First, I don't believe there is a person here that has never broken a game law on accident.
That's your opinion. And you are entitled to it, however wrong it may be. Not everyone is as lax, or forgetful as some.
Second, I want to hear all of you guys that want to set here and pass judgement, admit that your are criminals.
I never passed judgement. I'm just telling you what the law is. I'm not saying you are a criminal or a poacher. I don't even know you. But, I'm not a criminal, so hold don't hold your breath.
A law was broken, plain and simple. The difference is now you know your guilty and you don't want to admit that you are by your own definition a criminal. You can't choose whether or not to break the speeding law, it's a law and if you don't obey it, you're a criminal.
Again, you're not reading the entire post.
The fact that you forgot to put a plug in a shotgun before going duck hunting may or may not get you arrested. But it's still a violation of the law, plain and simple.
and
So if you break a game law, again in most States, you are a criminal, thus a poacher since it has to do with the game. I'm not trying to debate the good laws versus the bad laws.
I'm not trying to divert the issue, you are. The title of this thread is dealing with poaching, a legal term used to describe those that violate game laws, not on how fast you get to your hunting area.
Am I a criminal? Most certainly not. Again, you need to go back a few posts and re-read my comments, I explain why I am not.
Oh, and by the way, by the definition you give,
1 : one who has committed a crime
, in our society, one is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. So, until you are convicted of a crime in court, you can not be a criminal.