Bowsite.com

http://www.fox9.com/news/19925713-story

Hunters who violate game laws are stealing from the 99% of hunters who follow the rules.

Should read - POACHERS who violate game laws are stealing from the 99% of hunters who follow the rules.

There is a difference...

That said, he is a convicted felon/poacher. So I don't have any warm fuzzies for the man. He's pretty much the poster child for the stereotypical poor representative of hunters. All about the result and the means don't matter.

The second was to politicize it by misconstruing the facts.

Complete waste of time when actual human beings are being needlessly murdered in mass for religious belief. When you fix that, then turn your attention to the lions rights...

Having said that, there is a difference between being innocent and not guilty.

Scores of humans being massacred are ignnored. An old lion dying earns tears on national television. These two things have nothing to do with each other.

It shows how misguided and ridiculous the media society as a whole has become. It has caused polarization among groups targeting to pit hunters against anti-hunters. It also creates the polarization of supporters of the 2nd Amendment against those who oppose it.

When does one animal life becomes more important than a human? You have some in high profile positions calling for the banning of the death penalty when capital crimes are committed, then at the same time you turn a blind eye to; 1) groups (or individuals) killing mass amounts of innocents, and 2) groups calling for the lynching of a private citizen based on partial facts.

Yes, with all do respect, they are linked. I've yet to see the public outcry for the lynching of Jihadist John, or whatever his name is...

Same nonsense went on with the post "I want to see your full mounts". I know it was one person but look at the turn that thread took. The guy shot a great ram, had a great adventure and did what many on here will never do, BUT it turned south pretty quick because of only one individual. You may not like rifle hunters, you may not like crossbows or any particular brand of equipment or any other sort of thing that is different from what you do but keep in mind every time you open your mouth in front of someone in that 80% you are helping them come to some sort of opinion. What sort of opinion they form is directly related to how we present ourselves.

That's why I will never get behind Walter Palmer as a good representative for hunting. That's not to say I will convict him on facts not known to me on the lion deal. But I will not defend him either. He is a convicted felon who poached game, lied to law enforcement, and tried to pay his guide to take the blame.

The quicker the spotlight turns away from him, the better.

A bunch of wide mouth hypocrites on here that we share this love of hunting with. Tried, convicted, and hung by his own brothers based on ??????????????????

It keeps coming up that he was a convicted felon in the past. If I remember correctly, he plead to something totally different than what he was charged with initially. It could be insinuated why he did that. Or, it could be left alone as no one knows.

I do know this, I've spent my time and, money fighting a trumphed up game charge and, was proven innocent and guilt free in the long run. Against the advice of my lawyer that said to take the deal of a lesser, negotiated charge. I didn't and justice was done.

My point you ask? Keep your mouth shut as things are rarely as they appear. I'm not arguing for or against him. Just saying if your politically correct personality doesn't know the circumstances, is it right to assume them?

Just something to ponder. God Bless

The lion permit might have been legal but the guy just seems to be looking to kill trophies anyway he can. Bad for our sport.

I was on the fence about Palmer but who am I to argue with empirical evidence like this.

African lions sure make strange bedfellows.

Ever had a dog?

I just got back from 3 weeks working in Congo and heard lots of stories by my friend whos son ran an operation in CAR before it fell apart and he was the only guy standing up to the poachers and trying to manage the game.

Some of you are crying about throwing people under the bus. We need to call people accountable to their actions if it makes us all look bad.

The one thing that showed me a bit of their trying to hide stuff was the deliberate movement of the game collar by either the PH or the land owner to try to hide the kill. That's just bad practice if you didn't do something wrong.

Palmer needs to be removed from the PY club !!! Sad for all the members that have entered there animals under the clubs rules .

I hear US fish and Wildlife has a ongoing investigation on this case still !

And?

However, after seeing the news clip, it definitely makes me wonder if the same thing didn't happen in Zim. Meaning, as the dust was settling, or maybe even before it all began, Palmer offered the landowner and guide a substantial amount of cash in return for clearing his name. I think this line of thinking if fairly reasonable. I do not know any hardcore facts, but the news clip certainly doesn't help his cause.

As a matter of fact, portions of the way he handled that situation, again, if the report was accurate, he definitely seems like an @ss.

Sorry my opinion of him has been also jaded from the bear poaching and my conversations with my neighbor about how he interacts with the community up north.

When it becomes all about the trophy it leads to some poor decisions. We need some major change on what we are teaching our kids about why we bowhunt.

