Unforgettable, Don Lewis- Serial Poacher
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Unbelievable is all I can say. I forgot about you doing this series. The courts would not be so lenient today. I guess I am wondering how he could be so blatant about it for so long?
I remember the buzz in hunting magazines when this first happened. I also remember watching the news show mentioned. Don Lewis is a criminal. He doesn't even resemble any sort of a bowhunter.
The time for that crime doesn't match up...this guy and the people associated with this guy should NEVER be able to hunt again, own a hunting impliment, and have done more time. While I'm glad that there was a distiction made between hunters and poachers, I still feel as though a lot of people don't understand the difference, and the media doesn't do anything to help distinguish the difference between them either. The media is all about selling and sensationalizing every story, they are way to powerful, and the sad part is that Joe Public believes most of the garbage that they write.
M. R. James: “I think it’s important for the same reason that a lot of clowns wouldn’t want to be identified with John Wayne Gacy. Don Lewis was a serial killer of wildlife. That’s unfortunate. And he was not a hunter. He was a criminal, a poacher.”
Begs the question....
Between this and the Hanson Chapter, I wonder why James is contradicting himself and blurring the lines he so clearly wants drawn between hunters and poachers.
What Owl said!
I love Bowsite but seeing Don Lewis on the home page turned my stomach and ruined my weekend.
Geez...
Does anyone else own this book? Would you recommend it? It looks good based on the excerpts.
what ever happened to lewis? where is he now? wonder if he still hunts?...hope not
We can also learn from Noel Feather and the tactics he used to try and stay on top.He would advertise the "only bowhunter" to kill 3 boone and crockett bucks with a bow.And then he was caught killing penned deer and tagging it with an out of state tag.It makes me sick watching most of the so called "hunting shows" today as they are so far removed from hunting.
Don Lewis was caught finally after a video he shot was in an area recognized as a park where there is no hunting.They should have thrown him in jail for a long time and made an example out of him.
A hunter can't be a poacher?!
A poacher can't possess, and use, the best skills that define "hunter"??
Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending poaching in any way. But to say a poacher is not a hunter is like saying a cat burgler is not stealthy.
The ACT of poaching is disgraceful and disrespectful on a number of levels, but a poacher can still be one of the worlds greatest hunters. He's just doing it illegally.
"The ACT of poaching is disgraceful and disrespectful on a number of levels"
....and that alone is why a poacher is not and can never be.......a Hunter.
They may have the same raw skill set, but don't confuse the 2. One has honor and the other is beneath contempt.
Two women give birth to a child. One raises hers and the other dumps hers on a doorstep. Are they both mothers?
Hardly.
There is a differance between a female parent and mother.
Where is he and what is he doing now? Let everyone know so that his deeds will haunt him to his grave.
A "poacher" is simply a hunter who violates the law. Beyond that, it is just semantics.
It's hard to believe and very very sad that a person could or would ever do those things for personal gain. Thank God they caught him, and I hope if anyone reading these forums knows of a poacher on any level, turn their butt in.
Putting this guys pic on the Bowsite homepage is an insult to us all. It should be removed immediately and whatever bonehead made this decision owes everyone an apology. There are many great hunters, sportspersons, and conservationists out there who deserve this kind of exposure. It's a crime to see Bowsite stooping to the level of the Enquirer.
I am not at all offended by seeing it. I like the reminder that this kind of thing is out there and we need to be on the look out, this kind of trash is stealing from the hunting community as well as the non. Not to mention him dragging us hunters into the gutter at the same time.
After reading Pat's blurb about it several months back I purchased the book. It is some good reading when it is snowing outside and sitting in the house once the season is gone...
I still really am enjoying reading Chuck's book Full draw, and his book on the Super Slam is a great one too.
Dennis Dunn's book is out, I'd love to have a copy but it's rather pricey. Great artwork- heck, there are 6 or 7 prints by Hayden Lambson displayed in it that I'd also really like.
