Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    Made my day too. It's about time. I've seen the number of dear go
    down in my area (Hatfield, Hampshire county) and I can't believe
    it's from anything other than poaching. The hunting pressure just
    isn't there and the kill reports from the check stations don't show
    a great number of deer being taken out of there. Another good thing
    to come out of this, besides the poaching deterent, is that they
    found some of the laws could have been worded better. The one I
    remember was a New York law that wasn't specific enough about selling
    the internals of a Bear, so they had to drop that charge. Still
    it was a great day for the boys in green. I hope they have the finances
    to keep up the good work.
    
    John

    Excellent. But I doubt they will get much of a sentence. There was
    a guy who got caught poaching deer in N.H. a couple of years ago.
    All he got was a $1000 fine and no hunting for one year. But he
    was again caught this year poaching bear in Pittsburgh N.H. He just
    had his sentence handed to him. I think he got a year in jail plus
    a $10,000 fine. When the Fish and Game went to his house the first
    time he had his tagged deer hanging right next to his poached one.
    I just hope these guys get what they deserve. It certainly isn't
    fair for the rest of us and it also hurts hunting.
    							bret

    I heard of the sting only by word of mouth. Does anyone have more
    of the particulars? Like how many arrested, where they operated
    and so forth. Just curious, if someone has more details to share.Thanks
    
    	Barry

    The Springfield (Mass) paper this morning had a front page 
    article relating how a woman from Williamsburg had been 
    arrested for posession of bear gallbladders. She had advertised
    earlier in the papers, offering to buy these from hunters 
    who were successful during bear season. Apparently she was
    also buying from poachers. She had been a suspect since 
    running the ads. 
    
    The gall of some people !   :-)

      3 N.H. "gentlemen" from Tuftonboro (near Winni) were arrested
    by N.H. F&G for what sounds like charges brought forth from Mass
    and CT.  The STING covered multiple states as arrest were made in
    Maine and Florida but it looks like the bulk of the atrocities sp?
    occured in western Mass.  A similar sting occured in VT last month
    when some n/e kingdom gents were snared (ever wonder what happened to the
    deer herd up there?) These guys were born a 150 years too late ....
    they would have loved the buffalo slaughter.  

    
    The article last night in the Nashua Telegraph stated that the amount
    of bears taken was greater than the entire MA population. Most of the 
    bears were taken in Vermont, NH and Maine.  They also confiscated some
    rhinocerous horn powder, supposedly an aphrodisiac (Sp?) just like the
    bear gall bladders. The article mentioned finding a field with over
    300 bear carcasses in it, with the gall bladders removed.
    
    --Bob

    I saw something on TV about how they dealt with the Rhino poachers;

    The shoot them on the spot!

    Sounds like a reasonable punishment to me.  ;-)

    Rich

Maybe they should just take their (poachers) noses and leave the rest...
Brian

< Note 343.8 by MEIS::GARCEAU "I'm the NRA" >


   And then sell them to americans as aphrodesiacs... That would stop the
   poaching.

    
    	They covered some of the Rhino poaching on the '48 HOURS' t.v.
    show a while back, it sure was greusome. It's kind of hard to believe
    this kind of thing even happens in our own backyard!  Sounds like
    a mandate for stiffer penalties!!!  Did anyone see the news last
    night?  They nailed an "animal rights" activist for conspiring to
    bomb some doctor who used dogs and cats for experiments.  These
    people are Serious about their business, I guess that's why it's
    so hard to keep them off our backs.  Sorry for getting off the main
    topic.  I just hope the anti's don't twist this Berkshire sting
    around and blame us legitimate hunters for these atrocious massacres!
    	Fry em - just like they did Bundy!
    
    - Rob 

    	I keep seeing "stiffer penalties" and "They" should do something
    about it. Who are "They"?? Shouldn't that read "We"?? I'm not talking
    about posses or vigilantes, but it should be obvious that "They"
    are pretty understaffed, underfunded and overall pretty inneffective.
    (By the way that's not a dig at any agency, but it seems to be the
    gist of the problem worldwide.)
    	My point is that maybe "They" could use some volunteer help,
    or maybe "We" can develop some ideas or proposals.
    
    	George

    
    In todays Manchester Union Leader (NH), there is an article about
    this sting also with a picture of Wardens in front of Deer & Bear
    hides. The say that this operation is in Maine,Vermont,Mass,Conn,
    Florida, and Canada. They also went on to mention that during mid-
    1988 they broke up a ring that was poaching Jaguar & Ocelot that
    were being taken in Mexico. Another ring mentioned was the one taking
    Rhinoceros horns and also smuggling AK-47 assaust rifles from South
    Africa. The boys that got caught in Vermont are doing a little "Plea-
    Bargaining" with the "Feds". The boys in NH will go to court 2/17/89,
    and also face Extradition proceedings to other states.
    
    
                                                  I hope they "HANG"! 

    Getting back to helping the "feds". Do any of you people think there
    is something we can do? Do you think the feds would let us help
    in any way? I would like to help but don't really have any idea
    how. Maybe we could form some sort of group. I would like to see
    those guys hang. I think the punishments that will be handed down
    won't be enough to stop them. I am sure that there are people still
    doing this. They may quiet down for awhile. BIG problem.

    How about a group similar to the county deputy sheriffs departments.
    All volunteer, self funded, yet still required to go through training
    in CPR, first aid, first reponder, qualification with weapon etc.
    The group could be used for a variety of things. Anything from 
    pratrolling roads and reporting violations (which we could do now)
    to riding with the area law enforcement officials as a back up (it
    would free up one of their men when a two man team is required,
    and enable them to have more teams in the area).
    
    John

    I have heard that Fish and Game went from 40 feild officers to 50
    this past year. But even 50 officers is way too small a number for
    even the size of New Hampshire. But I am sure they could use any
    help that would be available. I definately would like to help. I
    think it could be a very good idea.

    re. .11
    
    George,
    		I didn't mean to sound passive, I agree with you that
    a lot of arrests are made as a result of tips, etc...  I was at
    my Uncle's house last fall having a beer one Friday evening and
    a car turned around in his neighbor's meadow, flashing the whole
    meadow for deer.  I know this is legal in some places, but here
    it is not.  Two years ago some slobs shot 3 deer and left them
    in the middle of the night.  I convinced Chris to call the warden
    and let him know what's been going on, so he did.  He left a message
    with the dispatcher.  
    		About an hour later, with no reply from the warden,
    a blazer did the same thing and from a dirt side road came this
    truck with lights a blazing screaming down on them!!  The warden
    pulled diagnolly across the road on them and cought them with guns
    in the vehicle.   How's that for slick?  caught red-handed.
    
    - Rob
    

    
    
    
    	Would it be that hard to "monitor" those that have been convicted
    already?  It seems that most of these slobs are repeat offenders.
    		
    		Could a group of real sportsmen (or even an individual)
    just make a list.  When someone is caught red handed, write it down.
    then make a call to the "board" that is following either his
    incarceration or parole.  When this animal is out and about, a little
    old fashioned "neighboliness" to make sure HE knows that the state
    officials aren't the only ones keeping their eyes open could help.
    
    
    
    		If that doesn't work, another"old fashioned" method
    could work.  Tar, Feathers, and a long pole.  Apply the first two
    to the perp, apply the perp to the third part, and cary him down
    Main St.
    
    		I don't think it's cruel or unusual.
    
    		no smiley face
    
    
    
    		CP
    

    How about a stockade so the whole town could bean him with rotten
    tomatoes? What if we could somehow mark this guy permanently.
    Just a couple of suggestions.
    							Bret