Wow, Stiff punishment? Really?

[20 Minutes]

The mandatory wildlife poaching fine in this state for illegal take of a trophy (4 point or better) deer is I believe $4000 and cannot be reduced by a judge. For a trophy bull elk, a bighorn sheep, mountain goat or a moose is $6000. These fines were put in place a few years ago, the WDFW sought these criminal assessments because the courts were very quick to reduce or remove the fines on poaching cases.

That sounds correct to me.  Like I said, these guys got hit with more than it said in the news story. Stuff that CANT be reduced by a touchy-feely judge...

If they both shoot the deer, they each get a fine for "shooting and illegal deer". The final person who shoots and kills the deer, would get a fine for "wastage of game" etc. I am sure there are several fine options that can get slapped upon them.
The officer said jail and community service.  Does the law state 4000 per person or 4000 per deer?  Sounds like the fine could of been split between the 2 poachers and paid off by jail time and community service? It comes down to what the prosecutor wants to charge and what the judge enforces.  That's why we vote for these people or for the people who put them in.   

I'm sure the news would of loved to have reported the $4000 or $8000 in total fines.

Has anyone ever heard of perpetrators "splitting" a fine?  I am pretty sure that's not possible.  Only one guy actually poached the deer.  He would get the fine.  They other *censored* would just be an accomplice.  Different penalties.  I am sure they both got jail and community service though.  Probably why it was reported that way.

[Simcoe hunter]

With that being said, I don't think my argument is ridiculous.   If you label someone in our society and you take away all their rights with a first offense then what makes you think they care if they get caught again??  They have already lost everything so they have nothing else to loose. 

Really?  They have nothing left to lose?  They have their freedom to lose.  Let's not take the punishment away because then we'll have nothing left to hold over them.  Capital punishment hasn't deterred murder because we don't use it often enough.  We would rather let them have life in prison and ease our conscience that we aren't killers ourselves.  Look up how many murders were committed in the US last year vs. how many convicted murderers were put to death.