WDFW Offers Reward for Information on Poached Bear Cub

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

Would you take the money or ask for Bonus Points? Maybe both?

https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/reward-offered-information-poached-bear-cub?fbclid=IwAR2gKPcz5SjTp1erbnOY25RlwkbBqfXORwyfWw9l966LvCBOskowFgn_6Iw

Date
May. 16, 2019
Contact
Enforcement Officer Doug King, 509-936-2192
Public Affairs, Staci Lehman, 509-892-7853

SPOKANE – The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is offering a cash reward in the case of a bear cub that was shot and left in northeast Washington.

 The incident is believed to have happened around Friday, May 10. The cub was found by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer off Sand Canyon Road near Chewelah, Washington. This incident is illegal for several reasons; it is illegal to shoot bear cubs, it is outside the normal bear hunting season, and wasting harvested animals is also against the law.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call WDFW Enforcement Officer Doug King at 509-936-2192. Charges must be brought against a suspect in this case in order for informants to receive reward money.

[trophyhunt]

I wonder if a spring bear hunter shot the Mom bear and didn’t know she had a cub? If that was the case, they did the cub a favor, too bad it happened either way.

[Bango skank]

Would you take the money or ask for Bonus Points? Maybe both?

https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/reward-offered-information-poached-bear-cub?fbclid=IwAR2gKPcz5SjTp1erbnOY25RlwkbBqfXORwyfWw9l966LvCBOskowFgn_6Iw

Date
May. 16, 2019
Contact
Enforcement Officer Doug King, 509-936-2192
Public Affairs, Staci Lehman, 509-892-7853

SPOKANE – The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is offering a cash reward in the case of a bear cub that was shot and left in northeast Washington.

 . This incident is illegal for several reasons; it is illegal to shoot bear cubs, it is outside the normal bear hunting season,

It is not illegal to shoot cubs, and it is bear season for permit holders.  If you have a valid tag, a cub is legal.  "Any bear" is legal.  its even legal to shoot a sow accompanied by cubs, as opposed to shooting a cougar accompanied by spotted kittens, which is illegal.  notice the very significant difference in the language used in the regs.  "Hunters are urged not to" vs. "It is unlawful to." If something is illegal, they say so in no uncertain terms.

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

It is not illegal to shoot cubs, and it is bear season for permit holders.  If you have a valid tag, a cub is legal.  "Any bear" is legal.  its even legal to shoot a sow accompanied by cubs, as opposed to shooting a cougar accompanied by spotted kittens, which is illegal.  notice the very significant difference in the language used in the regs.

Ya, they wrote too much here. Instead of saying this incident is illegal for several reasons they should have just said that poaching is broad but most commonly; hunting out of season, taking illegal game, and waste of harvest.

The first two may be true in this case that there is a permit hunt season open at this time and you can harvest any bear including a cub. Their grounds for persecution is the later and targeted on waste of harvest. The cub was found in the middle of the road and how it was found would suggest it was shot and died in the same spot.

[TheStovePipeKid]

Why are members of a hunting forum better informed than the enforcement branch of WDFW?

[Decker]

Unfortunate as it is, the discarding and leaving of meat is the only illegal offense.

[oldschooltrucks]

Why are members of a hunting forum better informed than the enforcement branch of WDFW?

often the case  and good luck hearing back from them if you need anything

[WSU]

Unfortunate as it is, the discarding and leaving of meat is the only illegal offense.

Assuming that even happened. 

[Stein]

Just playing here, say a guy had a spring tag, took the legal shot and couldn't find it.  No laws would be broken despite WDFW claims.

I agree, if the WDFW issues a press release, it should absolutely not have several errors that are quite basic.

[cbond3318]

Wow they’re useless! 

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

Just playing here, say a guy had a spring tag, took the legal shot and couldn't find it.  No laws would be broken despite WDFW claims.

I agree, if the WDFW issues a press release, it should absolutely not have several errors that are quite basic.

I asked them that very question....

Me: There is currently a spring bear permit for that unit?
WDFW: Yes
Me: A hunter can kill any bear; cub, sow, or boar?
WDFW: Yes
Me: Then could a hunter for some reason we don't know have attempted to take a cub bear and was unable to recover his kill due to a poor shot?
WDFW: Yes, but the bear was in the open road, in an area where tracking would not be difficult, and the scene suggested the bear did not travel from where initially shot. Poaching is a broad term which includes waste of wildlife which is the case in this situation and why we are pursuing the matter.

[Stein]

Huh, according to WDFW, poaching is very well defined and does not include waste of meat:

Poaching is the illegal taking or possession of game animals and fish, non-game, and protected, threatened, or endangered fish and wildlife species.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/enforcement/report

Best case they were only 80% wrong, absolutely amazing the level of incompetence.  If they are this careless with these issues, imagine what they do with other stuff.

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

Huh, according to WDFW, poaching is very well defined and does not include waste of meat:

Poaching is the illegal taking or possession of game animals and fish, non-game, and protected, threatened, or endangered fish and wildlife species.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/enforcement/report

Best case they were only 80% wrong, absolutely amazing the level of incompetence.  If they are this careless with these issues, imagine what they do with other stuff.

 

[bigtex]

Huh, according to WDFW, poaching is very well defined and does not include waste of meat:

Poaching is not defined in law. It is up to each individuals/agencies interpretation of what poaching is. I know some who say anyone who violate a fish/wildlife law is a poacher, even as minor as a barbed hook violation. Others say it is limited to overlimits, out of season, etc.

[CAMPMEAT]

Why are members of a hunting forum better informed than the enforcement branch of WDFW?

Pretty common with the uneducated.....on anything !

[Stein]

Huh, according to WDFW, poaching is very well defined and does not include waste of meat:

Poaching is not defined in law. It is up to each individuals/agencies interpretation of what poaching is. I know some who say anyone who violate a fish/wildlife law is a poacher, even as minor as a barbed hook violation. Others say it is limited to overlimits, out of season, etc.

I quoted what WDFW said, they define it.  If they don't want to define it, maybe they shouldn't define it on their website.

[bigtex]

Huh, according to WDFW, poaching is very well defined and does not include waste of meat:

Poaching is not defined in law. It is up to each individuals/agencies interpretation of what poaching is. I know some who say anyone who violate a fish/wildlife law is a poacher, even as minor as a barbed hook violation. Others say it is limited to overlimits, out of season, etc.

I quoted what WDFW said, they define it.  If they don't want to define it, maybe they shouldn't define it on their website.

And like I said, it's not defined in law. So it is up to each individuals/agencies interpretation as to the definition is. Contrary to popular belief you can't be charged with "poaching", there's no such crime. It's a term people use to describe natural resource crimes.

[KFhunter]

It's a commonly used layman word so I can understand its use in a public outreach for information; I'm sure the ticket wouldn't cite for "poaching" if they did actually find the person