"It makes me sick watching most of the so called "hunting shows" today as they are so far removed from hunting. "
am I the only one that watches our bowhunting superstars on the deer porn channel and thinks ...... NOBODY is that good !!!! ........... I mean c'mon .......... fair chase whitetails and some of these dudes kill 4-5 P&Y bucks EVERY year on camera ............... either these guys are REALLY skilled or the rest of the bowhunting world is REALLY inept >>>>>>>>>>>>> which is it ??????????
OR .............. it aint real !!!!!!
As MR said a poacher is not a hunter. True, I suppose a poacher can be a hunter but once they cross that line they are a poacher in my opinion.
I also get tired of the "wack'em and stack'em" shows. Only a few get my attention any more and Bowhunter is one of the best, if not the best.
Larv
A very good hunter one day decides to cross the line and poach something. He is now a poacher but has he stopped being a hunter?
I would agree with your definitions Woody. Myself, I have no qualms with being described as killer of wildlife. The word "serial" applies as well, in definition.
"Poaching" rightfully denotes illegitimacy. Bow hunting, in my eyes, is legitimate. Therefore, a poacher deserves no place in a discussion of bow hunting. Maybe M.R.'s next book should be titled, "Losers Who Tried To Pass As Bow Hunters."
"A very good hunter one day decides to cross the line and poach something. He is now a poacher but has he stopped being a hunter?"
- Sarge, Given Lewis was in the habit of killing half-tame park animals, I am wondering what makes him "a very good hunter."
If he were a "hunter" he would have been able to head out onto public land under fair chase circumstances, not taking the "eat out of your hand" wildlife who have been accustomed to humans for years upon years...
"Sarge, Given Lewis was in the habit of killing half-tame park animals, I am wondering what makes him "a very good hunter."
I never said he was. I simly took exception with the notion that anyone that poaches cannot also be a good hunter.
"If he were a "hunter" he would have been able to head out onto public land under fair chase circumstances, not taking the "eat out of your hand" wildlife who have been accustomed to humans for years upon years... "
Key words being " ... would have been able ..."
Who says he was not "able"? Granted, he chose not to, but that does not automatically mean he was not able. My whole point ...
IMO "poacher" and "hunter" involve a similar physical activity, but for me are two drastically different characterizations. I'd never describe Don Lewis' activities as hunting.
You can say it's only semantics. I say it's way more important than that.
Even though the physical acts are similar, would you call a "rapist" a "lovemaker"?
I think having his picture on the home page is great. I think it pretty clearly states that he is a scumbag. Associating ones picture with the negative story, as far as I'm concerned, is dragging his name through the mud. Keep the rope tied and keep on draggin'.
"Even though the physical acts are similar, would you call a "rapist" a "lovemaker"? "
No, but I'd say both were engaged in the same basic activity ... even though for completely different reasons.
The quote from the book states "but this guy is no bowhunter.He is a poacher. You need to be fair and make the differences clear." Then someone please explain why in the hell he is included in a book titled"45 Unforgetable Bowhunters" Where is the sense in that?
"Even though the physical acts are similar, would you call a "rapist" a "lovemaker"?"
False analogy. Both of them are sex, sub-sets of sex specifically - just exactly as poaching is a subset of hunting. That would explain why any definition of "poach" includes the word "hunt". Why folks want to bend the reality of it in order to pretend one is not related to the other is beyond me.
aztrophytaker, astute point.
We all know what a poacher looks like in the field right? Someone taking game illegally. If nothing else this should remind us all to do our part and turn them in when we see them committing these acts.Maybe this is something we could all agree on.
I would be interested to know how many reading this thread have ever turned someone in for poaching.I have, a group of guys killing ducks and leaving them lay on shore and in the water and another guy who was filling his freezer all summer with does he was poaching.
"A very good hunter one day decides to cross the line and poach something. He is now a poacher but has he stopped being a hunter?"
In a word? Yes.
Kudos mulehorn! Never been in the position hope I never am to be honest! Don Lewis is NOT a hunter don't know why he is even on our minds!!
Quote:
"Why folks want to bend the reality of it in order to pretend one is not related to the other is beyond me."
Are you sure you don't know "why"?
