Stealing or not?

[dunkel]

You asked two questions...is it "wrong"? Then you asked if it's a violation of the law (ie stealing).

Whether something is legal or illegal is a matter of what the words on the paper say. Whether something is "wrong" is a whole other question.

 

[Stuckon22]

OK, by this time in the thread hopefully even future responders will have thought about the initial question before reading this. There seems to be a consensus that stealing is stealing. I really HOPE that we all agree that wildlife, including all game animals, is a PUBLIC resource. If you don't subscribe, despite it being codified then I can't entertain your counter position if you have one.

Here's the situation, yesterday I turkey hunted a club. After our first set up, we are leaving via a different route and come across a feeder full of corn. Long story short, there is corn in various places on this club. Theoretically there was a 'misunderstanding' about the law and some 'might' have thought that hunting 200 yards away or farther was legal. Now of course that exception ONLY applies to deer and no other game animals or birds. For turkey, if you have corn ANYWHERE on the property it's illegal. However, for years the published regulation that everyone uses instead of reading the actual law, made it sound like it applied to ALL game animals/birds since they'd never put the word "DEER" in their baiting information. Consequently some (most? all?) LEO won't write you a ticket if you are over 200 yards from a bait pile turkey hunting. Some (most? all?) will even admit it.
Now the reg book has been corrected and the law has never changed so it's very clear. You can not have bait out, anywhere while you are turkey hunting, yet you know you aren't going to get cited. What do you do?
Corn is out in various places holding birds on the property you'd otherwise not get. Maybe you set up a bait pile 500 yards from their roost site and set up between the two.
Stealing? I'm sure my request to not have this devolve into an endless inevitably pointless debate about baiting and to concentrate on the question will go ignored but there it is anyway.

I say blurred line with public and officers understanding of the intent. Kind of like going 72 in a 65, against the law, of course, enforced?........People have to look in the mirror, some see what they want to see, others see what the reflection is...MHO

 

[MRH]

haha...Very true. I'm only wondering if the illegal activity is intentional. I'm sure it probably is. Either way if they are hunting over bait illegally it is poaching and poaching is stealing.

 

[batoncolle]

OK, by this time in the thread hopefully even future responders will have thought about the initial question before reading this. There seems to be a consensus that stealing is stealing. I really HOPE that we all agree that wildlife, including all game animals, is a PUBLIC resource. If you don't subscribe, despite it being codified then I can't entertain your counter position if you have one.

Here's the situation, yesterday I turkey hunted a club. After our first set up, we are leaving via a different route and come across a feeder full of corn. Long story short, there is corn in various places on this club. Theoretically there was a 'misunderstanding' about the law and some 'might' have thought that hunting 200 yards away or farther was legal. Now of course that exception ONLY applies to deer and no other game animals or birds. For turkey, if you have corn ANYWHERE on the property it's illegal. However, for years the published regulation that everyone uses instead of reading the actual law, made it sound like it applied to ALL game animals/birds since they'd never put the word "DEER" in their baiting information. Consequently some (most? all?) LEO won't write you a ticket if you are over 200 yards from a bait pile turkey hunting. Some (most? all?) will even admit it.
Now the reg book has been corrected and the law has never changed so it's very clear. You can not have bait out, anywhere while you are turkey hunting, yet you know you aren't going to get cited. What do you do?
Corn is out in various places holding birds on the property you'd otherwise not get. Maybe you set up a bait pile 500 yards from their roost site and set up between the two.
Stealing? I'm sure my request to not have this devolve into an endless inevitably pointless debate about baiting and to concentrate on the question will go ignored but there it is anyway.

This is not stealing. This is exercising your right to jury nullification in the field. The problem is that, like a box of chocolates, you never know what type of Mr. Green Jeans you are going to get.

To simplify the stupidity of this regulation. If I baited for deer and was hunting all day but saw nary a one, I might decide to take out a few squirrels that I have been eyeballing all day. I am now in violation...

 

[heystranger]

How do you define boundaries for wild animals? My property is not very wide but it is deep. I have 60 acres but if I put out corn for the deer and my neighbor is turkey hunting 100 yds from the land boundary, is he in violation? I keep food out year round so even in turkey season there is plenty of food. Can you get ticketed for someone else bait close to your property?

 

[Stuckon22]

Well of course it's "for the deer". Just ask them. The fact remains they are turkey hunting land with corn out.
Sort of like every deer hunter that gets caught shooting over a corn pile in the northern zone. "I'm hog hunting."

We were, no lie!

 

[Realstudent368]

I have always considered poachers to be thieves. Are you sure the corn is not intended for deer? Lots of guys feed the deer herds year round with corn.

The way OP states it... Doesn't really matter the original intent.....

The fact is, it is cheating/stealing...

 

[Stuckon22]

The way OP states it... Doesn't really matter the original intent.....

The fact is, it is cheating/stealing...

Ditto, and selective/ignorant enforcement.

 

[GeauxLSU]

People have to look in the mirror, some see what they want to see, others see what the reflection is...MHO

Indeed.
So? The scenario I laid out, stealing/poaching?

 

[GeauxLSU]

This is not stealing. This is exercising your right to jury nullification in the field. The problem is that, like a box of chocolates, you never know what type of Mr. Green Jeans you are going to get.

To simplify the stupidity of this regulation. If I baited for deer and was hunting all day but saw nary a one, I might decide to take out a few squirrels that I have been eyeballing all day. I am now in violation...

You must have typed that quickly because I'm not following. Is the scenario I laid out stealing/poaching or not? Why or why not?
The law is clear. The (lack of) enforcement is clear as well.