From what I saw they said they were "under the impression" they had permission to be where they were at. If they were on private ground I could see this being the case as I know a lot of folks who have gotten permission from farmers, renters, leasees, etc who technically didn't have the authority to grant permission yet did so anyways. However if they were on Cook County Forest Preserve or City of Lansing property that excuse doesn't exactly hold up. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out in the end as they are innocent until proven guilty (except on the Internet of course). While I do believe there's a good chance there was some wrongdoing going on I certainly don't put it past the higher ups in the DNR to "make an example" of these guys as they've done with others in the past. They would do this by bringing a bunch of charges to make the headlines look good but that most likely won't stick. My guess is this gets plead down to a fraction of what the reports say when it's all said and done.
I'll agree. I've seen a Game Warden call a tow truck and confiscate a poacher's truck, gun, bow sitting in the truck, flashlight sitting in the truck, spot light he was using, and then give the guy a ride to the sheriff's office. Sure the guy got all of that other than the gun back, but the example was made. The fact this is from a television show, and is considered a "high profile" bust is the reason it's been a big deal. Remember Andrea D'Acquisto?