If I was only concerned with talk amongst ourselves, no problem, I guess we don't have to pretend anything. So if really you want to, go ahead and say that Don was "hunting" game illegally. My beef is not with your dialogue among hunters, but more often than not with mainstream writers and media who, when reporting on acts of poaching rarely use the term "poacher". The term usually employed is "hunter".
I see the image problem with that. You do not?
Ok. Let me put it this way.....Hunter is something we all like to call ourselves, and it means something different to each person. To most of us it means something like this......pursuing an animal for the purpose of killing it for sport or food, while still being an ethical outdoorman who takes it upon himself to protect the outdoors and abide by all laws while having the priviledge to harvest an animal.
Now the dictionary definition....
1. a person who hunts game or other wild animals for food or in sport.
Technically he fit into that description, but I guess in most of our eyes, just because you Hunt, it does not make you a "hunter." It means alot more to alot of us...
"I see the image problem with that. You do not?"
Do you honestly think that non-hunters understand or care about the distinction some try and draw between a "hunter" and a "poacher" - as though they would believe that a person who has taken hunters safety and has a hunting license and applicable stamps is a "hunter" when they kill their 10 duck limit and a "poacher" when they kill #11? They are not that stupid, and I hope that you folks aren't either.
I think you drastically underestimate the American public. Just because an individual does not hunt, does not mean they cannot distinguish between right and wrong. Hunters are not the only ones with a conscience. I think you are confusing non-hunters with anti-hunters. There are a lot of people that support hunting and conservation, however they choose to not hunt themselves. It is this belief and support in conservation that has led to the limits and regulations that we now have in place for hunting. Hunters choose to obey these laws. Once, you decide to not follow certain laws, you are a poacher.
My wife does not hunt at all. She has no desire to. But she dislikes poaching as much as I do. She understands the principals and direction of conservation. This is what we need more of to help hunting thrive. We need to continually remind ourselves and the American public why there is a difference between the modern hunter and a poacher. The support of hunting by non-hunters and the disdain of poaching is what will keep hunting prevalent.
Traditionally, a hunter was anyone that took game for food with a weapon. Poaching was not in existence because hunters were killing to survive. Now, a modern hunter primarily hunts for sport. Thus, as all sports, there are rules and penalties for breaking the rules. In this case, the laws and regulations are set by the federal and state governments.
My argument is that all modern hunters understand this concept. By following these rules and regulations you are accepting and declaring that you are a modern hunter. By choosing not following these certain laws you are declaring that you are a poacher.
Matt, to clarify, are you saying I am stupid for considering a person who exceeds bag limits as a poacher?
according to websters dictionary poacher means,someone who trespasses in order to steal or kill game, someone who takes or kills game illegally
"Matt, to clarify, are you saying I am stupid for considering a person who exceeds bag limits as a poacher?"
If that is your interpretation of what I said, you don't give me many options. ;-)
What I am saying is that there is such a thing as a hunter who makes a mistake. Clearly I am not saying Don Lewis is such a person (the premeditation and serial nature of his violations take him way beyond that), but to pretend that a person is either a hunter or a poacher and that there is no overlap is nonsensical.
I would be willing to bet that 1/2 the folks who have posted on this thread have violated a game law at some point: shooting 1 minute before/after legal shooting light, not tagging an animal to the letter of the law (any trophy pics taken prior to affixing the tag?), not conforming to transportation requirements, etc. Does that magically transform them from a hunter to a poacher? No.
Heck, even M.R. James (who wrote the book that is the subject of this thread) can't keep it straight.
I fail to see where a shared skill set or commonality is grounds for inclusion of one sub-set (accurate distinction) into the discussion of another - especially when there is no legitimate, desired or advisable relationship of one to the other. IMO, an error in judgment by M.R. but we have already established his confounding language/ position in this regard.
In my neck of the woods, non-hunters neither know nor care much for the minutia of game laws but the higher profile issues of trespassing, jack lighting, killing out season and wanton wasting really pisses them off. Intent and degree would be the qualifiers, I believe, in these minds.
"Just because an individual does not hunt, does not mean they cannot distinguish between right and wrong."
