A high ranking Maine game warden with whom I once worked at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and who had a lot of experience in conservation law enforcement, held firm to the belief that most sportsmen were honest nimrods who would not knowingly violate Maine’s fish and game laws.
Then there is, he contended, that minority of about 10 percent that brazenly break the law as hunters or anglers.
It only takes a few fish and game lawbreakers to, not only give the honest sportsman a bad name, but also raise havoc with game and fisheries management.
This year there have been two blatant examples of fish and game lawbreaking that have most of us shaking our heads. What in the world goes on in the minds of these thoughtless, irresponsible people whose behavior is reprehensible?
Earlier this year, Maine game wardens discovered a 36-foot gill net that had been placed illegally across the Magalloway River in the Rangeley area.
This river is a precious sport fishery resource and one of Maine’s premier trout waters. Dead trout were found in the gill net. Operation Game Thief has offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.
Insofar as we know, although there have been some leads, no one has been charged with the violation.
More recently, the Maine Warden Service announced that on the island of Mount Desert, there were two different incidents of illegal deer kills. The deer were shot at night. One on the night of Oct. 5 or early Oct. 6 when a large buck was shot and killed in the dark in the town of Mount Desert. It had been shot and left to rot. A concerned resident called the warden service when the deer was found in a small field.
Another buck was shot in the wee morning hours of Nov. 6 in Tremont, also on Mount Desert Island. The poacher cut off the deer’s head and left the rest to rot, the MDIF&W said.
Can you imagine what kind of people do these things? Certainly, nobody who even remotely deserves to call themselves a hunter or a sportsman.
Mount Desert Island has long been closed to hunting and hunting at night is both illegal and dangerous.
Maine Operation Game Thief is offering $2,000 for each of the deer that were killed illegally, or $4,000 for both deer, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for killing these deer.
Anyone with information regarding either of these incidents should please call 1-800-ALERT-US with any information.
V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network.