Would you turn him in?
12-27-2007, 07:54 AM
#141
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Antioch, IL
Posts: 661
RE: Would you turn him in?
ORIGINAL: Sooner State Hunter
To those who have a strong stance on this topic, my question is how many hunters do you hang out with or know just as an acquaintancesthat you consider to be "poachers" or "game law breakers"? Reason I ask is that it's easy to answer the question with a knee-jerk response - "Heck yeah I'd turn them in" - if you don't know anyone first hand who might be involved in questionable activities.
To those who have a strong stance on this topic, my question is how many hunters do you hang out with or know just as an acquaintancesthat you consider to be "poachers" or "game law breakers"? Reason I ask is that it's easy to answer the question with a knee-jerk response - "Heck yeah I'd turn them in" - if you don't know anyone first hand who might be involved in questionable activities.
12-27-2007, 07:56 AM
#142
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Somewhere in Michigan
Posts: 5,702
RE: Would you turn him in?
Probably not, but it would be a discretionary and situational. If the guy shot a deer for food, definitely not. If he spotlighted and killed a monster buck because it was a monster buck then I would!
12-27-2007, 08:00 AM
#143
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,102
RE: Would you turn him in?
I voted to turn the people in but to do it without divulging your identity.(I can't spell anonomously.LOL) Most of the known poachers in our area are not particularly stable.A couple have criminal histories,assault,drug convictions.SO the fear of retalliation is well founded with these people.
I have turned in poachers on 4 occaisions,one was for shooting a doe in someones lawn,one was for shooting from the road,two were for baiting.SO I just don't turn a blind eye to it.The unfortunate thing is that it is really difficult to get a conviction on poachers and if they do the fines or punishments are not severe enough.You have to be a complete moron to be convicted in our area.
I know a poacher who has shot a mechanical deer in one instance,had a taxidermist turn him in for shooting a deer with a rifle during archery season and the guy is still poaching big bucks every year and still buy's a license just like you and I do.
So there is an attitude of why bother,they wont be able to get a conviction and if they do the punishment is a joke.Refer back to me having turned people in on four occaisions.I don't condone it.
I do feel it is a matter of degree,am I going to turn someone in for using a spouses tag,friends tag.No I am not.I know people who fill tags for other people and give them the entire deer.illegal yes,common practice,management permits are legally transferrable in NY.
I do believe it is a judgement call,and while I hold the game laws in high regard like all laws there is hypocrisy.Laws are laws and we all break them,speeding,tax laws,infidelity,stealing in various ways,ie the extra cable box and many other examples.
I am not here to judge everyone,not my place for a lot of reasons.If someone is doing something totally horrendous such as nine bucks,they are getting turned in.
I have turned in poachers on 4 occaisions,one was for shooting a doe in someones lawn,one was for shooting from the road,two were for baiting.SO I just don't turn a blind eye to it.The unfortunate thing is that it is really difficult to get a conviction on poachers and if they do the fines or punishments are not severe enough.You have to be a complete moron to be convicted in our area.
I know a poacher who has shot a mechanical deer in one instance,had a taxidermist turn him in for shooting a deer with a rifle during archery season and the guy is still poaching big bucks every year and still buy's a license just like you and I do.
So there is an attitude of why bother,they wont be able to get a conviction and if they do the punishment is a joke.Refer back to me having turned people in on four occaisions.I don't condone it.
I do feel it is a matter of degree,am I going to turn someone in for using a spouses tag,friends tag.No I am not.I know people who fill tags for other people and give them the entire deer.illegal yes,common practice,management permits are legally transferrable in NY.
I do believe it is a judgement call,and while I hold the game laws in high regard like all laws there is hypocrisy.Laws are laws and we all break them,speeding,tax laws,infidelity,stealing in various ways,ie the extra cable box and many other examples.
I am not here to judge everyone,not my place for a lot of reasons.If someone is doing something totally horrendous such as nine bucks,they are getting turned in.
12-27-2007, 08:03 AM
#144
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Antioch, IL
Posts: 661
RE: Would you turn him in?
