Utah = 1,000+ Poaching Cases A Year

My fear is that what you see in Utah is probably a reflection of what happens in other states. When you start adding up to these numbers, it seems judges would finally see what level of crime this is and how it impacts the game management hunters and agencies are trying so hard to accomplish.
 
I find it ironic, that those very poachers are the ones screaming the most about wolves killing all the game.

Randy is right, just show up at one of the departments auctions at the end of the year and it will open up your eyes.

Another reason we can't take the powers away from our wardens. Stay tuned for that one.
 
It Kinda makes sence that the harder it is to get a tag in an area the more likely people are to poach. Utah is getting some long odds.
Going to the expo doesn't help either. Ill admit it would be frustrating to watch rich guys buy tags every year in a unit that you never will hunt despite living in it your whole life. Sad but I think, true?
 
Its pretty sad to see stuff like this. Its not just Utah. Its everywhere. doing taxidermy work, I see lots of it. People bring stuff in and brag about killing it at 2:30 in the morning. Or they want to bring stuff with no tags. Not happening! The guys that poach here have learned not to bring me stuff. They will get reported. I wish there was a way to stop all poaching, but theres not. With areas in the west being so remote, just imadgin how many animals get killed and never reported. I know there are lots of guys that shoot the first deer they see, without tagging them, and use it for "camp meat"! Its pretty sad.
 
The bigger question is who would poach these dinkers?
 

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These bruisers were all poached off a limited entry unit...
UTpoaching.jpg


http://www.huntthewest.com/updates2009/UTpoaching.php
 
As Big Fin stated, Utah probably isn't that much different than other states. How big is the number of unreported cases? It isn't always for the horns either, around here we lose a lot of does to meat poaching, plus the idiots who just want to see if they can 'make the shot' and leave it.
 
My biggest worry isn't the poacher's that got caught as much as the thousands of poachers that didn't get caught, or never will be caught. I would also like to point out that killing trophy sized animals is only one motivation for some to poach. Others do it just because they like killing. They don't care if it has antlers/horns or not. They are all about killing and numbers. There are also those that like to do it just for the thrill of getting away with it. They get an adrenaline rush from dodging the fish and game as well as other hunters. One other factor for why people poach is for revenge. Some have a beef with fish and game and kill things intentionally as a way of getting back at FWP for some thing they feel they have been wronged for. I know, I know, that's some messed up thinking, but we aren't talking about normal behavior here. While other's have issues with certain landowners. That last one I can understand. I don't condone it, and I don't do it, but I can certainly understand getting pissed off enough at a landowner to want to seek revenge. I'm sure there are other motivations, but these are just a few that I'm aware of. With that said I grew up in Utah and have lived about half of my adult life in Montana. Poaching is no worse in Utah than it is in Montana. Both states have no shortage of those that are willing to break the law. I've also been along on hunts in Alaska, Oregon, Texas, Arizona, North Dakota, Colorado, California, and Wyoming. Without exception game violators were alive and well in everyone of those states, and I suspect the same could be said for all 50 states and Canadian provinces. In other words Utah isn't anything unique and one should look at their own state before they get too judgmental about another.
 
Utah has a lot of good LE units, which I imagine really hurts their tag numbers.

I think LE units unfortunately makes people more inclined to poach.
 
Big Fin said:
Chrisakes, evidently the Montana legislative whiskey is being served down in Wyoming this month.
Click to expand...

I think you would be surprised if you did a search of other state statutes. I believe you would find that a good number of states have laws written that way and I would bet that print in red that they want to add to the statute was copied word from word from the statute in another state! If you will notice, it doesn't keep a GW from entering private property, but they do have to have reasonable cause and that can be stretched to almost any reason to do so. Going onto private property to search inside any dwelling or building would still normally require a warrant showing probable cause just like any other law Officer would need on their job.
 
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