RE: Do we REALLY view Poaching as a "crime"?
I get tired of hearing the "poaching to feed their family" bull, been waiting for someone to throw the flag on that one, but I guess it isn't politically correct. For every poacher you can hit with that stick, I can show you a hundred that make more money than I do, or have ego's bigger than their brain capacities. From what I have seen, the very worst ones are the doctors/lawyers who think they are above the law. What is worse than that is the fact that often, they are. One of my best friends is a game warden, and the stories he can tell you would blow your mind.
Don't get me wrong, I help people out with legally shot and legally transferred game quite often. But the folks that I know that REALLY need the help don't blow $80 in gas to go try and shoot a buck. Maybe different traditions for different parts of the country, but that is the reality of my world.