Assuming you know guys who take part or have taken part in poaching activities, what type of people are they outside of hunting? Thugs, thiefs, or just decent guys?
Just like any other cross-section of society...some idiots, some pretty good people, and some in between.
The ones I've come across are just as shady in life, as they are in the woods; always looking for an angle, short cut, or easy way out, in every aspect of life. But karma's a mutha and catches up to everyone, eventually.
Ive known a few and they were usually just lazy people who wanted a rack to brag about but didnt want to put the work in to get it. I also knew one one time that was a really great guy. He would just shoot one to eat and nothing else. He didnt feel he needed to pay a license fee to eat.
from a moral/ethical stand point I don't wholly disagree... I'm not advocating poaching in any way, but to deny a sustenance hunter that 'right' has a moral conflict with it... obey the law or turn a blind eye to the law for people that need it for food on a regular basis... i've personally got no problem with someone "poaching" on his own land to feed his family, particularly if the animal in question is eating his garden that he uses to feed his fam also... in this area there is a grey area to be addressed, under certain circumstances I can ignore it because I feel that denyin his fam food is a much greater 'evil' than the act of poaching it... granted I know we're talkin about an extreme example, but i think you get the point
Well yes I know a few guys up around camp who take quite a few deer out of season. They were raised eating Venison, they are old-timers and they countinue to eat venison year-round. They pick up fresh road kills and take some with the .22 They are great guys, who live a normal life with only this as a (so-called) blemish to their existance. They don't brag about it, if we weren't close friends we wouldn't even know. Also they do not shoot the Bucks that bring in the revenue to the state, only does. So no they are not all Bad..If I lost my income and needed to feed a family. We would have meat.
Alot of hunters around my neck of the woods go by the old standby of "As long as it gets a tag on it.....". Translation, they get a deer permit for their wife, kids, grandparents, neighbors, etc. The kill every deer they can, but as long as it gets tagged, no one seems to care. My dad and uncle never hunted that way, I don't either. I could call in some good friends every year for filling other peoples tags. Not worth losing a friend over IMO.
This happens a lot during our youth rifle season (which is the last week of archery season/ week before regular rifle season). The dad takes his 5 year old kid out and shoots a buck off the kids tag. It's poaching plain and simple.
It is poaching Jim. Ask any of the "good ole boys" what a poacher is. They will say something along the lines of of spotlighting (illegal here), or a deer that goes untagged. I'm lucky to fill all the tags I have in my own name, I don't have enough vacation time to try filling anyone elses LOL.
When I hear about how much people hate poachers and advocate violence against them I begin to wonder.......I just start thinking of small comparisions in terms of moral/ethical responsibility in every day life. Like for example, would some of you guys that advocate violence against poachers also condone violence against people you see stumbing out of bars looking to drive their vehicles home drunk? I bet many of you have seen hundreds if not thousands of drunks enter their vehicles and drive down the street without saying anything. Which one do you think is more harmful, a drunk driver or a poacher? I could use many more examples.
Poaching is breaking the law but there are FAR worse crimes. I know some fine outstanding guys that would give you the shirt off their back to help you out but they also shoot more deer than they're supposed to. On the flip side, I know guys who are law abiding hunters who would stab you in the back if you gave them the chance.
around here everybody knows everybody. we all know who goes around shooting of roads and trespass. they are just like everybody else they like to play off that they dont part take in those activities but when we get photo proff of them hopping a fence or shooting off the road its hard to get people to belive your story.
Poaching is socially acceptable in PA. From the "buy everyone in the family a tag" types, to flat out jack-lighting anything with bone on its head all fall. Some get caught some don't. Most that I know are really nice guys otherwise, but some are scum bags. And in this day and age, the "feed the family" excuse to me is as laughable and transparent as it gets. I've never seen a homeless guy from the city poaching deer. But guys with quads, boats, and a 40K pickup do it all the time.
I hear ya, I'll never buy feeding the family bs. If was in that bad of shape I probably wouldn't have any means of killing a deer because all my bows and guns would be long gone sold........ so I could actually feed my family.
I have only known one guy that did it, well outright anyhow. He did it for food for a while while he was unemployed. Cant say I blame him much since he has three kids and a wife to take care of. As far as I know it was the only time he did it and was one of the most honest guys I know, well other than being a poacher
It goes on all the time around here and there is no excuse for it at all. There are much easier and legal ways to feed your famliy with out breaking the law.If you got cable,a newer truck,and a butt load of toys in the polebarn I dont want to hear I need it to feed my famliy B.S.!!!!!!! Now if I know a person that has done everything they can to do things right and still cant put a good meal on the table, I'll help him drag the thing out of the woods.
