Potential Record Poached

[Elkaholic6]

http://www.rivermenrodandgunclub.com...s-poached.html



As a deer hunter, can you imagine having a close encounter with a 36-point non-typical monster that would score well over 250? What would you be willing to do or sacrifice to get a shot at such a phenomenal whitetail? Unfortunately, there are some who fall victim to rack envy and cross that ethical and legal boundary by poaching a trophy buck. Recently, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Conservation Police arrested three men for poaching deer. One of the deer they are suspected of poaching was a potential Illinois state record non-typical whitetail that scored 261 5/8.
This particular buck carried 36-points that shot off its extra-thick rack in
every possible direction. According to the DNR, the deer had illegally been
harvested in Grundy County, but a thorough investigation of this particular case
uncovered more startling facts. Over a 10-year period, the three men
(Christopher Kiernana, Garret Armstrong and Larry Smith) had unlawfully
harvested a total of 24 deer across the state of Illinois and Canada, according
to the DNR.


A joint-effort by the IDNR, New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources, Wyoming Game & Fish Department, Alberta Sustainable Resources
Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of
Conservation, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks led to the arrest of all
three individuals on numerous wildlife related charges.


The men that were involved in this 10-year poaching ring were residents of
Illinois, New York and Canada. They received a variety of Wildlife Code
violations ranging from unlawful possession of illegally taken deer, falsifying
harvest records, hunting without the permission of the landowner and numerous
other major charges. The case is still under investigation, so the DNR is not
releasing more specific details.


According to Rafael Gutierrez, the IDNR Conservation Police Chief, poaching
is a serious matter in Illinois and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law. “The IDNR Office of Law Enforcement has zero tolerance when
it comes to poaching matters. Our Conservation Police will continue to protect
our natural resources so that legal sportsmen get every opportunity they
deserve,” he says.


Without question, poaching can be one of the biggest problems that legal and
ethical hunters face each season. Over the years, I’ve covered several
heartbreaking stories that involved a legitimate hunter losing a trophy buck to
a poacher. Some of these hunters spent countless hours scouting, hanging
trail-cameras and re-positioning stands, but were robbed of their much-deserved
opportunity by an illegal act.


On that note, do you feel your state’s current poaching penalties are
enforced and strict enough or should they be increased and enforced more?

I bet alot of this happens..

[H380]

Sad to see such atrophy lost to poachers , glad they got caught and hope they really get nailed .I'm like you elkaholic 6, I'll bet there are lots of " book " animals with a tainted story behind them .

[BigJon]

You bet it does...When I was elk hunting this year I cam across 2 shot and left whitetail bucks. One was a nice 6x5 that would hit 140 with no trouble, the other was a smallish 5x5. The real troubling thing is there was evidence (trampled crop, blood stains and pick-up tracks to and from the trampled, stained area) of another deer being shot. Myself and the landowner suspect somebody rolled in during the night, shot everything with antlers they could see and collected the biggest one.

Before anyone asks, the answer is yes. I haven't heard of any developments on the situation and highly doubt anyone will be caught but it is on the authorities radar.

It's really disheartening to say the least...putting in alot of work just to have some mouth breather pull something like this...and knowing that they likely go back to their local watering hole to talk about how good of a hunter they are to get a big one....

Thus ends my rant...take care.

[catnthehat]

This has already been posted , and I guess that Larry Smith character is in a whole mess of crap down east!!
Apparently there was something about a big buck contest that he is know to win ( or won?)?
Cat

[Elkaholic6]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

This has already been posted , and I guess that Larry Smith character is in a whole mess of crap down east!!
Apparently there was something about a big buck contest that he is know to win ( or won?)?
Cat

Oops.

[shorthair ptr.]

Yeah that Larry Smith has qualified and won a few time a contest that the Beasly Bro's started. He just appeared a few years ago with all these racks for entering into the Ont record books. I wonder how many of these deer are actually poached.
A friend of mine who still lives back east and who has competed against this Larry, has felt that Larry was poaching a year ago when Larry put up a pic of his deer for entering the contest. His picture of his deer for that week of the year was the only one of all the enteries that had snow in it.
Another year, his pic of his deer only showed the head and cape, he claimed that it was eaten by coyotes. Maybe, but now with this news I would wager differently. Ont will have to remove every one of his racks from the books. I used to be a measurer there so I hope he gets his!

[pottymouth]

I was wondering when this would come up.

