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It's a fact and this is the normal disposition of these cases and this is exactly what I thing this type of violation deserves. If the case get's to the court before any other action is taken I'd be surprised to see it turn out any different.

All that aside you ask for help. I advise you to read this thread more carefully than some one has read the regulations and take preemptive action. It is essentially a plea bargin situation and it is common practice in our legal system.

You don't need a lawyer to participate in this way but if you don't have the nerve for it I suggest you get one. QUICK!

Last year in Ohio my hunting buddy got popped in almost the exact same style. He was hunting on Private land (you dont have to buy a tag but you have to write one up) and he dragged the deer back to his shed. He rushed out to go bowling in his league and did not write up a tag for the deer. When he got home there was a note on his door to contact the game warden immediatly. He went out to the shed and the deer was gone. He called the next morning and was issued a citation. Apparently a neighbor called and told the game warden he had shot the deer with a rifle (illegal in Ohio). He had to go to court, with an attorney($700), he was lucky he got the lawyer because they were able to get pictures to prove he did not shot it with a gun but with a cross bow(legal) He did not plead ignorance but he did admit to his mistake and had a few of us vouche for his character. He checked in a great number of deer in the past with no problems and he had permanent tags to prove it.
He was fined $1500 but he did not lose his equipment or his hunting privlages which is pretty common from what we where told.
1. Get a lawyer
2. Admit the mistake (ignorant or not)
3. Try to plea bargain before you have to go to court

I hope this helps.

1) Since he has not yet been charged, is it legal for him to purchase a gun deer license and participate in the firearm season in WI (at least prior to any conviction)?
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Innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

2) Will this affect his right to hunt in other states, either this year or in following years, pre/post-conviction?
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I'm pretty sure that only holds true to WI law unless he is charged with a felony...Ask the lawyers here.


3) Is he still allowed to target shoot with his back-up bow?
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When I got in trouble I was not allowed to even have a firearm in my house. However I was still allowed to keep my bow...and hunt with it luckily that year. He should be allowed to still shoot it but then again its WI law. You Yankee's are usually ass backwards than us though.


Once again good luck. I think you and everyone else who has read this thread now knows who to ask for help when its needed. No point in puttin' your business out here for all to degrade and yell at you because they are holier than thou. I bet not one of em goes 1 MPH over the speed limit. It would be against the law and there is no way these "perfect" people would do something like that. Go with emails, I know I'd help if I could.
I'd say follow the advice of the lawyer here on the board and hope for the best. Absolutely make sure he gets a lawyer though. It definitely won't hurt, it CAN only help.

your friend shouda been looking at the rules. everyyear, a month before season, i sit down and check all the new laws out for the zones i hunt so im legal. this year i coudlnt shoot a buck during teh t zone hunt, which is new for teh county i live in. earn a buck is nothing new to me. he didnt know t zone was doe only and that the zone he was in was earn a buck? does this guy live in a cave the whole year only coming down to bowhunt? i have no pity for this guy. i've heard of alot of people passing up dandy bucks because of the earn a buck deal. i think they shoudl change it to that you can shoot a buck before a doe but its legal as long as you register a doe with the buck.basically you would be able to shoot a buck right away and then shoot a doe later in teh day and register it. just my personal thoughts. i dont have a problem with teh EAB..you get kinda uesd to it after a couple years.

slayer

i would assume he would be able to purchase the license, but if i were, i'd sit it out. i dont think it will affect other states either. i know iowa is in a group of states(a bunch of western states, i can't think of any right off bat) that if you break one in one state, the punishment goes to all the other states. if you're a felon, you can't have a gun i think, but im for sure you can have a bow. a family friend got in trouble right out of high school for having pot on him, he's turned his life around and now is a very successful guy in the concrete biz, but now he can only bowhunt because the crime was a felony and he couldn't own guns.

slayer

A frind of mine got into some trouble several years ago (non hunting) and got 3 years probation. I know he couldn't have any firearms. Not sure about bows. Now he has been pardoned and says it's legal for him to have firearms now. Does this seem correct as I will not pry into his business. Seems logical that he has paid his debt all rights are restored. What's the take on all this?

While this is an unfortunate situation, it should teach us all a lesson. Read the regs before each season. Obviously this is just as or more important than tuning your bow or target practice.
I too am in agreement with getting a lawyer. (tell him to wear a ring of garlic around his neck before his meeting). He or she may not get your friend off completely, the lawyer will be able to plea down the case.

GOOD LUCK!(If he has no garlic, a crucifix may also work to ward off the evil spirits)