What Happens to Hunters Who Break the Law?
It was determined that the moose who died in our backyard which I wrote about https://pokingthebear.org/is-death-a-bad-omen/did so from a gunshot even though moose hunting season hadn’t started. Unfortunately, he was shot in his gut, so he probably died from the bullet penetrating his intestines rather than from blood loss. This is why the crew that hauled the moose away decided his meat wasn’t safe to eat.
https://pokingthebear.org/the-roadkill-list/
Even worse, judging by the size of his antlers with the help of this student science fair presentation outside the gun store, he was a young bull (male moose) and not to be targeted by hunters.
Now there is a possibility that whoever killed our moose felt threatened by the animal and shot it defensively. But rules are rules, and moose belong to the state of Alaska. They are protected from poachers no matter where they tread, private property or not. Realizing that the moose was too young to be shot, our hunter likely fled the scene, hoping to escape punishment for his crime. But what are the penalties for illegal moose harvest in Alaska?
I did some research on this. Not a lot, I mean I’m not THAT interested. But I learned a few things, mostly that there is a range of penalties from a fine, to jail time, and losing one’s hunting license for life.
Also killing an animal illegally could kill your chances of getting laid.
On Bumble, a woman flirts with a man she is only just getting to know. Hoping to impress, she brags about how she shot a deer that weekend. She even has photos at the kill site and of the “trophy” head. The man does find this intriguing as he knows it is no longer deer hunting season. He knows this because, and what she doesn’t know, he happens to be a game warden. Instead of going on a hot date, the next day the woman and her hunting friend are arrested.
What are the unlucky odds of bragging about an illegal wildlife kill to the one person you shouldn’t? Whatever that calculation is, in any social circumstance, my husband happens to have the same odds when it comes to saying the exact wrong thing to the exact wrong person.
Anyway, the woman and her hunting buddy were fined $2500. I’m guessing that’s enough for multiple lessons learned.
Cruel and unusual?
But clearly fines aren’t enough to stop some hunters from continuing to ignore the law. One repeat offender was not only fined, and not only served jail time, but he was ordered to watch “Bambi” once a month until his time was served. Ouch!