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Re: Poachers fined $11,000

I just read the despicable act of moose poaching done by some individuals in BC. I am a responsible hunter, or was, as I haven't hunted in awhile now.

I have always believed, and contributed to the responsible maintenance of our wildlife in Canada, and to read about this despicable disregard for our wildlife that we have here in BC, well...to me, this is totally irresponsible, by all the people involved, and a total total disregard for the law, about the hunting rules laid out in our beautiful province.

My gosh, four bull moose, gone from the ecosystem to create more moose for the future — how nice!

To have knowingly done this illegal act once, was bad enough, but to go out and do it a second time, well, that shows that Knooihuizen has no regard at all for our wildlife laws in Canada. None whatsoever.

It had always been that when a poacher had been caught, their firearms used in the act, as well as their vehicle, and anything else that they had used to do the poaching, was confiscated. And then, in a court of law, they received their fine(s) for having done this act. Why was such a soft fine and ban
handed to these people? Come on, 2 year ban, big deal. He will probably go out and hunt again anyways, the fine and ban should have been big enough to send a message to all poachers. A lifetime ban for hunting and a total loss of his, or theirs, firearms license.

They knew that they were poaching, and still didn't care, so, they should forfeit their luxury they had to hunt in Canada plain and simple. I may have been a bit lenient with their first time of breaking this law, but, to go out and knowingly do it again thinking that they won't be caught, well, this has to be stopped in its tracks, for all of us law-abiding hunters and wildlife conservation people. Otherwise this type of activity will go on and on.

I have been an avid outdoorsman, and previous hunter, for more than 50 years, and I personally will never condone this type of law breaking activity, and I have stated my views like this to others that have bragged about doing this, in other parts of the country. I have been a member of the CWF, as well as Ducks Unlimited, both of which did so much to maintain our outdoors areas for hunters, and outdoors people, to enjoy for years ahead.

So, this is my 2 cents worth on this act, and to the court that laid down the fines, etc. You didn't do enough!

Let's all do our part to look after the wildlife we have in BC, properly, and our wildlife will then be properly maintained for all hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts in the future.

I am sure that all responsible hunters are with me on this.

Trevor Martin