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5 Hunters Guilty. Fined $55,000. Exceeded Bag Limits Of Snow Geese. (1 Viewer)

I can't imagine what these hunters were thinking. Is this supreme arrogance or incredible stupidity? I hope they also took their guns because if they are guilty by means of stupidity, they might do it again.

Steve
 
On the matter of the large fines handed out:

These cases were filed before a District Magistrate in Berks County who issued the fines and punishments.

This is a Court of Original Jurisdiction in Pennsylvania which replaced the old Justices of the Peace many years ago. They can handle summary offenses and 3rd class misdemeanors to my knowledge. Higher crimes such as Felonies come under the jurisdiction of the County Courts.

These fines appear to be close to the maximum based on the information received by Fox News at the time of their filings and that is a good thing. I know that people found guilty of these violations can lose their right to a hunting license but I don't know if District Justices have the authority to do this.

http://fox43.com/2015/05/12/hundreds-of-snow-geese-illegally-killed-in-berks-county/

More info here about the hunting regulations.

http://readingeagle.com/news/articl...snow-geese-in-marion-township-authorities-say

Bob
 
While I certainly don't condone poaching on a scale like this, if these numnutz are going to exceed their bag limit, snow geese would be the ones to go after. The damage they are doing to the Arctic is pretty severe.

Frankly, it wouldn't hurt for the PA Game Commission to increase the bag limit slightly, because the hunters aren't even putting a dent in the population.

But it is nice to see fines commensurate with the crime. Not like the trivial fine for the idiot who shot the eagle in Andreas.
 
Would shooting the geese, as poaching, come under property/ownership type law (hence the large fines) while shooting an eagle would come under wildlife crime type law (hence the small fine)?
regards
Paul
 
I am surprised that they actually managed to shoot 365 Snow Geese as they are notoriously hard to hunt. It makes me wonder if they were shooting them as they roosted at night.

I don't know if raising the bag limits is going to make much difference in overpopulation, I talk to very few hunters that ever get close to limiting out.

The $55,000 fine was high due mainly to the sheer number of illegal bird involved. It works out to $150 per goose. Most Bald Eagle shootings seem to average a $4000 - $5000 fine, and some have fetched the perpetrators jail time as well.

Mike
 
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