RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Yea this thread is destined for 10+ pages IF, and only if, it can be kept civil. People are already drawing analogies that may or may not fit the situation.

And now we’ve opened up the can o’ worms about feeding ones family. Because we all know that feedin’ ones family gives a person carte blanche to break any game law they see fit.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

LOL :D;)

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Gmmat,

I'm starting to question your rationalism (if that's a word). Go back and re-read Seven-Mag's post. Pretty much sums it up.

You're the kind of guy that seems to me to overstep his boundries. You're also the guy that I suspect would turn folks in and wonder why your property is vandalized or that you need to fear what may happen to you out in the woods.

I think in the right situation you make the right call. There are no universal truths.

Tom

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Then let's keep it on track.;)

For the sake of this example......the person/persons in question make good livings.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Tony brings up another good point. Out of season, things change. But, also, you have to look closely at the choices the person is making. I have had some rough times the last couple of years. Things are better now. I am actually waiting for the Dish people to show up. This will be the first time I have had something other than the old-styleantenna on the roof for almost three years. It wasa choice I made to provide other things for my kids. I was hunting with a 20 year old bow until now. I got a nice bonus this year, put some money aside and then bought a new bow for my son and myself. I maintain my own garden. Raise my own goats. We all make choices for our families, some good and some bad. I would do everything in my power, though, to provide without breaking any laws.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Well, I think we are probably twisting this in a direction to try and see the "other" side. I doubt the person in GMMATS original question, is in this situation or Jeff and his Wife would either Donate a Doe or send them a gift card to the Grocery store. They are that kind of people!

As (HNI)Men we are Hunters and Providers and we'd like to think that if a situation ever occurred where we could not buy food for our family that somehow we could still provide the basics. Those are our survival instincts.

To let this scenerio go much beyond this point is just making conversation.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Over step his boundaries???? Please explain????

Should we keep our silence when others are breaking game laws.....for fear of retribution by the very people that we're turning in for breaking the law? Is that a healthy situation......for the law abiding?

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Lol

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

rybo ... what would you do .. you live in Pittsburgh .... we had a snowstorm here that lasted 2 weeks in '77 .... put yourself in the situatiuon where you can't get out and deer season is over ...... no food in the house .... children and wife hungry ..... a big fat doe in your backyard ....... what would you do???

Bruce .... are you a Game officer? [:-]

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

I would go out and kill some of my chickens and eat them ;).

No, not a DNR employee.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Good point Bob .... I recant my other examples ........ oops .... to late :D[:o]I'll shut up now [X(]

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Also......I'm not making ANY of this up. This is 100% real.

The person/persons in my "hypothetical" have taken WELL beyond what the law allowsfor in my state. WELL beyond.

He/they also have no DIRECT affect on my hunting area. That point is moot, as far as I'm concerned.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

It's all about line drawing... and I can see both sides of the fence...

On one hand, guys can get pretty carried away with hunting - and sometimes the conduct becomes so egregious that you just can't look the other way anymore. We're working with a limited natural resource that is seemingly in unlimited demand. We rely on our peers to play by the rules, and since law enforcement is spread so thin, we do rely on one another to report violators when violations are taking place.

On the other hand, this is a recreational activity. Is it really going to have any long-term impact on your life if some guy goes out and shoots a deer with his kid's tag? Or fakes a disability to get a crossbow permit? Or shoots a buck in a doe-only season?

Personally - I'd base everything on the egregiousness of the conduct. Really, if it's just a one-time thing, or something on the de minimisside of things - I'd probably just keep quiet. If it's really bad, I'd probably let him know that if it doesn't stop - you're going to have to talk to someone about it.

From my experience, if you make it REALLY clear that you're not going to tolerate any shady behavior - the problem will take care of itself (i.e. - they'll either stop doing what they're doing, or they'll find a new place to hunt, where they don't always have to be looking over their shoulder).

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Geez, with friends like these, who needs an enemy?[&:]A deer goes untagged and he lost all friends AND gets a dime dropped on him. God forbid if he cheats on his taxes or gets the senior discount at Dennys when he's a year too young.[:o]

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

GMMAT,

You do what you want. Every person weighs pluses and minuses differently.

Somemay believe thatthey'll come back as a butterfly to continue to enjoy life. For others they feel that decisions they make in this life will affect thier placement after death.

Others are niave to think that most folks are rational and won't really take matters into thier own hands. Then there are the folks that just react without thinking. Then wonder why me when thier comfortable little world suddenly has a kink in it.

Me, I believe I'm not taking any chances with my currently breathing status and the pursuit of happiness.

If you want to have a real philsophical debate, consider what is a law? Should I follow the law and why? Don't impose your decision to follow what you are told onto others. Someone just might not like that too much one day.

Tom

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

What if my "friend" steals your treestand? He told me he just "found" it in the woods. Should I just let it slide?

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

I guess if I was to answer the original question given the additional facts my answer would be:

If you know he is doing wrong, and your conscious, tells you to act. Then, yes turn him in. But to so without the bravado of calling attention to yourself. Turn him in on a tip line anonymously. To bring attention to yourself in his "neck-of-the-woods" only brings possible retribution and that's not gonna be good for anyone!

