I like the idea of this system but it needs a few additional tweeks in addition to the rack scoring system...

1. A beginning fine of $5000, which will DOUBLE with each additional offense. EX: 1st offense= $5000; 2nd= $10,000; 3rd= $20,000

2. Additional fine of $5-$10 per pound that the animal weighs. If no weight can be detemined, for whatever reason, the fine will be $1000. This will help deter doe/antlerless poaching, which is all too often overlooked.

3. A suspension of hunting/fishing privlages of one year for first time offenders, 5 years for second time offenders, LIFETIME for third time offenders. Additional offenses will result in automatic jail time in the tune of years, not weeks or months.

Too tough?

Why should the fine be lass for a lesser animal? You will never know what the ultimate potential for that animal might be. It could grow into a monster buck or be the sire of a monster buck or even the dam of a monster buck. Poaching is just not caring about anybody but themselves for sake of bragging rights and it is outright a theft from legal hunters and a slap in the face. No fine is too stiff for then and should carry a mandatory felony charge, loss of hunting rights permanently and an appropriate jail sentence (at least one year or more). Also loss of weapons and the vehicle to transport the animal. POACHING HURTS EVERY LEGAL HUNTER!

I am torn on this approach. I think it should be a flat rate of lets say $5K and 15 days in jail for poaching any deer. What does a buck that scores 170 B&C deserve to cost a poacher more than a spike or a doe. Poaching is poaching make the punishment so sever to deter all forms of poaching, not just the big buck poaching that takes place.

ckRich I agree with your rules except for the one year suspension of license. I would say first offense is a 10 year suspension and never get an antlered tag after that. Second offense and never hunt again. One year is way too easy. They should also never be able to carry a firearm in National Forests if they have a suspended license.

i think "ckRich" has the best idea

ckRich has a wonderful proposal. I would amend that with a longer suspension AND a B&C Bonus!!!!! for a good performance.

I like the idea. Crime and punishment has gone soft lately, and enjoy seeing some slack being taken up on these poachers. The penalty for a first offense should send a message well beyond a slap on the wrist. Further offenses should be financially crippling, requiring the garnishing of wages for years and years. Those who commit gun crimes should fall into a similar pit, with the addition of a healthy dose of jail time. Stiffer punishment for all too common offenses will begin to correct many of the problems plaguing law abiding gun owners and sportsmen and women.

I don't think it should be tied to antler size, but I'm all for raising the penalties. Something along the line of ckRich's idea would be good.

Poaching is poaching no matter the size or score of the rack and punsihment should be harder all across the boards equally.

In a lot of the cases of poaching the person doing it won't just kill a basket rack or fork horn little buck. high risk high reward is what there after. I think that size should be weighted into the fine... Also i think that the money that is collected off of these large fines should go towards the wildlife in the area as a separate fine.

I don't know what NC's laws are, but any penalty should definitely be the same for any deer taken. A four-point buck that is poached could have easily grown into the next world record that could have been taken legally. Let the punishment get higher per offense.

What's next? A statute declaring poaching a "hate crime?" Jail and a stiff fine is the Common Law way to deal with this. Imagine a poacher in a cell for 6 months with a verrry lonely convict. It could happen.

Use this system for a year, average the top five fines dealt, and use that number as the fine for any poacher thereafter.

Ruckweiler

It is hard to say if someone is guilty of an immoral act maybe but there are still laws for a reason. I am not sayin that if it was between me breaking a law and starving to death well I know what I would do and I am not very good at going hungry.

For those poaching just to get theirs and the law os there to protect not only the wildlife but all of us too.

I have said it multiple times and I will say it again, if you poach once you should never be able to get an antlered tag ever again. If you are not willing to give up antlered tags for life to feed your family then your family is not starving. Every poacher should be punished but I believe that doing this would serve justice to every poacher (plus fines) and it would be fair to the starving poacher.

It would be kind of like speeding tickets. The faster you go the more points and the higher the cost.

Don Mitchell-What photo?

I was recently talking to a gentleman who manages a privat heard he told me something that leads to me that some of us have been short sited on some management. I believe it can just as easily be a doe that carries on the lineage for the trophies most of us desire so I think it should be a heavey fine for all poaching.

The problem I have with setting these stiff fines is who is policing it. Several states have reasonable men in charge that isn't always the case. I'd have to have to pony up 5 large for being able to take an ethical shot a few minutes +/- legal shooting time or some other small infraction.

This is a thorny problem. Poachers as a rule are not wealthy people, so extravagant fines are not going to be collected, and lengthy prison terms for failure to pay fines are not realistic. That would be like a debtors' prison. And revocation of licenses doesn't work well for these people. Confiscation of weapons and vehicles may be the only workable solution, with conspicuous (orange jumpsuits) community service added on.

I think there should be heavy fines for poachers, and i believe that there should be other penalties added on to these fines in certain cases, but i also see if you kill an animal for food, even if it is illegal, because There is no one on this site that would watch their family die in front of them from starvation when all you had to do, even if it meant breaking the law, was go out and shoot an animal and your family would have food for that day. I dont understand putting fines on poachers who poach deer or turkey or pheasant, but not on someone who poaches squirrel, rabbit, or other game. Fines should be equall for all game wether its a doe, a buck, a rabbit, squarrel, or a small game animal or fowl. However, i also agree with charging a 5000 dollar fine for poaching, and then adding a 100 fee for what it would cost to process that animal, make them donate the meat if it is good to a food bank, make a donation to a food bank, based on there income, a fee of $10 per lb of animal shot, and a fee of $2 an inch when the antlers are scored, or a if it is a doe based on how many years old she is, this would be if a poacher shoots a 2 year old doe that has an average life span of 6 years she would have 4 more groups of offspring so charge a 1000 dollar fine for every offspring that she could of had. Also taking any hunting gear, weapons, ammo, etc. that the poacher owns

example if a poacher who makes $30k a year kills a 2 year old doe there fees would be as follows, $5000 poaching fine, 100 processing fee, a 10% income fee donated to local food bank in this case $3000, the doe weighs 160 lbs so $1600 for meat destroyed, and the doe is 2 yrs old and would have lived to be 5 yrs based on health and environment = 3 offsprings so $3000, and all edible meat donated to food bank for a total of $12,700 not counting all equipment that was taken and a trip to court for a jail sentence. this would be a great way to detour poachers, because who wants to pay 13k for a doe that you dont even get to eat and then have to go buy new equipment to do it again, same kind of fees apply to other game with permanent license suspensions

then you say what about the people who need the food. There is always a game in season in your area, if they follow local game laws and season they can feed there family and do it legally. i also incourage hunters who just hunt for the trophy, the head on the wall, and dont use the meat to have it processed and donated to your local food bank so that starving people dont have to break the law that is my opinion and i think it would work

Poaching is poaching sure enough! Anyone with a hardship should be able to show hardship.A point system is only effecting the poacher that looks for that one big score to fill his freezer.He may continue on or go on to taking more than one smaller prizes.Big time and big fines is the only way to go.No tags and no licence represents lost revenue to a already under budgeted program.