RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

States come out with new regs. every year. If you don't keep up with them this is one example of what can happen. It is unfortunate but there is no blame for this incident than on your friends shoulders.

Good luck to your friend.

RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

I am going to ASSUME a few things here to avoid pissing matches. First off I will assume he didn't know he broke the law. Second I will assume, up til this point he has a spotless record both for hunting and in general.

That being said, the punishment you mention is the max that can be given. He should plead his case to the judge, pointing out his spotless record, his ignorance and his guilt and take responsibility for it. Have others vouch for his character as well. Once done, he will be at the mercy of the judge to pass sentence, he may get away with less than the max.

As for taking the bow? that seems strange unless that was taken in lieu of bail.

--Bob

RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

I agree with ADAMS. I think he summed it up quite well. We can't go along personalizing the rules for our own benefit. I also agree that your buddy, at minimum knew he was in a "Earn a Buck" area and seems to have willingly shot that buck knowing he had not taken a doe yet. I do however think the term "Poacher"may be excessive to apply to this individual if in fact he is a "good" guy, but let's face it...thats exactly what he did in this instance. I would suggest that he contact the prosecuter and make a deal with them and provide plenty of character witness evidence to at least reduce some of the charges or eliminate some of them. He knew it was wrong to take that buck and he should be willing to take responsibility for what he has done. Here in NY you are not permitted to feed the deer. My neighbor (who doesn't hunt) was feeding the deer and was nailed by an econ officer. My neighbor told me & I quote "I know it was against the law, but i like watchin them. If they catch me...so be it...i'll pay my fines and be on my way". Well he was caught and hit w/ a $1,300.00 fine. Needless to say he doesn't feed the deer anymore. My point is...he knew it and when caught took responsibility for his actions. Your friend should do the same.

As far as the fish, This ain't horseshoes or grenades.....close doesn't count. 14 inches means 14 inches not close to 14 inches. Anything less is against the law...period. This type of behavior just adds to the DNR's theory that none of us can be trusted and it hurts us all as well as adds to the ANTI's amunition.

Just my thoughts on the matter!

RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

Long story short. We had a friend of a friend do something wrong at our deer camp. He turned himself in. He was embarresed already for making a mistake and then the judge publicly embarresed him and he paid a nice fine. None of that was as harsh as he was on himself. But he knew he messed up and had to take responsibility.

As a side note laws change quickly and regulations and seasons are added every year. You have to read the book. Now am I all-knowing?? Absolutely not! 2 weeks ago I was archery hunting in PA. I knew a youth season was open and I had to wear orange. So I did wear the blaze orange vest as required. (you can take it off once "on stand") But I failed to wear the mandatory orange hat. Mr. Game warden was nice as he gave me a written warning, my son was tagging along in orange with an orange hat on and he had me switch hats with him so I could continue hunting. It didn't make a lot of sense but..he was courteous I was courteous.. we had a few laughs talked about the local herd and we moved on our seperate ways.

RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

What is that saying from that movie???

Oh yeah...."Stupid is as stupid does"

No excuse for what happened here. Read the rules and regs that are published each year. Your friend better find a lawyer that can try and weasel him out of this somehow. If he is lucky they will reduce the fine and perhaps allow him to hunt in 06'.

If he shoots across a road and hits a vehicle will he claim that he didn't read the regs either?

RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

I think the guy should have done the responsible thing and turned himself in if he had known what he did, from what I read, he says he has no idea the mistake he made!??

We as hunters should be able to take the blame and consequences that come with our mistakes we make in field, and in this case, he should have checked for new laws and regulations, since they seem to change every year, and if he doubted himself, he should have asked a friend or a DNR officer. It's better to be safe than sorry..........:eek:

Ignorance is no excuse for the trouble he is in, and I am sure the courts will think the same way!

But I send my luck to your friend..........:)

RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

EAB areas are in the WI reg's. I grew up in WI (live in KS now, but still hunt with family in WI). The DNR in WI is pretty tough on those who break the rules- whether it be illegal deer or walleyes... why? Them's the rules! In WI, the best your friend can do is plead ignorance hope that he has no other DNR violations in his history.

RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

That's a poor example. Ignorance and stupidity are two totally different things. This guy is far from stupid and seems to be a stand-up type of person. Again, he was NOT aware that it was EAB, as he thought the zones would be the same as the prior year when the same action would have earned him congratulations rather than a criminal charge.

RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

If he knew it or not---HE POACHED A DEER.

RE: A friend of mine is in trouble.
 

A very sad story. . .but aren't the season rules published and made avilable at the time your friend purchased his license? It only take a few minutes each season to read the book. If we let everyone off who breaks the law because they claim they didn't know we would all be in deep doo doo.

Sorry again, but, poaching is poaching. The law is pretty black and white.[&o]