Dropped for a plea deal and thrown out are not exactly the same thing. And imo passing on a deer because there isn't enough camera light is about a product not the deer or someones ethics. I know i'm responding to noone here as this is from another site but this topic is more than a little annoying.
Admittedly I don't hunt in Illinois and never have, there's no big deer there. So I might be reading some of this stuff from the DNR wrong but... Hunting Deer Over Salt or Bait It is unlawful to take deer by using salt or other kind of bait. NOTE: An area is considered as baited during the presence of and for 10 consecutive days following the removal of bait. It is unlawful to feed deer at any time, even when not hunting (see page 10-11). Feeding Wildlife It is unlawful to make available food, salt, mineral blocks or other products for ingestion by wild deer or other wildlife in areas where wild deer are present. Except: elevated bird/squirrel feeders providing seed, grain, fruit, worms, or suet for birds or squirrels located within 100 feet of a dwelling devoted to human occupancy. incidental feeding of wildlife within active livestock operations. feeding of wild animals, other than wild deer, by hand as long as a reasonable attempt is made to clean up unconsumed food. feeders for wildlife other than deer so long as deer are excluded from the feed in and around the feeder by fencing or other barriers. standing crops planted and left standing as food plots for wildlife. grain or other feed scattered or distributed solely as a result of normal agricultural, gardening, or soil stabilization practices. standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation or food/seed deposited by natural vegetation. grain or other feed distributed or scattered solely as the result of manipulation of an agricultural crop or other feed on the land where grown, for purposes of dove hunting. food material placed for capturing or killing wildlife pursuant to 520 ILCS 5/2.37, 2.30, and 1.3. scientific permits issued pursuant to 17 Ill. Adm. Code 520 that allow food to attract wildlife. any other permits issued by the Department of Natural Resources that require the attraction of wildlife for purposes of management, research or control. Violation of the provisions of this part is a Petty Offense with a maximum fine of $1,000.
To be honest, I couldn't care less what Andrae has been accused/guilty of. All I know or care about is the fact that I've got two of the stands he came out with. They're the best! And no, he's not a part of LW anymore.
X2 This has been my observation also. I think that in general the deer hunting community has a holier than thow attitude and tends to throw stones when they themselves live in glass houses. I think people make mistakes sometimes and deserve a second chance to show they learned from their mistake, but having said that... I think considering all the illegal activity he has been involved in (wildlife wise) during the past decade makes it clear these are not mistakes, but are a continuing willful intent to "bend" the law to what he thinks should apply to him or possibly a blatant disregard for it. It makes you wonder what he hasn't been caught doing doesn't it? It also makes you question the legitimacy of all his bucks. Though I'm sure he has shot deer that were totally legal too. Some might say to lay off the guy, but he does fit the celebrity category and because of his choice to become a public figure should expect be held accountable in this public fashion. It comes with the territory. That's my $.02 P.S. I admire loyalty, but in this case I think it may be misplaced. He may be a nice guy, but nice guy's aren't perfect. In fact, I have found that the really nice guy's are often more likely to do this (just my experience).
The more famous you are, the bigger the lynch mob that forms when you screw up. Maybe he deserves it, maybe not. Either way, he is gonna get it. Makes me glad I'm just a nobody...
