New Mexico makes poaching a felony

Wed, April 12, 2017 [Sporting Classics Daily]

Poachers will face stiffer fines and more jail time as a result.

"New Mexico is sick and tired of poaching within its borders. As a result, it just upped the consequences for anyone caught illegally taking big game there.

Gov. Susana Martinez signed the legislation into effect last week, elevating the wasting of game from a misdemeanor to a felony. Those convicted of poaching an elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, deer, ibex, oryx, or Barbary sheep without a license or out of season will face a maximum sentence of 18 months in jail and a fine of $5,000.

As a felon, convicted poachers would be unable to hunt with a firearm.

The statute of limitations has also been extended from two to five years, and out-of-state suspects will now face extradition."

- See more at: http://sportingclassicsdaily.c...sthash.rrg1yi6i.dpuf


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Yikes! That means convicted poachers (felons) will lose their right to possess firearms. That ought to make folks think long and hard about screwing around with NM wildlife. Hopefully there will still be a bit of wiggle room for the rare honest screwup.

It's about time! Now enforce the law.

Enjoy your new wolves though.

Wolves aren't game animals in New Mexico, so they're not included in this. It's already a big no-no to pop a Mexican gray wolf. Those inclined to SSS won't be affected by this law, and will likely continue to do so.

Other states should follow suit. Poaching should be a felony nationwide.

Dave

quote:

Those inclined to SSS won't be affected by this law, and will likely continue to do so.

Truer words were never spoken, and it will never change.

I agree we should encourage laws that will strip the rights of citizens. We all know that poaching is the most important issue effecting hunting in the USA. Elk are nearly extinct, and all those dead deer on the side of the road would be alive today if we only had tougher poaching laws.

Making more things a felony will surely make it better. Murder has almost been eliminated due to it's felony status.

More laws/regulation is just what we need. And most importantly it makes some "holier than thou" feel good.

So you believe that poachers should not be punished?

No, do you believe every unlawful act is a felony?

No, but I believe poaching IS!!!!!!

Do you have a PROBLEM with that!!!!!

If we, HUNTERS, as a group are not willing to see that those that are unwilling to obey the laws are not punished, than we are nothing but hypocrites!

Poaching should be a felony.

I find it counter productive to protect game by nailing poachers while introducing more wolves at the same time.

quote:

I find it counter productive to protect game by nailing poachers while introducing more wolves at the same time.

Plus One on that.

I'm betting that they find it too expensive to house someone for 18 months and change it before long.

I would also bet that in some areas of the state that the game thieves take more than the hunters.

California would do that but the liberals need the Hmong Chinese vote.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
California would do that but the liberals need the Hmong Chinese vote.

Hmong are not Chinese.

15,000,000 of them would disagree with you.

Not all Hmong are Chinese, the majority of them I met in California were.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hmong_people

Hmong are actually the most common single ethnicity on the planet.

According to a quick google search that is incorrect. I know in this day and age being incorrect is popular.

I searched a couple different ways, and found that Hmong are considered to be part of the Mao group.

For the sake of my own personal interest, what did you find?

Hmong is the ethnic group that moved in next to Clint Eastwood in "Gran Torino". We can all agree on that

Hmong is a guy that shot and killed 7 or 8 hunters in MI a few years back after one of them told him to get his trespassing ass out of their deer stand. Some of you whacko free staters oughta like them since laws aren't something they take kindly to.

Make poaching a felony but be smart about it and don't make the law ridiculously broad and inclusive. Minor violations should be treated as minor violations.

Felons lose more rights than the loss of self protection by using a gun. Voting as well.
Simply adding statutory punishment never changes anything. Well, not quite. It changes Game wardens from helpful folks who enforce game regulations into folks who write "Law Enforcement" on the sides of their trucks and carry better weapons and armor than do our local Police and Sheriff department folks. Not a good change for our world in my view. "Wasting of Game meat" is a broad brush. Being in Court facing a felony is a life ruining event for most people. I have no faith in the system that has just moved this to felony status correctly having latitude for the "rare honest screw-up."
I do have faith in and history on my side to say the "King's forest" model of game management is not kind.

Stupid
More laws don't make things right
More power to Game Dept, more money to them ( hell, they will look like Pancho Villa with their bandoliers soon ) and many hunters getting shafted for mistakes
Absolutely disagree with New Mexico new law
Just like DUI laws, less and less tolerance and more and more " Intent laws " so politicians are feeling like they are saving this world from evil citizens
Really?

Good for NM. Depriving poachers of firearms rights works for me.

Interesting thoughts and view points. This is a subject that I can agree with both sides of the arguments.

My Dad had a childhood friend that was a game warden. Old school common sense warden. He retired when WI upped the anti on deer poaching to 3 year loss of license and 1800 dollar fine. I wonder what the common sense wardens think about the new law.

Time will tell whether this will decrease poaching, litter the landscape with warden carcasses, or have no effect on game population.

Most of game populations are way up
Poaching problems or most of them are usually in limited trophy areas , non hunting areas and NP
It's easy to go felony routes but it's loaded gun with no safety

How is "poaching" defined in NM? Is any game law violation considered poaching or does it refer only to the more serious violations such as taking game out of season or in the wrong or closed area?

I have no sympathy for criminals, especially poachers, but do we really need to ruin someone's life because an antler turned out to be a quarter inch too short? You know that's what's going to happen. And the rich guy will simply lawyer up and beat the felony rap with a "contribution" to the G&F Dept.

"Just like DUI laws, less and less tolerance and more and more " Intent laws " so politicians are feeling like they are saving this world from evil citizens"

It's also a clever form of back-door gun control.

On the bright side, this will no doubt increase the sale of archery licenses.

quote:

Hmong is a guy that shot and killed 7 or 8 hunters in MI a few years back after one of them told him to get his trespassing ass out of their deer stand.

Vang was is last name and it was in Wis. about 30 miles from my house.

6 people dead I am sure it was I worth it over a deer stand to the property owners.

Some people take their hunting way to seriously.