On the news this AM! http://www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=681888 Examples need to be made to prevent this kind of thing from happening!
I think it's great they finally got the law passed that puts a price based upon a boone and crockett score. Yeah I say throw the book at these guys. Make some examples.
He is one of three people charged in the case. More info here. http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/index.php?/pso/article/three_arrested_in_deer_poaching_case/ For those that remember, this is one of the bucks in question.
I "heard/read" they were on some private land, without permission......again I heard that not sure of facts....because I was wondering the same thing.
[h=1]Three charged in deer poaching case[/h]November 02, 2011 at 04:06 PM Prairie State Outdoors MORRIS—Three men have been charged with illegally killing two dozen deer, including one Illinois officials say might have set a new state record. The Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday that 45-year-old Christopher Kiernan of Minooka, 49-year-old Larry Smith of Williamsburg, Ontario, Canada, and 31-year-old Garret Armstrong of Avon, N.Y., each face multiple charges. Grundy County State’s attorney Johnathan Bates said Kiernan turned himself in and was released on bond. The other men have not yet been jailed. Kiernan did not return a call from The Associated Press. None of the men have entered pleas. Bates said the deer were shot at a site just outside Morris in north-central Illinois. The investigation focused on the unlawful kiling of a 36-point non-typical deer scoring 261 5/8 and valued at $35,000. DNR officials said that deer could set a new whitetail record. The three were charged after an 11-month investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Law Enforcement. All three men were cited for numerous Wildlife Code violations and now face charges through the Grundy County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Sangamon County State’s Attorneys Office. Charges were filed after a thorough investigation with assistance from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Alberta Sustainable Resources Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Specific charges were filed as follows: Christopher Kiernan (age 45, of Minooka, IL) 11 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge 19 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer 5 counts of hunting with invalidated permit 5 counts of unlawfully taking of deer 2 counts of falsifying harvest records 1 count each of: Failure to report harvest on the same day as killed, Fail to tag deer as required Garret Armstrong (age 31, of Avon, NY) 9 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge 8 counts of hunting with an invalidated permit 4 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer 2 counts of unlawfully taking of deer 1 count each: Failure to tag deer as required, Failure to report harvest as required Falsifying harvest record Larry Smith (age 49, of Williamsburg, Ontario, Canada) 1 count each of the following: Hunting without permission of landowner Hunting with invalidated permit Failure to tag deer as required Unlawful possession of illegally taken deer Unlawfully taking of deer Failure to report harvest as required Falsifying harvest record
Primarily they're accused of hunting on property where they didn't have permission to be and hunting without valid tags. There's some other violations in there, but those seem to be the most of them. In all fairness they are innocent until proven guilty, but it certainly doesn't look good. With that many charges it's hard to think they aren't guilty of at least some of them. It's a shame really.
I'm a law enforcement officer and I can tell you that these guys wouldn't have been arrested if the officer's involved didn't think that they had enough probable cause to take out a warrant. Now they still have to be convicted but in poaching cases such as this one most conservation officers won't even seek warrants unless the evidence is overwhelming. I think that conservation laws should be a lot tougher. We are very luck here in Ky in that we have excellent Game wardens that are very proactive during hunting seasons.