LOL... I don't know about that one! Who's this OJ character, never heard of him... I didn't say he was innocent. I didn't say he was guilty. Heck I've never seen any of his DVD - So no ties what so ever. The point I was TRYING to drive home is a COMPLETE pet peave of mine with 1/2 the Media and their lack of integrity. This leads to either naive OR ignorant people making presumptions based of "someones" writing skills and ethics. When it's in Black and White people tend to skip over the fine details. Or the people writing these stories can sometimes "tend" to leave out the fine details. It was apparent to me everyone was throwing him under the bus before hearing an explanation, which being in the public's eye, will happen soon I'm sure. I started ranting based off a few members skipping over the fine details like "habitat stamp" was not purchased. Do you think a guy with the lime light on him and a decent bank account would try to skip out of a $200 item on purpose? Sounds like he plead guilty because of an honest mistake. As far as the other crap, well I guess we will find out, I don't much care to be honest. If he is guilty burn his house down if you choose... Don't even get me going about how the media and public doesn't understand Lindsey Lohan...:D
Another reply (cut-n-pasted) from someone that knows this Lone Wolf Guy... I agree that people like Andrae should really be over careful not to break any laws. He is in a position that kids and other hunters look up to him for guidance. But really, he has a target on his back, and likewise, wardens and jelous hunters should not always be targeting him. I simply had to quit hunting his property in Menomonnee Falls because every single hunt I would get stopped and harrassed and asked a million questions about Andrae. He actually took a falls cop to court for harrassment and won. As far as it goes with anyone thinking he hunts after dark, just look at the proof. He has not shot a deer in over 10 years that was not shot on film. Every deer was shot on film. No moon and darkness, no piles of bait. I have looked at the footage. I too get down at legal closing and commend others who do the same. But I am guilty of staying on stand a few minutes late when I hear a deer coming. Does that mean I am going to shoot it? No. But chasing it away when its likely your target animal is a fools move. When he was cited for after hours hunting he had in my opinion not broken any law and it should of never been cited. The law states that you may not have an arrow knocked and he did not have an arrow knocked. He fought it in court but the judge did not really seem to care about the law and stated that if he was in the tree he must of been hunting. I don't blame anybody for believing the rumors going around. Thats your buisness. If I did not know Andrae and had not seen the harrassment he gets on a regular basis. I probably would wonder myself after reading that crap. I remember when he was stopped in Illinois, the warden actually said, I am going to throw a bunch of citations at you and hope something sticks. That sounds to me like Andrae is the trophy to these guys and they get off on knocking off the big name guys. I read the article yesterday after Andrae read his public statment to me over the phone. In the article it clearly states that one of the hunters from Tennessee admitted putting out the minerals. The minerals were put out in July when it was legal, and were not hunted over. So really, that should be a non-issue. I was also told that the wardens stated they were watching the minerals for several days trying to catch someone hunting over them and no one on the property ever attempted to hunt at, or anywhere near the minerals. Those minerals wetre put there soley to grow large antlers. Andrae finished his release yesterday, but I urged him to take it to an attourney, to make sure he is not saying anything that will hurt him in any future lawsuits. I also told him to have the lawyers look to see if that news release about him is grounds for a lawsuit. It looks to me as though they are claiming things that are not the truth. So there may be a delay in his statment. The internet makes me smart too
If the fine you get from a guilty plea was less than paying for an attorney taking it to trial, wouldn't you plead guilty to save the money? Just throwing it out there.
No. And, that answer would be even more emphatic, if I made my living from the outdoor industry. If he's OK with EVERY deer he's ever killed being "in question".....then I suppose pleading guilty (for any reason) would be OK.
Personally if I was rolling in money, I'd fight it to clear my name. In my current financial state though I'd have to take the least expensive way out. That's just me though.
We're talking game offenses, here. How hard would it be to clear your name (IF you were innocent) on a game offense (financially)? Heck, he don't have to prove he's innocent. They have to prove he's guilty. This "lynch mob" phenomenon....I'm just not buying it.
Wouldn't he still have to pay an attorney to take it to trial to clear his name? Seems to me that I'd rather pay a couple hundred dollar fine than a couple thousand dollar attorney fee. I had a buddy get ticketed for hunting over bait on public land. Problem was it wasn't his bait. Someone else placed it there. He took it to court and ended up paying 3 times what he would have had to pay if he just paid the ticket.
How did the state prove it was his bait? Did your buddy shoot straight with ya? Imagine a horse trainer being accused of doping his horses. Imagine a prize fighter accused of PED's. Isn't this the hunting equivalent? It would bring into question EVERY achievement he's ever had. Would you plead guilty to a game offense that allowed those to come into question? I wouldn't (if that was my livelihood). Would I plead guilty to a traffic offense to save the time/effort/money to fight it? Sure.
Yeah my buddy shot straight with me. I trust this guy. They didnt prove it was his, just proved he was hunting over it. He had no idea it was there. The game warden had to walk him over and show him the bait pile. He still had to pay the ticket, court costs and attorney fee. I see what you are saying about it affecting this other guy's livelihood and like I said earlier if I could afford it, I'd fight it.
Wrong, it's illegal to put out minerals at anytime, anywhere, in Illinois. So I guess his deer will have to grow naturally like everyone else's deer from now on. And, no chance in hell would I plead out if I was innocent. I doubt Andrae or Ted would have for that matter either. Especially if I had their kind of money, and my reputation with the public and the industry was on the line.