We are not called on to defend every action or every person just because an animal dies under the guise of "hunting". IMO this hurts more than helps.

I've been saying this for years....but we are our own worst enemy.

If u do your research Palmer made large donations to the PY club in the past ,, ! so much for fair chase

Why would hunters that obey game laws support Palmer?

Hey Dave this is the BLK bear Walt Palmer poached and the bow he used US FISH and WILDLIFE

dave if it smells like chit it must be!

Dave go ahead make lame excuses for this poacher lowlife and yes dave i have no problem telling Palmer to his face !

Jim they are defending a poacher a man who our justice system had by his balls Palmer even with his money could not escape this act . Took a plea cause he was busted red handed , and please dont start he took a plea cause its easier cheaper chit .the man is loaded he could easily throw 100grand in a defense team .

Hey Dave go look it up FIA public record .

Dave a citation and poaching are two diff worlds u are lost bro .

However, if, and if is the key ingredient here, the news report is even remotely accurate, the arrogance and ill regard to any law, does say a lot about his general character. Personally, I think a person can change the way he makes choices, but it is all but impossible to change their entire personality. And, again I will add, according to the news report, he seemed like a pure egotistical @ss that has no regard for anyone, or anything. So, though I do not know the details concerning the lion situation, and cannot say whether he was guilty or not, but I can say, with his past record, it wouldn't be terribly surprising.

I also agree that we are under attack and the very basics of divide and conquer are being used. However, do you wish to cling to a person who in the past has shown utter disregard for hunting laws and basically anyone or anything that stands in the way between him and what he wants?

As far as paying off the Zim government, I didn't speculate that, but you need to do some research if you think that couldn't happen. Though I have no examples of paying off those in upper government, I know full well that in lower levels of government, a bit of cash can buy you most anything you want. And what I did speculate was, after hearing that he offered the bear guide $20,000, or name a price, to keep his name clear, I could easily see him paying $200,000 to the guide or farm owner, and in a country where someone may make ten to twenty thousand a year, or much less, a few months in prison, or a ten thousand dollar fine would be pretty tolerable for such a large sum of money.

The truth is, almost none of us will know what actually happened in either situation, but if the information available for what he has already been convicted of is remotely accurate, I really do not wish to stand at his defense. Honestly, if anyone does research on his past that is available online, Mr. Palmer makes it almost impossible for others to defend him.

Another good friend has been labeled as "arrogant," a "prisk"...and most other derogatory things by some in the county where he bought a sizable ranch with money he 100-percent made himself. Good guy, but he gets judged differently because of his wealth.

That's not that uncommon, really.

No comment on the bear case and Dr. Palmer. I haven't seen enough facts, or heard his side of the story.

Where were all of you guys now slamming Bowsite when the news was breaking about that lion? I didn't read many letters to the editors, or opinion lines from hunters defending him, either.

Facts are facts please do not dilute what he has done , When caught instead of manning up he tried to cover his trail with his wealth .

I am not in a glass house. I don't poach animals and lie to the authorities. And I am certainly not jealous of those that do.

training wild lions OTOH.... good luck....

Ollie x2. I don't need to know or hang out with Dr Palmer to defend lion hunting in Africa or trophy hunting in general. All I need are the facts of THIS case. Panties in a wad over unsubstantiated rumors.... personalities or after the fact CYA statements from either side.... good grief.

PS: I know lots of folks that own good amounts of land and don't let anyone else hunt it called a-holes by locals. Lots. Being born and raised in an area gives you no extra rights to hunt where you "used to". Sorry. The world stops turning for no juan.....

That is what I have been trying to say but i guess I was not as eloquent as Ollie. Not my job to judge anyone but give it a rest. And I did read the whole case against him relating to the bear. Sounds guilty to me but I have two questions. Why was USFW prosecuting the case and why if the penalty could be 5 years and 250k did they settle for $2900+/-. In this case it appears the coverup was what got him, not the crime. Bernie Kerik was the Police Commissioner in NYC on 9/11 and wound up going to jail for tax issues and allegedly receiving work done at less than market value. He had one of the best quotes I have heard. "When it says the United States vs (fill in the blank) that is no joke". They can throw the whole weight of the government at you. Just curious.

I am not defending him however it appears he did not do anything wrong In the Cecil and that is what the world was focused on.

I'll go with those as the facts. And not twist myself into a pretzel speculating otherwise.