The Lake Today

A letter to the editor of a newspaper I had picked made my temperature rise quite bit. It was from a local reader who was upset about the illegal dumping of deer carcasses in a creek. I was taken back when I read the deer were most likely being killed out of season by “hunters.” It infuriates me when the term “hunter” is used to describe anyone who kills a wild animal. If someone is breaking the law, and killing animals out of season, or they are not following limits or regulations, then they are not hunters. They are poachers.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the term poacher as: 1. one that trespasses or steals 2. one who kills or takes wild animals (as game or fish) illegally. Poachers steal from hunters. They steal the game we pursue, but even worse, they steal our reputation. By illegally killing game or fish, a poacher is damaging the reputation of hunters across the board.

It’s so important for hunters to separate themselves from the wrong doings of poachers. Now I am not stubborn enough to believe that hunters don’t occasionally cross the line into the realm of poaching. Hunters who follow the rules most of the time, but occasionally break the rules, must understand when they are breaking the rules, they themselves have become poachers. It’s these crossover hunters, who make it hard to define a line between hunters and poachers.

Hunters as a population should do everything they can to publicly attack the practice of poaching. If you know someone who is breaking game laws, it’s your responsibility to turn the poacher over to the proper authorities. Report game violations, to the Missouri Department of Conservation or your local authorities.

The goal of all hunters should be to conduct themselves in an ethical manner at all times. Not only while in the public eye, but when you know there is no one else watching. It’s a lot easier to break laws when you know you can get away with it, but if you kill an animal illegally, you’ll always know the truth, forever diminishing the experience.

Jim Posewitz authored a short but powerful work entitled, Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting. This book details the means in which hunters conduct themselves ethically and honorably. Mr. Posewitz urges readers to take action in response to poachers. He says, “If you see another person doing something that appears wrong, it is your responsibility to inform someone. It is not a good idea to try to handle the situation yourself. Law enforcement requires considerable training.” So do the right thing, and turn the poacher in, but to ensure your own safety, let your local game warden or law enforcement handle the action.

Hunters hold the experience of fair chase in their hearts. Hunters conduct themselves ethically, by following game laws, practicing conservation, and by embracing the rights we have to pursue game and fish in this country. Anyone breaking these game laws is a not hunter, they are a poacher and we hunters need to take a stand and end the association of hunters and poachers.

See you down the trail …