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Felony animal cruelty... ouch.
Seems a bit harsh... even for these idiots.
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Living in an area that has/is hit hard by poaching, I have seen first-hand the toll poaching takes on the quality in a deer herd. Finding 3-4 rotting bucks in a pile with big holes blown in them by a high powered rifle(illegal to hunt deer in Ohio with a rifle) during our pre-rut/rut season, which is bow only and only their racks cut off(which is not uncommon), makes one want much harsher penalties for poaching.
My neighbor and his wife watched a bachelor group of very nice bucks this summer in his bean field next to his house. One of the largest bucks in this group was marked by a softball sized, white patch on his hip.
Just before our bow season started (last week of Sept) , this same buck was found in the ditch next to the road in front of neighbors field. Big hole in his side and his head had been cut off.
This happens multiple times every year in this area and the quality of the bucks in this area has really diminished in the last 8-10 years.
Personally,I wish a conviction of poaching would not only include the confiscation of all equipment used in the poaching act but be bumped up to a felony charge as well.