MrWalllleye, Please give me a bit to get back to you. I know the answer, but It’ll take some space, and I’m working on several criminal case investigations now. So I’m hoping this can wait being duck season is over. I will get back to you, and all who are interested in this question. Thanks, Warden Stone.
Leo Kam. The DNR’s do get together for that reason. There has been take about a “violator pack.” Other States have it for big game. I don’t know of one for game fish though. I know Wardens have asked for it, but it never seems to go any further than that. If you are on that board or contribute, ask for this law change. In WI it would require a vote by the legislator & signed by the governor. It’s a process that needs public support & push.
Hello all. I must say, I’m delighted and encouraged to see that so many of you care so much for our resources. I hate to sound like a broken record, but as Smokey the Bear would say, only you can prevent poaching. The case that we made this past spring and the one just made the end of November (each involving 100’s of fish), were only possible because of sports men & women like you making “the call.” I would like to add that both of these groups have been coming to Pool #4 for over 20 years, and I suspect have been poaching in that manner for about as long. That should warm everyone up; it sure raises my temperature.
Where am I going with all this? First, I want to say “thank you!” to all those who help us fish cops. Secondly, I would like to answer some questions that were raised in these postings & put my two cents in: (1) Did the poachers buy their boat back? Yes. The law allows that. I was disapointed too, but as Waterfowler said, it’s an additional $10,000 fine. (2) Are the “idiots” going to be back out on the water? Yes. The law allows that. Now let me explain, in addition to the monetary penalties, their fishing & hunting privilages in Wisconsin were revoked for three years. The key words there are revoked in WI. A WI court can’t revoke them in MN also. Part of the Miss. River is in MN & part is in WI. They can not fish on the WI side of the River nor can they possess fish on the WI side of the river period! The only thing the law allows them to do is use boat launches on the WI side to access and travel to & from the MN side of the River. When they travel back to the WI side and take out, they have to take the most direct HWY route back to MN period! (3) Where’s the State Boundary? Below Lock #3 the State boundary comes through the middle of the roller gates, travels down to the Vermilion River and goes up the Vermilion and around Diamond Island, then comes back out at the “Wildlife League Beach,” where it then follows the middle of the main navigation channel down to Red Wing. I’m guessing most of you thought the main channel was allways the Boundary. That’s not the case. They have to stay on the MN side and that is a very limited area. We’ll be out watching like hawks this spring and throughout their whole period of revocation. If they’re fishing on the WI side, it’s a trip to jail. (4) There is no “reciprocity” for game fish violations that I know of. There should be.
Well for my two cents, I would like to have seen life time revocations on this group and others like them. However, I do agree that the Court struck a reasonable balance between loss of possessions & privileges, and monetary penilties. A $1900.00 fine, loss of all fishing poles, revocation for three years, and confiscation of a friends $12,000.00 fishing boat has got to make a differance on a person. That’s what I’m hoping anyhow. But if these types of violations continue, then so will the penalties continue to increase as well. That’s if you as sportsmen want it to increase. There was one defining fact that made a big impact on what the Court was willing to charge and what I feel the Court will do in the future. Remember all those letters I received with your opinions on what should be done to the poachers. Well the Court listens to that type of input. The good sportsmen that wrote those letters made a difference! Well, I’ve certainly rambled on enough here. If you want to make a difference, become involved in some manner: turn in poachers; write letters to your warden & courts when a poacher is caught; write your legislator asking for law changes & stay with it. That’s how most of the game laws came about. Thanks for listening, Wisconsin Conservation Warden Marty Stone.
