Some poachers carefully plan and execute their crime with every detail addressed from the start. Others tend to drop the ball right from the start. In their mind, they thought they were slick. But in reality, they were a failure looking for a place to happen. Such was the case when a Kentucky poacher failed to execute the plan he had hoped would make him look like a hunting legend.
The case was a direct result of a thorough investigation and persistent effort by Kentucky officers. Take a look at how things went down below.
The incident took place in northern Kentucky in last year’s hunting season. Reports say the subject shot the deer at night with a .243 rifle and the aid of the headlights from a truck.
But the plan didn’t end there. The poacher’s intention was to stage a scene to make it look like he killed the buck with his bow.
After shooting the deer with the rifle, he went on to place the deer near one of his treestands to make it look like he shot it with his bow the next morning.
Worse yet, the poacher didn’t even have permission to hunt the property where his treestand was located. It’s unclear what led to the start of the investigation into this case. But keep in mind, the deer was no stranger to the locals. People talk when a buck of this magnitude is claimed by a hunter. Particularly when the deer has routinely showed up around the neighborhood, and suddenly goes missing.
As rumors began to fly, Kentucky conservation officers went to work looking into the story. When the smoke finally cleared, the truth came out. The poacher pled guilty to 2 counts of hunting without permission, 1 count of taking wildlife from a vehicle, 1 count of discharging a firearm across a public road, 2 counts of illegal take of deer, and 1 count of hunting with lights or other means at night.
The subject received $1000 in fines, plus court costs. He also received 3 years of his hunting rights being suspended.
What do you think? Does the fine fit the crime in this situation? Is a $1000 fine enough to deter a poacher from continuing with such crimes in the future?
Comment below, and let us know what you think.