Christopher Kiernan, 45, of Minooka, Illinois; Garret Armstrong, 31, of Avon, NY; and Larry Smith, 49, of Williamsburg, Ontario Canada face charges ranging from "hunting without permission of land owner" to "unlawful possession of illegally taken deer" and many more charges.



I guess Garret Armstrong is the VP of Elite Archery, and here's the charge list:

Garret Armstrong (age 31, of Avon, NY)
9 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
8 counts of hunting with an invalidated permit
4 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
2 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
1 count each: Failure to tag deer as required,
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record

The other 2 were pro staff

[Elkaholic6]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

I was wondering when this would come up.

Christopher Kiernan, 45, of Minooka, Illinois; Garret Armstrong, 31, of Avon, NY; and Larry Smith, 49, of Williamsburg, Ontario Canada face charges ranging from "hunting without permission of land owner" to "unlawful possession of illegally taken deer" and many more charges.



I guess Garret Armstrong is the VP of Elite Archery, and here's the charge list:

Garret Armstrong (age 31, of Avon, NY)
9 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
8 counts of hunting with an invalidated permit
4 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
2 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
1 count each: Failure to tag deer as required,
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record

The other 2 were pro staff

I hope alot of people get rid of their Elite bows for this... I wouldn't be supporting a company that had it's owner and prostaff poaching animals.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Elkaholic6

I hope alot of people get rid of their Elite bows for this... I wouldn't be supporting a company that had it's owner and prostaff poaching animals.

I can remember a few real big dust ups years ago, one involving Kirk Darner , the other with the fella that was with high Country - can't remember his name, but it was a real ugly thing those two did.
Two different hunters, same attitude!
Cat

I wonder if they are convicted if more charges like fraud could results...seems Larry has won some fairly valuable prizes for his deer. Innocent till proven guilty though......

http://www.omwmag.com/LarrySmith.php

[snortwheez]

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=109789

[Larry Smith's Daughters]

You all need to realize that you have no idea what you're talking about. We call that ten year period in question our lives. We can't speak for Chris and Garret but we know our father has deserved and worked hard to get everything he's ever achieved. He has always lived by 'you get what you put in' and 'anything worth doing is worth doing right'. We've witnessed him discussing these same issues involving others and we know where he stands. If you notice, because someone so sweetly posted all their charges for you, he only has one count of each. They've been investigating this for a year, trying to put together what they could. Do you really think if he deserved to have any of his records pulled they wouldn't have noticed it already? It's sad how envy makes it easier to kick successful people when they're down. Don't be comforted by the notion that the only reason you haven't taken down the bucks that he has is because you play by the rules, he's just that good, sorry.

[Albertadiver]

Originally Posted by Larry Smith's Daughters

he's just that good, sorry.

[tiger woods]

Originally Posted by Larry Smith's Daughters

You all need to realize that you have no idea what you're talking about. We call that ten year period in question our lives. We can't speak for Chris and Garret but we know our father has deserved and worked hard to get everything he's ever achieved. He has always lived by 'you get what you put in' and 'anything worth doing is worth doing right'. We've witnessed him discussing these same issues involving others and we know where he stands. If you notice, because someone so sweetly posted all their charges for you, he only has one count of each. They've been investigating this for a year, trying to put together what they could. Do you really think if he deserved to have any of his records pulled they wouldn't have noticed it already? It's sad how envy makes it easier to kick successful people when they're down. Don't be comforted by the notion that the only reason you haven't taken down the bucks that he has is because you play by the rules, he's just that good, sorry.

"Only one count of each"...Sounds like someone raised a sh*thead too.

I hope they make an example out of him and all his buddies. These are guys that kids look up to because they're successful 'hunters'. Its pretty disappointing for those kids when they find out your pop and his pals were out blasting deer illegally. Pass the well wishes along to your dad, I hope he gets the book thrown at him.

Welcome to the AO forum.

[Jack&7]

Originally Posted by H380

I'm like you elkaholic 6, I'll bet there are lots of " book " animals with a tainted story behind them .

Sad but true...and the motivation to do these things is not just to get a 'book' deer. The magazines, the sponsorships, TV shows, the chance to get on a 'pro-staff', etc. are all reasons why guys will do whatever it takes to knock down a trophy.