Yes, poaching is wrong and hunting isn't. But does a poacher accomplish his illegal deeds without being a hunter? Is killing so much easier for a poacher than for a hunter that we remove the "hunting" aspect from what the poacher does?
Poaching can be, and often is, defined as "illegal huting."
Does one stop being a driver if one does it while under the influence?
I think that it is good that this poacher is brought forth for disccussion and I appluade Pat for posting the chapter. We are reminded that our hunting ethics, not the kill should be first when we go into the field. I like the chapter so much I had my son read this article.
Agian: good post Pat!
For the first time in 25 years of pheasant hunting, I shot a hen last year by mistake. Am I a poacher now?
Does that drunk driver deserve national notoriety in a book filled with acclaimed drivers? Especially when he was found driving drunk in a bumper car? (liberal extrapolation of Lewis' park experience):)
Another analogy: If a farmer finds a rotten apple in his bushel basket does he cast it out or prominently place it on display with his other apples.
It's our own danm fault. We buy the videos, watch the shows, and drool over pictures of Micheal Wadell's 174" monster. We created this industry, and we demand results from our self appointed "pros and experts"
I can only imagine the pressure they are under to produce results for us. That pressure can make one make some bad decisions I would guess.
HuntinHabit...are you a poacher for accidently shooting a hen? No, unless you consciously made the decision to shoot the hen even though you knew it was against the law. Now that doesn't mean you didn't break the law. So I'd like you to call your local CO and turn yourself in. :)
Thats why I no longer consider the boone and crocket or the pope and young books worth a crap ! everyone is racing to be the biggest baddest bowhunter to be in the book.All ya need is to have a high fence or ground nobody else gets to hunt to shoot a big one.Its sad and a shame and I will no longer be a part of it.I hunt my ass off every year for the past 40 years and shoot some ok critters but to watch these guys who don't no crap about hunting go out and show off these huge animals they shoot in national parks and behind fences and protected areas is nothing short of a joke!I never watch the hunting shows because I am OUT HUNTING.When ya shoot a big buck on public land or fair chase then you deserve to be in the books
Does one stop being a driver if one does it while under the influence?
That is a decent analogy. I would take it one step further. If you intentionally run someone over with your truck, you are not considered a driver, rather a murderer who uses a truck as means to an end. Similarilly, a poacher uses hunting weapons and tactics as a means to an end. However, in neither case is the individual to be confused with the law abiding counterpart. The murderer was using a truck and the poacher was killing game with a bow. In both cases their classifications are determined by their intent.
I am not sure of the real answer because I believe in redemption. However, I would conceed that under the classification of "hunting" there are two sub-sects, hunters and poachers. I can see a hunter crossing over to a poacher. I don't see a lot of poachers magically waking up and deciding to follow all game laws after years of intentionally breaking them.
Do I think you are a poacher for accidentally killing a hen? No.
I completely agree with Matt about individuals making mistakes. I have made mistakes. It is not my intention to say that everyone who breaks a game law is a poacher. Rather, the individuals intent is what declares them a poacher or not. Poachers have pre-meditated illegal actions. Hunters have chosen to engage in the taking of game legally. When you knowingly cross the line to give yourself an illegal advantage and kill game it is poaching. I think that is why it is easy to say that there is a distinct difference between a hunter and poacher. The intentions are completely different.
Rape is not sex. If you think it is, you should start banging your head against the wall until you get it straight.
I have been pheasant hunting without the full amount of blaze orange on. Does that make me a poacher? I don't know. Maybe it does according to my previous statements. Did it help me kill a pheasant? Probably not. Do I consider myself a poacher? No. I doubt there are many who would. But, I think we as hunters need to police ourselves and others.
In the end it is good that we are asking ourselves these questions and asking them of others. Without the reminder of how ugly and destructive poaching can be, it is given free reign to happen more often or be perceived as acceptable. We need to keep it in the back of our minds at all times to keep our ethical compass aligned and to be aware of it's existance.
That is why I think it is great of Pat to post this story. Pretending it doesn't exist creates a breeding ground for future poaching. Pat is helping bow hunting by reminding us and giving us examples of not only what to be like (Dan Moore, Fred Bear) but what not to be like (Hanson, Lewis).
