Another reason why the lawbreakers will always have the upper hand

[Brian Jones]

This is not a thread to bash the MDC.  As one can see from reading the attached article, they did their job.  Shame on the Jefferson County Prosecutor's office for basically letting a convicted felon off the hook, as well as House Agriculture Policy Committee chair Jay Houghton and the rest of the House Agriculture Policy Commitee for being turds and killing a bill that would have increased penalties of convicted poachers.  VERY DISAPPOINTING............... 

http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2016/05/27/missouri-poacher-fined-only-9950-killing-black-bear/84986704/

[Quillback]

I am not an attorney, but from reading that article, there's nothing more that the prosecutors office could do as it was a misdemeanor and the culprit accepted the citation and paid the fine.  I do agree that the law sure is weak as far as the penalty applied for poaching.  It's basically a speeding ticket.

[fishinwrench]

I'm a little bit impressed by the fact that they harvested the meat.  That fact right there keeps me from wanting to see the guys stuff get confiscated and his life ruined.

I'd love to know the amount of freezer burnt deer meat and fish that gets pitched every year by "legal sportsmen".

[Haris122]

Quote

I'm a little bit impressed by the fact that they harvested the meat.  That fact right there keeps me from wanting to see the guys stuff get confiscated and his life ruined.

Wouldn't mind one bit. I have a feeling it wasn't cause he really needed it. From the sound of things he's done things along this line before and I doubt he needed to each time he did. Not to mention for every time he got caught, he probably did it 3-4 times more when he didn't.

[fishinwrench]

One of the things I've always loved about Missouri is that we don't have many bears, cougars, tarantulas, anaconda's, bull gorillas, alligators, sharks, or giant man eating squids to worry about while enjoying the outdoors.  So when one of the above shows up and gets killed I can't get overly upset about it.  Maybe the judge and prosecutor felt the same way.

I can wait until I get into heaven to play with all those type critters, because up there they won't be allowed to eat me, and I won't have to eat them either.

[Haris122]

I disagree with that thinking. I'd gladly see them, though preferably with enough advance notice and plenty of daylight left to navigate around them. Even without that option I'd rather have them here than have some nice sanitized overly neutered "wilderness" statewide, that's basically the same as what I'd see in Forest Park or some place like that. Feels better to me to go somewhere more wild and authentic, then someplace where the only wild animals I ever run across are squirrels and deer, no matter how far out from the built up areas I go. Same reason why I don't like fishing someplace like Suson Park as much as the red ribbon section of the Meramec. Seeing something unexpected once in a while is what keeps it fun. Hell I even get bored deer hunting when I don't see anything but the same old squirrels. I've gotten to the point where I rather see a coyote or bobcat in the wild, than a deer anymore. It makes you wonder is there anything more out there than just a dead forest and a bunch of squirrels and deer, or is it actually something more vibrant than that. I bet if you never caught anything big other than bass and crappie at LOZ, the desire to go fishing would fade for you too. It's the same for being out there in the wild. Once in a while you catch a nice size fish of a species you totally weren't expecting that revives your interest in going someplace. At least that's how it is for me. Same applies to seeing things out in the forests and other landscapes while hunting or fishing.

Btw. don't they have some type of tarantula here anyways?

[SpoonDog]

Casenet says 20+ citations in 15 years, not exactly Mr. Citizenship.  Agents may not be able to do much about the monetary penalties, but surely they can suspend hunting and fishing privileges, though I doubt that has any effect on guys like this.

[Al Agnew]

I kinda understand Wrench's point.  Missouri is friendly country.  I'm more relaxed by far in the wildest parts of Missouri than I am once I get away from the roads in Montana, where there are bears that DO kill people now and then.  I don't like having to worry about how I'm storing food whille camped on a gravel bar on an Ozark stream.

But the question o whether bears should be protected is different from the question of whether the guy should get more punishment.  If it's illegal, then the punishment needs to be a deterrent, and the limitations on the punishment, in effect, make it no deterrent at all.  Wildlife regulations are still looked upon as being little different from parking violations--pay a fine that for most people is chicken feed and you're golden.  Heck, even moving vehicle traffic violations are worse--accumulate enough points and you lose your license or your insurance goes up.

[ozark trout fisher]

If it was significantly  more expensive for me to replace the flat tire I  popped crossing the low-water a couple weeks ago than it is for this lovely person to pay the fine for killing a large native carnivore that is in the middle of a long, slow process of reintroducing itself to Missouri,  there might be a problem with how our lawmakers value our natural resources.

 

 

 

[awhuber]

Wait! Now we want the Missouri legislature more involved withe the MDC?  I'm so cornfused...