Reading this makes me wonder how often this happens, given how much money these heads are worth.
www.montanaoutdoor.com
Montana Bighorn Poached
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Ben Sellers
Well-known member
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- Oct 29, 2018
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- 573
That is a pathetic penalty for the crime.
rjthehunter
Well-known member
Sad. Sheep hunting as been a dream of mine since I was younger. My grandpa has a north American grand slam and a Marco polo. It really sucks to see one get taken illegally... 1 less for people to hunt who are willing to pay the expense to go or have waited countless years for a tag.
Agreed with Ben, that's a pretty minor penalty
Agreed with Ben, that's a pretty minor penalty
BuzzH
Well-known member
Why I think changing the law to allow pickup heads to be possessed and plugged was a bad idea...
Arcola
Well-known member
10 year suspension sounds good, but $4k fine? Very light in my opinion.
BuzzH
Well-known member
You think?
Considering buying a hunt in Canada is probably 40K...yeah, 4K to kill an 8.5 year old ram in the breaks is a pretty good bargain.
And no, 10 year suspension is not enough either...lifetime ban is more appropriate.
Bugle 'Em In
Well-known member
+1 on Buzz’s first post and +1 on Buzz’s second post.
Makes me sick that people are willing to do that!
Makes me sick that people are willing to do that!
FishN4Eyes
Well-known member
This pisses me off to no end. Should have been a life-time ban and a minimum of $25K. Need to send a serious message to these dang offenders. Grrrrrr......
Arcola
Well-known member
Need to adjust my previous comment. Buzz, you're right. 10 years is insufficient. Lifetime does sound fitting.
MTelkHuntress
Well-known member
Where did they get the $4,000 fine from?
Red Fox
Well-known member
I would have to say an 8.5 year old ram is in the trophy class
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JEL
Well-known member
From the article in the Helena IR. "The sheep in question was estimated at 8 ½ years old but did not meet measurements to qualify for the record book under Boone and Crockett." So I am assuming it didn't qualify as a trophy under MT law? I don't know. Just speculating.
Gerald Martin
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- Jul 3, 2009
- Messages
- 8,302
This kind of thing is maddening.
I was glad the law had changed when I found a dead head this year. A few bad apples spoil it for the rest of us.
I was glad the law had changed when I found a dead head this year. A few bad apples spoil it for the rest of us.
Losing_Sanity
Well-known member
I don't know if it's bad or not, but by the way the article reads it did lead to the conviction. Although the conviction is a poor representation of the punishment deserved.
sacountry
Well-known member
@Big Fin Not sure that two data points create a conclusion, but a ram was poached on the CSKT reservation last year by some tribal members. Supposedly that was one reason why the tribal biologist lowered the number of tribal licenses this year. I do agree with @MTelkHuntress in wondering why isn't the fine maxed? 8.5 year old rams don't just grow on trees around here.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Doesn't take many "bad apples" to really put the hurt on a limited resource like bighorn rams.This kind of thing is maddening.
There was a good reason for the law in the first place, and because some feel they have to possess a dead head, rather than just leaving them lay, it opened the door for this type of thing.
It will happen again...and again...and again.
BTW, I agree that it would be nice to be able to pick up and keep one that died from natural causes, its not worth enough to me to be able to do so, to change the law and immediately start seeing an uptick in this type of chit.
The only reason that ram died was because there was a legal loop-hole for that poaching SOB to try to worm his way around the law.
Law needs to be changed back, IMO.
$4k isn’t enough.
$30k isn’t enough.
To poach means that you choose any animal that you’d like and kill it.
The privilege to do so legally is for sale in Reno every year.
The price of the prior year’s auction tag +25% would be a good start for all poaching offenses.
$30k isn’t enough.
To poach means that you choose any animal that you’d like and kill it.
The privilege to do so legally is for sale in Reno every year.
The price of the prior year’s auction tag +25% would be a good start for all poaching offenses.
Losing_Sanity
Well-known member
You make a great point, however the ability to pick up and keep a skull may have contributed, the Ram died because of a persons decision to kill it. Unethical and immoral people don't need to have an avenue try to get around it. If they are looking for a way around the law to achieve their goal, they will find one. A person could argue that having hunting equipment or access to the area contributed to this SOB's actions. Bottom line, a person is responsible, not the law.
The ability to get a plug legitimizes it, and makes it able to be displayed, showed off, transported and I believe transferred/sold.You make a great point, however the ability to pick up and keep a skull may have contributed, the Ram died because of a persons decision to kill it. Unethical and immoral people don't need to have an avenue try to get around it. If they are looking for a way around the law to achieve their goal, they will find one. A person could argue that having hunting equipment or access to the area contributed to this SOB's actions. Bottom line, a person is responsible, not the law.
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