I would have thrown the book at them!
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: shorty
12-Aug-22
shorty's Link
I don't know who writes the game laws and punishments but what they got is unreal for what they did. I would have fined them thousands and put them behind bars for a good time!
From: Hancock West
12-Aug-22
Taking away a poacher's ability to get a hunting license does nothing. They will continue to poach unless you make the fine painfully large and then you'll still be lucky if they follow the law. Its same with gun laws. Only law-abiding citizens follow them.
From: Shuteye
12-Aug-22
In Delaware they don't like poaching. Years ago they caught a guy jacklighting. They took all his equipment, including his truck. In the glove department they found the payment book for the truck with one payment made. They kept the truck.
From: Inshart
12-Aug-22
Beginning of the last paragraph ..... "If you suspect a wildlife crime has taken place, you can contact your local conservation officer or a New Mexico Department of Game and Fish office."" Really, almost no fines at all and .... suspend their hunting privileges for 10 years ---- it stated they didn't have a license and were poaching out of season anyway.
Why even bother spend all that time, effort and money for the investigation and then slap them on the wrist. I bet the officers were pissed on that outcome!! The judicial system is really a joke!!
From: shorty
12-Aug-22
If they were behind bars how much poaching could they do?
From: BOHNTR
12-Aug-22
Hard to keep poachers behind bars when authorities are mandated to release serious offenders due to over-crowding issues. They must release the best of the worse. If I had to choose, I'd rather have a cat burglar that preys on society behind bars than a poacher. (I'd rather have both behind bars if I could) It's just the way of the world in a NIMBY (building new jails) society coupled with federal mandates on those agencies that oversee correctional institutions.
From: Muddyboots
12-Aug-22
New Mexico judges are way to easy. Many folks arrested for murder are released awaiting trial. Surprised there weren't minimum penalties for poaching so the judge couldn't make their own penalties.
From: EmbryOklahoma
12-Aug-22
Take vehicles that they were commuting in. Take their weapons. Fine them enough that they’ll feel it 20 years later.
From: RT
12-Aug-22
Shameful waste of animals.
From: DanaC
15-Aug-22
DanaC's Link
Talk about needing boot leather applied to arses.
From: Rut Nut
15-Aug-22
Yes- definitely got off easy! But my question would be WHY???!!!
From: Vonfoust
16-Aug-22
Unfortunately there aren't a whole lot of DA's around the country that aren't knee deep in atrocious drug and/or human on human crimes and those take precedence over any poaching.
From: Lewis
16-Aug-22
Off way to easy and leopards do not lose their spots calls for behind barn 22 behind the ear case resolved Good Luck Lewis
From: KHNC
16-Aug-22
Hell, an Elk tag costs more than this fine! That does it, im going elk hunting in the Gila. Obviously i wont need to get drawn for a tag. Probably only way i will ever get to hunt the Gila again in my lifetime.
From: butcherboy
16-Aug-22
I’ve always thought it was ridiculous to take away their hunting rights for a poaching conviction. It doesn’t bother them one bit since they are already killing animals illegally without a license. The only thing that will hurt them is actual jail time and bigger fines. One of the people had hunting privileges taken away and has never even had a NM license to hunt. So, I’m sure that really hurt….
They had to poach to pay for their Meth!
From: DanaC
16-Aug-22
DanaC's Link
Now it's idiots poaching elk with attack dogs. We need a bigger book...
From: Rut Nut
18-Aug-22
Dana- that is the same case as the one that started this thread. You must have missed the part about using dogs in shorty’s link.
Still can’t figure out why someone would go to all that trouble to kill an elk like that, then just let it lay there to rot! : (
From: Darrell
18-Aug-22
I can't believe the NM Wildlife magazine posted the story as if the conviction was some grand accomplishment and that "one tip" led to the conviction. Absolutely agree, confiscate vehicles, weapons, etc. as the law allows. Put some bite into the conviction then you can brag about it.