"Pretending it doesn't exist creates a breeding ground for future poaching."
-On the flip side, sensationalizing that loser will be embolden another who wants to be mentioned in Volume II. Only, he'll have to amp up his dereliction. Don't believe it? Watch the TV, the news and the internet. This is the age of "Jack Ass", Jerry friggin' Springer and the lowest common denominator.
I see your point. I don't think that MR James or Pat is sensationalizing Don Lewis or Hanson. I think they did a good job to clarify they are the scum of the earth. If someone reads those passages and decides to follow in their footsteps they already have a pre-disposition to do so and would have found inspiration anywhere.
Wapitik, to your point (Thats why I no longer consider the boone and crocket or the pope and young books worth a crap ! everyone is racing to be the biggest baddest bowhunter to be in the book.) - MR points out that he didn't enter his animals or have them scored. The fact that he did make the claims but not follow through should have been a red flag to people in the industry. The record keepers have a roll in keeping hunting on the up and up.
Too bad he wasn't found out by someone connecting the dots, seems like a lot of this type are turned in by locals that figure it out, overall we do a good job of policing ourselves IMO.
Bx3,I do not think Pat is sensationalizing the issue, either. He may have chosen this story for this very exchange - which would go to your point.
huntinhabit- if you kill the hen on purpose you would be a poacher! if don lewis killed all these animals accidently he wouldn't be a poacher!
"Rape is not sex. If you think it is, you should start banging your head against the wall until you get it straight."
I would agree that rape isn't about sex per se (more about domination), but sex is a necessary criterion for the act to be defined as rape. Analogously, I do not believe one can "poach" without "hunting".
"I have been pheasant hunting without the full amount of blaze orange on. Does that make me a poacher? I don't know. Maybe it does according to my previous statements. Did it help me kill a pheasant? Probably not. Do I consider myself a poacher? No. I doubt there are many who would. But, I think we as hunters need to police ourselves and others."
I would agree with your assessment re: pre-meditation in terms of it being the primary factor in judging the severity of the act. This brings about an interesting disussion however. To the extent that you can rationalize how violating the letter of the law is ethically acceptable based on your personal morays, where does that leave us with folks who may have a greater degree of "moral flexibility" than you? Is killing a deer 5 minutes before legal shooting light really that big a deal? What about that 11th duck on a 10 duck limit? What about killing a deer the day after the season closes?
Owl, at least we know we will have something to talk about on our drive from Vegas to parts beyond. ;-)
"Does that drunk driver deserve national notoriety in a book filled with acclaimed drivers? Especially when he was found driving drunk in a bumper car? (liberal extrapolation of Lewis' park experience):)
Another analogy: If a farmer finds a rotten apple in his bushel basket does he cast it out or prominently place it on display with his other apples."
I never addressed a single one of those issues. They are separate from the issue of whether or not a poacher can be a hunter. Did the apple stop being an apple?
All I pointed out is that a poacher does not stop being a hunter and that a drunk driver does not stop being a driver.
Some of you have touched on this, but just to muddy the water further, without getting too Les Miserables on y'all-
Someone above mentioned the case of duck-killers who left birds to rot on the lake shore, and the guy who filled his freezer with summer-shot does. Are both poachers by definition?
More importantly, who is a bigger scum-of-the-earth? - the duck wasters, or the doe eaters? Ducks are little, deer are big. Does are raising fawns in the summer, but may have been needed to feed a family of people, yada, yada, yada.
So who is worse?
Kudo's to Pat for running this article.
To add some gas to the fire, if Don Lewis is a hunter, then so is Lee Harvey Oswald. Don Lewis only took from his kill what he needed to promote his agenda.
"All I pointed out is that a poacher does not stop being a hunter and that a drunk driver does not stop being a driver." - I do not disagree. However, I do believe they forfeit any claim to the legitimate practices and considerations thereof.