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

doesn't sound like a "friend" by my standards... to me, friends are the guys you'd have stand up at your wedding, guys you'd call in a tough spot cuz you could count on them, guys you'd do anything to help out if they were in a tough spot... sounds to me like an acquaintance... I'd bring it up casually, maybe find out more about his situation, etc... i'd still be on the edge of turning him in, but, by the same token, if he does this long enough, he's gonna get caught eventually without your intervention... just my .02... breakin the law? certainly... is he really hurtin others? not so much... i'd still be about 60/40 on the "no" side of this one at this point

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

PT,

I have way more food in my house to make it 2 weeks without being able to get out. I also have a 4x4 and am healthy enough to walk to a store for food if need be.

A 2 week blizzard creating a state of emergency for a widespread area is VASTLY different from Jimbob falling on hard times and quickly resorting to poaching instead of finding other means to provide food.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Bruce, did "my friend" shoot "your" deer? Sounds like greed to me.

BTW, I did get a stand stolen last year. Tell your friend to send it back or you'll call the feds.:D

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

OK.......I asked the question....now here's the WHOLE story (but it goes back to the original).

I found out a guy (or two) I shoot 3D with (and would consider them 'friends') have shot well over the limit for bucks in my state for at LEAST 2 years running. THIS SEASON ALONE......one has taken NINE (limit is TWO).

Now....does THIS change your mind(s)?

There is NOTHING 'hypothetical' about this, now. For the sake of the "example"......there are two guys....and both are entrepreneurs (business owners) and both have the means to feed their families without employing such tactics.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

I suspected that financial situation would affect answers ....... I would bank on it that you have never been poor ..... I have seen some things in the last 10 years of my ministry ..... the truth is, most people have NO idea how they would act if THEIR situation changed dramatically ....... anyone ever seen, "Trading Places" with Dan Akroid and Eddy Murphy ....;)

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

9!!! Yeah , they are screwing the less fortunate...TURN THEM IN

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Not my deer. The state's deer.The only animals Iown are dogs and chickens ;).

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Bruce my Lab ate the neighbors chickens, he did not turn be in, but I bought 28 dead ones[&:]

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

[quote]ORIGINAL: rybohunter

Deleted .... duplicate

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Wow thats some bad news!! But on the plus side I hear they taste a lot like....chicken!

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

See, that's what friends do for their friends. Pay for the food LMAO :D.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

You are half right PT.

As an adult, I’ve always been able to make ends meet sometimes they met easier than others, but I never got in over my head.

HOWEVER, as a kid we hit some hard times and we were poor. My dad never had to resort to poaching to put food on the table. He’d work some low level cruddy jobs and do what he had to do. And yes sometimes those boxes of food from the church helped out a lot. One of the things that really helped us out was trapping. Back in the day when fur prices were high, he could make a good bit of money trapping, and when times were tight, that money really helped.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

It would depend on what was being done and how often. I see plenty of people that do things they shouldn't and I don't say anything. I'm talking about people I don't even know. I don't go around narking out everybody that messes up. I'm just not that guy. If they get caught the get caught I won't feel sorry for them. However I am not going to lead the police to their doorstep because they cheated on their taxes, stole a candy bar or killed an extra deer and didn't tag it.

The question I would ask myself is are they really hurting anyone, or themselves? I would be more inclined to turn in someone driving like an idiot on the freeway than I would someone that takes an extra buck during deer season.

My definition of a true friend is someone that will help you bury a body;). And there are a people I would do that for, so I could overlook minor infractions of game laws.

I never claimed to be the most moral person in the world though.

Paul

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

if YOU dont break a single law then its up to you to decide whether to turn him in, but if you do break ANY law then dont turn him in.....but 9 bucks per year isstupid..so yeah i see yourpoint

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

For you guys who wouldn't turnviolators in.......

Is there a scenario in which you would? What is YOUR threshold?

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

If it's a noble thing to turn friends in make sure you let them know that it was you thatturned them in. I wouldn't turn a friend in for poaching. I don't poach. I know of poached deer. I know of poached turkeys. I don't condone it and they know it.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

The guy obviously likes to stroke his own ego. I'd turn him in, in a second. Jef, you are lucky to have what you have as far as hunting lands, some of us less fortunate, have to hunt hard and for someone to break the law like that..... I hunted hard all season and saw 2 bucks, neither within bow range. I will say that I have made a call to turn someone in, but as you know I am a taxidermist and can loose my license, so I had more than just an aquaitance to loose.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

I would like to add this: If my friends were poaching then they would not even let me know about it. They have enough respect for me not to include me in something that I would not do on my own. They would not make me an "accomplice" even if just in knowledge of the "crime". My friends have enough respect for my honor and integrity not to expect me to go along with something like poaching or stealing or .......... But then, that is why they are my friends.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Yep.

Just because someone elses arrogance rubs you the wrong way, Think real hard about making what they do, 'your' business.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Well I had a so called friend.We worked together,Drank together,shared women,you name it we did it together.

He was talikng about goingt out and poaching.I told he several times to shut his mouth I didn't want to hear it,if he continued I was going to turn him in.Well he didn't shut up,I turned him in and he got caught.

Well he caught me gone and killed all my Hunting Dogs [:@]I sued him and won.But it didn't bring my Dogs back or our friendship.

There is way too much fish and game that is legal,to not be out poaching anything even if its for food.

big rockpile

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Given the scenario that Jeff described I would turn the guy in or both guy's in.I would do it on a tip line without divulging my identity or to a Encon officer without divulging my identity.The punishment for such offenses is a joke and I am not putting my family,my home or myself in harms way on an offense of this nature.The poachers that Jeff described do not seem to be the low life unsavory ones that I am more familiar with.

RE: Would you turn him in?
 

Great insights, guys.....and I thank you.