He admitted to the mistake, pled no contest, paid his fine and didn't whine about it. I say he handled it like a man.

Game laws and their interpretation differ in many states and sometimes lead to confusion by the hunter. It's not like he was shooting elk from a helicopter or something serious like that. I think that calling him a poacher is excessive. He paid his fine, he's square with the state of California that should end it.

I dare say that everyone calling him a "poacher" here would be hard pressed to recite from memory, every single game law in their state. So, him not knowing that cmeredeer, or whatever it was, would be classified as bait is a forgivable sin, not a death sentence.