ORIGINAL: Arthur P
If he's a friend, why would you let him get so desperate for food that he's forced to go out and poach? Why aren't you and hisother friendshelping him out? Letting a friend and his family starve just proves eitherthat you do not really a consider him a friend,or that you've got morality issues.
taking someone elses example, what if the guy IS feeding his family out of this, he's breakin the law, you're gonna deny his family of food???
We had apoll on here a whileback about breakinggame laws and would you do it. It ran about the same way this one is going, with a pretty healthy majority saying they already do, or would in 'special circumstances'. Just like the 'special circumstances' excuses being made here. I lost a lot of respect for a great manypeople on this forum over that one. This poll is just reinforcing the result of that one.
But talk about hypocrites! Griping about others' ethics shortcomings while you go around talking and acting likeour game lawsare optional? Grey area my hind end!
But talk about hypocrites! Griping about others' ethics shortcomings while you go around talking and acting likeour game lawsare optional? Grey area my hind end!
and another thing, i'm not by ANY stretch saying our game laws are optional, nowhere has that even been hinted at... the grey area lies in what each individual person would do about it...
12-27-2007, 08:13 AM
#145
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location:
Posts: 21,043
RE: Would you turn him in?
With the results speaking for themselves.......I have to ask....
I posted on here a while back about "hunters" (as a group....and in MY opinion) having its' unfair share (I think I used the word 'exhorbitant') amount of unsavory characters. Given the results of the poll above......what's to change this (if indeed....it's even true....%-age wise)?
Doesn't "silence = assumed consent"? Are we making it too easy?
I don't know the answer. I think an open dialogue is a good thing.
I posted on here a while back about "hunters" (as a group....and in MY opinion) having its' unfair share (I think I used the word 'exhorbitant') amount of unsavory characters. Given the results of the poll above......what's to change this (if indeed....it's even true....%-age wise)?
Doesn't "silence = assumed consent"? Are we making it too easy?
I don't know the answer. I think an open dialogue is a good thing.
12-27-2007, 08:38 AM
#147
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TX Panhandle
Posts: 620
RE: Would you turn him in?
For me, silence does = assumed consent. Call it what you want, but you are either part of the solution or part of the problem. Our whole society is ate up with touchy feely it's all okay syndrome. Whatever happened to people being responsible for their actions? And for making others responsible for theirs? We're going headfirst down the crapper and not enough people are realizing it is because there is no responsibilty for actions in our society anymore.
12-27-2007, 08:53 AM
#148
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Antioch, IL
Posts: 661
RE: Would you turn him in?
critr-gitr,
i agree with you nearly 100%... accountability is certainly something people need these days especially... but the inital question was whether or not you'd turn in your friend... a total stranger? absolutely, DNR gets called, a friend though is different to me... confront said friend first, convince him, if he's a friend he'll listen and not be offended (much) and you'll continue to be friends... but with a friend you shouldn't need to contact the authorities to make a difference
i agree with you nearly 100%... accountability is certainly something people need these days especially... but the inital question was whether or not you'd turn in your friend... a total stranger? absolutely, DNR gets called, a friend though is different to me... confront said friend first, convince him, if he's a friend he'll listen and not be offended (much) and you'll continue to be friends... but with a friend you shouldn't need to contact the authorities to make a difference
12-27-2007, 09:00 AM
#149
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location:
Posts: 21,043
RE: Would you turn him in?
but with a friend you shouldn't need to contact the authorities to make a difference
Does the degree of the offense have any bearing on whether you hold this line or not?
Are there some offenses that simply "can't" be overlooked?
12-27-2007, 09:05 AM
#150
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,913
RE: Would you turn him in?
Are there some offenses that simply "can't" be overlooked?
[/quote]
Absolutely. I don't think you would have had many no votes if you would have told the whole story at the begining. 9 bucks when the limit is 2....turn him in. But be prepared for the backlash if you tell him you turned him in. Thats what tip lines are for.
[/quote]
Absolutely. I don't think you would have had many no votes if you would have told the whole story at the begining. 9 bucks when the limit is 2....turn him in. But be prepared for the backlash if you tell him you turned him in. Thats what tip lines are for.