To wit:

I had a really hard time buying Big Buck magazine after Gary Donald printed a story showing how a 'veteran hunter' shot the biggest non-typical in MB in 2007. He poached that deer at midnight as my Dad heard the shot. This guy is the biggest poacher known across southwestern MB. He now 'hunts' all year long as he managed to find some native ancestry somewhere way back in his family line and used that to acquire "harvester" status. He kills not because he needs it...he does it now because he can. He doesn't work as he has been on long term disability for 20+years. He can't work, but has no problem blasting thru rough bush country on a quad. He has been caught trepassing (via trail cam) on neighbour's property repeatedly.

I called Gary personally to ask if BB does any type of a background check on the stories that people submit before they print. While he was shocked to hear what I had to tell him, he simply answered my question with, "How could we?" And I had to admit that he was right.

I have also had a confrontation with a taxidermist that advertises in Gary's magazine while hunting in Sask. This guy's wife has entered a story in Gary's magazine as well with a dandy buck she shot. After my experience with him, I had to question that whole story. This guy and his hunting party did their best to scare off the buck I had taken aim at. They saw I was shooting, what I was shooting at and proceeded to race their truck down the road adjacent to the field my deer was in and honk their horns. All because this deer was a hog and they wanted a crack at it.

Now one could easily dismiss what I have said here as jealousy, but it's not. I love hunting and the actions of these clowns can never surpass the memories I have of my times in the field. Yet it never ceases to amaze me how far some will go to get that deer. The thing I always wonder is this: If you know you took that deer mounted on your wall illegally, can you truly enjoy it for what it is?

[Thinlizzy]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

I wonder if they are convicted if more charges like fraud could results...seems Larry has won some fairly valuable prizes for his deer. Innocent till proven guilty though......

http://www.omwmag.com/LarrySmith.php

He should have to give all those prizes back!
What a Rat!

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted by Larry Smith's Daughters

You all need to realize that you have no idea what you're talking about. We call that ten year period in question our lives. We can't speak for Chris and Garret but we know our father has deserved and worked hard to get everything he's ever achieved. He has always lived by 'you get what you put in' and 'anything worth doing is worth doing right'. We've witnessed him discussing these same issues involving others and we know where he stands. If you notice, because someone so sweetly posted all their charges for you, he only has one count of each. They've been investigating this for a year, trying to put together what they could. Do you really think if he deserved to have any of his records pulled they wouldn't have noticed it already? It's sad how envy makes it easier to kick successful people when they're down. Don't be comforted by the notion that the only reason you haven't taken down the bucks that he has is because you play by the rules, he's just that good, sorry.

LOL, I'm sure after this post, this thread is now gonna get alot more attention!


He's just that good at what is my question............


Pass the popcorn !

[Jayhad]

I don't hunt anymore, and when I did it was never for trophies it was for food, I'm not jealous of your father because he's allegedly a liar, a thief, a cheat and a douche bag

Originally Posted by Larry Smith's Daughters

You all need to realize that you have no idea what you're talking about. We call that ten year period in question our lives. We can't speak for Chris and Garret but we know our father has deserved and worked hard to get everything he's ever achieved. He has always lived by 'you get what you put in' and 'anything worth doing is worth doing right'. We've witnessed him discussing these same issues involving others and we know where he stands. If you notice, because someone so sweetly posted all their charges for you, he only has one count of each. They've been investigating this for a year, trying to put together what they could. Do you really think if he deserved to have any of his records pulled they wouldn't have noticed it already? It's sad how envy makes it easier to kick successful people when they're down. Don't be comforted by the notion that the only reason you haven't taken down the bucks that he has is because you play by the rules, he's just that good, sorry.

[Elkaholic6]

Originally Posted by Jayhad

I don't hunt anymore, and when I did it was never for trophies it was for food, I'm not jealous of your father because he's allegedly a liar, a thief, a cheat and a douche bag

Bahahaha. Now now... Don't get this thread locked haha

[Pioneer2]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I can remember a few real big dust ups years ago, one involving Kirk Darner , the other with the fella that was with high Country - can't remember his name, but it was a real ugly thing those two did.
Two different hunters, same attitude!
Cat

He was the mule deer wizard and wrote several how to articles for Outdoor Life.He had a few mulie bucks in the book but was busted hunting in Yellowstone Park...............Harold

Originally Posted by Pioneer2

He was the mule deer wizard and wrote several how to articles for Outdoor Life.He had a few mulie bucks in the book but was busted hunting in Yellowstone Park...............Harold

Kirt did a lot of things but don't think hunting Yellowstone was one of them. There was another guy that made some videos of big elk that were traced back to Yellowstone. Think his name was Don Lewis.