Poachers aren't real hunters. They're yahoos, and we should throw the book at them
Silence and lenient fines help poachers keep poaching, writes Gord Follett
This column is an opinion by Gord Follett, an avid outdoors enthusiast who lives in Mount Pearl, N.L. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
As the saying goes, someone knows something.
Several people — aside from the actual poachers — know exactly who was involved in the illegal killing of caribou earlier this year near Stephenville Crossing, on Newfoundland's west coast.
It's now time for someone to say something, and do the right thing by assisting investigating officers in this case.
Newfoundland and Labrador's wildlife enforcement division issued an advisory in February saying that "several caribou had been shot and left" at the scene, while other caribou had been shot and taken away.
Not only that, the stretch where these incidents have been taking place is not in a designated caribou management area.
Worse, caribou hunting season was not open — anywhere — when they were killed.
No charges have been laid and the investigation is continuing.
Those responsible, who probably consider themselves to be actual hunters (pardon me while I snicker), deserve far more punishment than a fine of $2,500 and a hunting ban of two or three years. That's par for the course in our justice system.
Repeat poachers must laugh at such slaps on the wrist, which of course is why they are repeat offenders.
What these yahoos did was not only cruel and disgusting, it's a major criminal offence. But with the penalties that poachers face — in this case, a maximum fine of a mere $5,000 — it's no wonder so many are prepared to take chances.
Oh, and they could lose hunting privileges for a few years. Like that is going to stop them.
Bans should be automatic
A lifetime hunting ban should be automatic, with no negotiations for something lighter in exchange for a guilty plea.
Fines and jail terms need to be tripled in this and similar serious poaching cases, if our fish and wildlife populations are to see any sort of reprieve or rebound.
I have to ask these so-called hunters: do you feel good about what you did? How far away were these animals? Did you make good shots? Did you brag about it to some buddies over a few beers in the shed? Your family must be proud, eh?
To return to my opening comment, about a dozen years back in a Newfoundland Sportsman magazine editorial, I suggested using the anonymous Crime Stoppers service to report poaching.
"Easy for you to say," one resident of a small town, where residents had turned a blind eye to regular incidents of poaching, responded during a telephone conversation a week later.
"You don't have to live with them. You don't have to worry about them burning down your shed or having their kids constantly harassing your kids. I'd love to rat the scumbags out, but I'm afraid to take a chance that they'll find out it was me."
I understood immediately where this gentleman was coming from, and many times since I have asked myself what I would do if I were in his position.
Back then, I decided if I were in his shoes, I'd keep my mouth shut as well and — as much as it went against my personal beliefs — let the poachers have their way, at least until and if I moved away from that community.
But I don't feel that way any more and haven't for quite some time.
These criminals are taking away from us today and from our children and grandchildren of the future.
They have to be stopped. They have to be punished.
A story from my own experience
Would I pin on a badge on my chest, ride into town and boldly declare to townsfolk that I'm here to save their critters and make sure justice is brought against the law-breakers?
Probably not. But I would — and I did — report a crime and provided names anonymously to Crime Stoppers. (The number is 1-800-222-8477.)
Not even my friends and family knew I made that report about six years ago. And after they read this and ask questions, I won't go into any details with them today, either.
To protect them as well as myself, I kept it more secret than my banking number.
And that's what you have to do, folks.
I have faith in Crime Stoppers' anonymity, but there's always a chance that once you tell a close friend and ask him or her to keep it secret, they'll whisper it to another, who in turn might…
You get the drift.
Somewhere on the west coast, someone knows something about what happened this winter. If you know anything about it, please do current and future generations a huge favour. Do something.
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