"Owl, at least we know we will have something to talk about on our drive from Vegas to parts beyond. ;-) "
-Finally! Guess I can unpack that book on tape.:)
Well I think that Hanson wins "Biggest Scum Bag" hands down. That said, was Hanson a hunter or a murderer? Wouldn't Lewis be a murderer since he did not obey the laws and killed countless animals?
The best label I can think of is "Fraud", in a league with Ken Lay of Enron. Instead of a rapist, a cross dresser. Instead of a drunk driver, a kid that smokes pot and thinks he can fly. Therefore, not a hunter.
All these scumbags should be ban from hunting for life world wide.It's the only thing they love and take that away from them and they would think twice before they poached.I think it would do alot to stop these kind of people that are NOT hunters.
Don Lewis is reading this right now.
There is no question in my mind that Lewis is out "hunting" again wherever he lives. The tragic thing is that things like that go on every day in this country, probably hundreds and thousands of times. Look at what is happening to the Black Bear population where thousands are killed each year just for their gall bladders and paws to feed an illegal industry in selling animal parts. There are people right now that probably kill 100 or maybe 200 black bears a year just because they can sell the parts to the Chinese. They go home at night and don't think a thing about what they do and most likely sleep pretty soundly. Even if they are caught the punishment they are likely to get is a mere slap on the wrist just like Lewis got. I also agree that the hunting shows contribute to people that are willing to "bend the rules" a bit just to get that "TROPHY BUCK" they have been seeing. I don't watch any of them. I think they portray hunters as egotists that are interested in nothing but bagging the biggest buck in the woods and doing whatever they have to do to get it. It's a shame the shows have devolved into that spectacle, but they have. Hunters need to be vigilant every time they step into the woods because people like Lewis are out there. They are among us. I'm glad the article was put on the front page because there are lots of hunters who had no idea about that scumbag and what message it sends to people that don't know anything about hunting except what they see on a biased TV show or read on an Animal Rights web page.
Nala
" Look at what is happening to the Black Bear population where thousands are killed each year just for their gall bladders and paws to feed an illegal industry in selling animal parts."
- Is there anywhere in the US or the rest of North America where the bear population is not, at least, stable or in many cases growing to a troublesome level? Your facts sound like they are straight from AR propaganda.
Matt, well put.
by definition a poacher is "one who kills or takes wild animals (as game or fish) illegally". by definition a hunter is "a person who hunts game". they're both a little vague and left to one's own devices one can imagine that a person who hunts game illegally is a poacher. also by the definition above wouldn't one assume that in order to 'take wild animals' one would have to hunt or trap said animals? we could open this up to the trappers as well. I'm sure they'd feel the same as the above posts have stated.
for one to say "I am a hunter, not a poacher" is ethically correct in that the 'hunter' follows the rules of the land and laws of the area. Hunting w/in those parameters is lawful and respectful. any self respecting hunter who never breaks the laws would abhor being put into the same category as a poacher. With good reason.
I think that w/ the semantics aside that we can all agree that this man was not hunting, nor did he hold true to the beliefs that we as hunters hold dear.
There is a big difference between hunting and killing. Whether you choose fair chase or high fences.... dont lie about it. I dont think it is ego as much as it is lack of self esteem. I know there a few places where a man can "hunt" an animal from another continent here is the USA behind a high fence, but call it what it is. I have taken a buffalo behind a fence but it wasnt a true hunt. I chose to do so for a freezer full of good meat. But poaching in a National Park is abhorrid. I have been to Yellowstone and those animals are the main reason a lot of people go there. There is no challenge in killing one at all.
I hope he rots in jail, but I hope he accepts Christ as his savior before it is too late.
In my mind Don Lewis was a poacher for notoriety & greed makes me wonder how many poachers are out there today doing the same thing.
The first thing I think of when I think of a poacher is "What the hell does he tell his kids, family and friends?" He would have to lie to his kids. Kids talk and they would tell their buddies. What a pathetic life they must lead. LYING TO YOUR FAMILY. I live amongst them and it makes me absolutely sick to look them in the eye. PATHETIC!!
Hey Don, If you are really reading this right now, just thank your lucky stars I wasnt the judge who handled your punishment.......