Poaching Fines

This thread is in regards to HailCall's thread about poaching. I did not want to hijack his thread. How does one go about offering suggestions to the Game and Parks about new laws or fines for poaching? Does writing letters have any effect? If so, whom do you send them to, etc. To be honest, I don't even know the fines/pennalities for poaching, just know that it must not be that bad for all the stuff that happens.

I would like to see something like IA's in that the size of the deer is part of your fine. Increase in road shooting fines, and also, somehow get some of that $ back into the landowner's hands. For example, people spend lots of money on land morgages, taxes, food plots, gas, time, etc (not to mention passing on a buck to let him grow - then somebody shoots him off the road then decides it wasn't big enough and throws him in a brush pile 2 miles away - yep that happened) to try and "grow" big bucks or to improve deer herds, yet when someone tresspasses and or poaches the landowner gets nothing to compensate him/her for that. This also applies to all game/fish.

Am I missing something? Is there information out there somewhere that already applies to these situations?

I don't want this thread to "bash" the Game & Parks or Conservation Officers. Thank you

Stanley

 

I'm not sure if the Commissioners set the punishment, but here is their contact info:
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission - Contact Resources Page

I write to Director Amack frequently, and he always responds to me directly & copies who ever is in charge of the department I have a question about & they always respond also.

 

I have to disagree with you on this point. The deer do not "belong" to the landowner. As much money, work, patience, etc. goes into deer hunting and management, the deer belong to public.

I do agree with your other points though. The fines and penalties do need to be steeper.

 

Good point Hammer - thank you. I have thought of that before (a guy who sits on the property line and legally waits for them to come onto his land is perfectly ok and I wish him/her good luck), but failed to see it when the guy is illegal. Thanks for reminding me of that.

Thanks for the contact info Renegade.

Stanley

 

Letting the commissioners and staff know your concerns works. I am by NO MEANS trying to claim credit-but for years I asked for the state-wide season choice buck tag, as well as the ability to bow hunt during the rifle season. After a lot of the response I got over the years on those emails & requests, I was pleasantly surprised when they actually happened.

I'm a real firm believer that if the law doesn't address the safety of the hunter, or the scientific management of the species, then it should probably really be looked at hard & determined to be valid or just plain (for lack of a better word) stupid.

We must as stewards of the outdoors consistently voice our opinions, facts, and concerns to the commission & game managers. If we don't, who will? It's hard to complain about a reg you want or don't want if you didn't even give any input in the first place.

Fines & punishment for poaching crimes may be at the hands of the legislature. Those guys are not beyond my ability to contact either.

 

Well, this might be an answer to both of these poaching threads, but I found it more belonging in this one....
Around me I know there are deer poachers, and every other poacher you could imagine. But I think tthe COYOTE poachers are worse, even though they are a varmint, here is why.
I see bazillions of trucks, driving through private property, shooting from the road, and obliterating the population, which I think they don't even sell, the third isn't the worst thing possible. I say we pool some money with the NGPC and next time you get a coyote, deer, bobcat, etc. and you want to make it a magnet for poachers, try and donate the carcass, with out the meat of course and see if the NGPC will mount the full body and use it to be a "deer" wandering out in the field or forest. This will sometimes make poachers shoot at the deer from the road, then the NGPC steps out while it is all going down, 1 poacher down, couple thousand dollars, then and there paid for the mount, there are some youtube videos on this, worked pretty well, one $50 fine just to repair the mount because of the shot.......see huh huuuuhhhhhh?????? Heck we could get a lot of poachers with this, maybe out west there would be a moose mount... , and also I think the fines should be waaaaaayyyy higher, some even jail time, suspended license if they have one, trespassing counts, out of season, wrong sex for permit, no permit, all could be very heavily fined, and I do think the landowner should get the compensation for trespassing, not for the animal though, the animal doesn't belong to them, but the land does, any cut fence, damage, etc. should pay back the landowner at least a little bit.

 

The NGPC has deer decoys to use however here are a few problems #1. it takes collective man power to make it safe for those who work the detail i.e. several CO's maybe a deputy or two. There are not enough CO's on staff to put several in one location during the busiest times and still cover all the other areas. #2 it takes a landowner who is willing to allow the decoy to be used on their property during those busy times ie weekends during rifle season. Most are not willing to do this as you cant predetermine who you might catch (neighbor, friend) #3 no hunting can take place on the property during the detail. I think the "decoys" work very well, just need some land owners who like the deer more then their friends and neighbors. I know if it was used a little more people might think twice when someone they know got pinched. I encourage anyone who is interested to contact NGPC; with a few new hires they might be more willing to set something up.

 

Just a rumor I have heard... please dont hang me on this LOL

Word in the woods is NGPC will not be out and about as much anymore... local sheriffs and state patrol will be checking and issuing fines more often.
Which I think it is good to get them involved (they already are by some part) but they are stretched thin themselves I hear ?

 

Thats been the word for at least a year now.. The funny thing about it is if a guy calls the sheriff they send ya to the G&P. I caught 2 poachers last year red handed and they didnt receive any fines or punishment.

 

Ive never had a problem getting the CO's to handle any problems for me. As long as your willing to testify in court they seem willing to write the tickets.