Prosecutors Desk 9-15-2014

Hunting season is coming soon and the problems that may come with it. There will be a few folks who do not believe they really have to get the license or that they will not get caught, but they are often wrong. The rules serve a purpose and are there for a reason. The wildlife officers have a job to do and the result of their work is a much more orderly hunting season than we would have without them. I urge folks to keep the rules. Ask before you go on a piece of property that you do not own. Know what you are hunting for and shooting at. People get killed and wounded every year because people shoot without knowing what they are shooting at.

The Stevens County Commissioners have passed a resolution reaffirming their belief in and support of the constitutional right of people to protect their property and their lives from dangerous predators, whether the predators are listed on some list somewhere or not. The Commissioners have made this resolution in the face of the recent predation by wolves of many animals from a Stevens County rancher. The WDFW has acknowledged the problem and made efforts to eliminate some of the wolves. We will see if their efforts are successful in eliminating the ones who have grown used to sheep.

I often get asked about my views on the subject of the prosecution of persons who violate the law by killing animals that are listed as endangered. I will look at each case carefully, as I do on all fish and game cases. I will make a decision based upon the facts that are present and (more importantly) can be proved. I agree and believe that a person does have a right to protect themselves and their property from people or animals or what ever might threaten it.

If I see that a person was acting to protect his property or his life from an eminent threat, I do not think I will have any interest in prosecuting him or her for their actions. This means they have to have been acting reasonable. If a cougar stalks you, kill it. If your livestock are being attacked, defend them. But, if you are out in the woods hunting cougar or wolves because you want to or think their very existence is a threat, you will be prosecuted if you are caught. I cannot predict what a given set of facts may be, and there are always hypothetical questions that are hard to answer, but you get the idea.

Respect and obey the laws even if you think they do not apply to you. Respect other people’s property. Do not drink and hunt. Be careful. Take a hunter’s safety course. Remember there are other armed people in the woods looking for something to shoot at too. Wear hunter orange.

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