [I agree 100%]hump

So i hope you and Jose will feel the same way about the illegal scum who knowingly break our laws over and over.

Just reading your posts about how tough on criminals we should be makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over

 

[IdahoMuleyMan]

Wow, what an entertaining thread!!!!

I'm really gonna hafta go with BUZZ on this one
as he stated....
"He should have thought about the EXACT questions you just asked me before he started his poaching. Evidently, he either didnt think about it (which I doubt) or just like every other criminal out there, thought he was above the law and wouldnt get caught.

My reasons for not poaching are made for all kinds of reasons. Many of them have to do with exactly what you mentioned. If I were to poach and get caught, my career would likely be over with the FS. I could also lose my standing with the School of Forestry and basically "lose" my college degree. I could lose a large portion of my savings with large fines. I dont know about a divorce, but I couldnt say for sure how my wife would handle it (she hates poachers more than I do). I know my family would not approve of it.

If he doesnt like whats happening to him now, he should have put more thought into that PRIOR to becoming a criminal. Those are the things you have to judge as worth risking or not worth risking.

My opinion you have one chance...the first one, after that, you're risking it all by engaging in illegal activities. If you lose it all...dont cry on my shoulder and dont expect a second chance to "start over"."




NO EXCUSE FOR POACHING whatsoever, he felt no guilt during the poaching and after, UNTIL he got caught and I'm sure he had so so so many many pangs of concience once the authorities got hold of him!!!!!!!!!

They should suspend his license for life including the 22 compact states

 

[Ithaca 37]

I'm not a member at Monstermulies and have never posted there. Once in awhile I go there and read a few posts if someone here at HT mentions a topic over there. Frankly, it's a pain in the ass to read the posts over there one at a time and then have to wait for the next one to load up. Maybe I'm reading them the hard way, though. I like the HT system much better. I did think this post # 142 was pretty good:

" I just want to make one comment regarding the type of guy who is a serious, deliberate trophy poacher, based on working next to the guys who make the arrests for the past 13+ years.
There is a misconception that hardcore poachers are typically dysfunctional and socially retarded, and consumed with lust for trophies (there are a few of these wierdos too, but most trophy poachers don't fit that profile). Fact is most of them are "nice guys", nicer, more charismatic, and more sociable than average. They probably WOULD be fun around a campfire. Most of them have their true believer defenders even when the evidence they are hardcore poachers is overwhelming.

They are social, status-conscious, and great conversationalists. They are full of BS. I believe the source of their pleasure is not so much possession of the animal, as it is the social status they accrue as uberhunters from adoring, naive, wannabe peers. It's the rush of the ego boost, the thrill of being brown-nosed. This is why the evil, unfair, sneaky lawdogs are so routinely portrayed as the bad guys in their stories; and even though those stories won't stand up to the light of day or cold, hard logic, they are good enough for their pathetic suck-ups to accept as fact, or at least accept as reasonable doubt."

Somebody oughta post a link over there to this HT topic so they can see what the HT boys have to say.

 

[Oak]

Ithaca,
There is an easier way to read the posts over there (ie, all at once). Just click the "view all" link below the thread heading instead of the heading itself.

The post you refer to is a good one, and it's because the guy that posted it is a former WY game warden.

 

[schmalts]

yea, like oak said, but you have to do it before you open the topic. I wish they had a setting that did it automatic but I havent found one yet