Hunter facing charges after death of beloved elk named Bullwinkle

[Curly]

Maybe some of you guys that claimed that there is jealousy going on are right afterall.  I didn't think so, but it seems that I could have been wrong.  It does seem like there could be some jealousy here if some people are slamming the guy's fine ram.  If they are jealous of a ram, then maybe some or jealous of taking a tame bull elk.

[JimmyHoffa]

I agree dale, if it was a everyday average joe that killed that bull, it wouldn't of even rated a speed bump on hunt wa.....

Especially not the mega thread this has turned into though.  I didn't even click on the earlier thread that evolved into this one until Cboom kept bringing it up a few times a day...now just here for the entertainment value.
If it was average joe, I try to think what would've been different.  Did this guy lose his rifle, truck and etc?  Was the animal confiscated?  Did WDFW go to his house with warrants and take his freezer?  I didn't want to wade through the 900 posts.

[Rainier10]

I could see this going a ton of different directions if it was an average joe.  My guess is many of the same arguments would be made and many of the same questions would be asked.  People would be just as passionate about it on both sides.  The final outcome might be different if it was an average joe but I don't think the conversation would change much.

[klickman]

High profile hunters are always going to draw the most attention. Just like when a celebrity gets in trouble with the law, it's headline news. The average joe isn't under the microscope some of these people are. That's why they have to do everything legal. Otherwise they will get caught. Too many eyes on their every move.

That's a dandy ram. Especially for that area.


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[blackveltbowhunter]

 Sorry, the TR fanboys are grasping at straws here. It seems they want to insulate him because he is rich and can afford these tags. The snide remarks about the ram are uncalled for and unsportsmanlike.  But the jealousy train is so wore out its pathetic. Whether Reichert is found guilty of illegal harvest or not, the decision he made to take this bull comes with consequences. From everything said here and from both sides, he made the decision to tag this bull regardless of the consequences because "he doesn't really care what people think". Cool. Good for him. One of the consequences is a unknown amount of speculation and bashing on public forums.

If I had rolled up popped the bull and loaded him up in my truck. I would fully expect the same treatment in the huntwa court. Probably much worse because I would have been tagless, and trespassing along with hunting in a closed unit. The argument that all the publicity is because he is high profile is just dumb. The bull was high profile. Don't take that away from him.

[bearpaw]

Speaking for myself...

I see a lot of hatred of the fact that the guy has been successful in life. This is America, we all have a choice in what direction we take with our lives and we all have the option of doing what it takes to make a better living so we can afford to buy these tags. The irony that nobody considers is that the money from these special tags helps fund wildlife management and ultimately keeps the price lower for everyone else to hunt cheaper. 

FACT, many comments involve: his wealth; that he got a big bull most thought was off-limits; or that it was easy to shoot the bull, he didn't have to hike 20 miles and summit a dozen mountains to kill it. We all have different reasons why we hunt and we all have different methods how we hunt, but none of that should be a part of this conversation, ethics is a different conversation.

It sounds like he had landowner permission and WDFW permission to shoot the bull, unless that is proven false in court it may be pretty hard to convict him of breaking the law. The question is did he violate the law or not, in my opinion we should let the court figure out the truth!

(These comments are my personal opinion, Hunting-Washington is an internet service provider and has taken no official position on this issue.)

[JDHasty]

So if I'm defending I would ask simple yes/no questions.  (Photo from this thread http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=101806.0)
Is this a branched antler bull?
Is this legal in 334?
Is 334 open to branch bulls?

The questions should be:

Is this bull a legal elk in a three point or branched antler elk minimum GMU?  The answer is yes.

Is this bull a legal spike in a spike only GMU such as GMU 334?  The answer is yes.

Is GMU 334 ever open for any bull that cannot be legally defined as a spike?  The answer is no.

Was Tod Reichert hunting in GMU 334?  Yes

Could Todd Reichert legally hunt with that tag in an area that is only open for elk that can be legally defined as antlerless elk or spike elk? The answer is no - because the area was not open in 2015 to hunting any elk that can not be legally defined as a spike in that particular unit.   

The bottom line is that that particular tag is not valid in a GMU that is not open to branched antler elk hunting period.  That tag is/was no more valid in GMU 334 than it would have been valid in Lewis County.  It has nothing to do with which elk he shot, it has everything to do with him killing an elk, any elk, in an area that was not open under the tag he held.   

