Not enough.

Our local paper ran a quick two paragraph blurb about two folks in Idaho who were given record fines and lifetime hunting bans for going on a little poaching spree a few years ago.  The local story just basically listed the number of animals and amount of the fine...no real information...just hey, they were fined a lot of money for shooting 1 cow moose, 1 spike elk, and at least 8-deer.

I tried to refrain from judging without getting some more information.  I mean...folks shooting cow moose and spike elk...there is a potential someone doing that is out sustenance hunting...especially in Idaho.  Now...is that legal?  No...as far as I know there is no real provision any more for sustenance hunting, but if I ended up a jury of a poacher, and that person was able to prove that shooting a cow moose is the only think that kept his family from starving...I'd be willing to push for jury nullification.

So...I did a little research, and found this story, and the attached picture removed all desires for leniency from my mind.



Photo borrowed from the Spokane Spokesman-Review, for emphasis. 

A cow moose, a spike elk are one thing.  Spotlighting deer with racks like that, AND THEN being dumb enough to keep those racks.  Nope, nope,nope...that's heinous.  I am 100% okay with lifetime hunting bans.  I am NOT okay with 'time served'.  As a hunter who resists temptation...I'm angry to see this.  Maybe they don't need more jail time, but there has to be some kind of hunter supporting community service they could be sentenced to.