[Tbar]

So if I'm defending I would ask simple yes/no questions.  (Photo from this thread http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=101806.0)
Is this a branched antler bull?
Is this legal in 334?
Is 334 open to branch bulls?

The questions should be:

Is this bull a legal elk in a three point or branched antler elk minimum GMU?  The answer is yes.

Is this bull a legal spike in a spike only GMU such as GMU 334?  The answer is yes.

Is GMU 334 ever open for any bull that cannot be legally defined as a spike?  The answer is no.

Was Tod Reichert hunting in GMU 334?  Yes

Could Todd Reichert legally hunt with that tag in an area that is only open for elk that can be legally defined as antlerless elk or spike elk? The answer is no - because the area was not open in 2015 to hunting any elk that can not be legally defined as a spike in that particular unit.   

The bottom line is that that particular tag is not valid in a GMU that is not open to branched antler elk hunting period.  That tag is/was no more valid in GMU 334 than it would have been valid in Lewis County.  It has nothing to do with which elk he shot, it has everything to do with him killing an elk, any elk, in an area that was not open under the tag he held.   

Show me a rcw that differentiates and clearly defines spike (not true spike) units as off limits to raffle/auction tags. 
Good luck.

[jackelope]

One person made a snide remark about the sheep - then a bunch of folks pointed out that was uncalled for citing the hunt was legal, trophys are in the hunters mind etc.

A lot of the folks who have provided the most insight into this case were the first to call out the snide remark regarding the sheep 

Sorry - I just don't see it as people jealously picking on Reichert.  All of the negative press and attention Reichert has received are almost entirely the result of his own actions.   

Well said.
This was a raffle permit hunt. Pretty much anyone can afford a raffle ticket, right?

[Tbar]

Sorry, the TR fanboys are grasping at straws here. It seems they want to insulate him because he is rich and can afford these tags. The snide remarks about the ram are uncalled for and unsportsmanlike.  But the jealousy train is so wore out its pathetic. Whether Reichert is found guilty of illegal harvest or not, the decision he made to take this bull comes with consequences. From everything said here and from both sides, he made the decision to tag this bull regardless of the consequences because "he doesn't really care what people think". Cool. Good for him. One of the consequences is a unknown amount of speculation and bashing on public forums.

If I had rolled up popped the bull and loaded him up in my truck. I would fully expect the same treatment in the huntwa court. Probably much worse because I would have been tagless, and trespassing along with hunting in a closed unit. The argument that all the publicity is because he is high profile is just dumb. The bull was high profile. Don't take that away from him.

For the record I'm not a TR fanboy. These tags have created controversy for 20 years.  I don't even agree with some of the ideology that goes along with them.  If anyone is grasping at straws it is the department and it is reaping what it sows. 
I am also not a member of these (there are several different ones) auction tag holder fan clubs.  Many comments from the start of this whole debacle have been rooted by interpersonal relationships.

[Alchase]

What is there to be jealous about?
The elk is in my book, world class. The Ram would be an incredible Ram, though I have never hunted sheep.

Who would be jealous, when we all see how this hunt went down, and honestly I would take a "legal" three point, from a three point or better GMU and consider the Jerky a finer trophy then shooting a tame bull in a closed GMU, then have all my friends to go online and muddy up the situation, or threaten people with lawsuits for calling me out?


If I can't be proud of the hunt, I could not call it a trophy

Jealousy, no
Pity, disgust, yes

[KNOPHISH]

Speaking for myself...

I see a lot of hatred of the fact that the guy has been successful in life.


(These comments are my personal opinion, Hunting-Washington is an internet service provider and has taken no official position on this issue.)

I haven't really seen too much about hating the guy & his successful working career, I see it more in the form of hating he shot in in the closed unit or hating that he might get away with it.

[WAPatriot]

i would love to see the Wdfw get counter sued and absolutely screwed. I am talking class action screwed. I don't know all the facts but if someone with obsential authority green lighted a hunt and now someone is having their personal reputation ruined as a result. Now the same department decided to press charges. Things could and should get real expensive for the Wdfw. 

[WAPatriot]

Also hunters need to unite and not fight. a hunter who spends as much money on hunting, a sport that members on this site are suppose to love should always get the benefit of the doubt. Go cry on a peta website. On a hunting website hunters should be supported and innocent until proved guilty. We're a small enough minority as it is.

[WAPatriot]

And not a true spike only unit = branched