There have been many stories that profile a poacher. In today’s society a true poacher is no longer a hero, or one who has bragging rights in a crowd of hunters. In the year 2001, the young no longer look up to a true poacher, nor is he a folk hero in a community. The poacher is the person that fellow sportsmen want out of the equation. Millions of dollars are spent yearly by the sportsmen on leases, hunting gear, boats, licenses and everything else that goes along with the sport of ethical hunting. It’s hard to put a dollar figure on the many hours that are spent building stands or blinds, planting food plots, repairing camps and posting property. True sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts do not tolerate the attitude of the greedy, the ones we refer to as poachers. With the full support of the true hunters out there, the poacher can’t and won’t win in their selfish little world.

Hunting season 2000-2001 was one of the better seasons for waterfowl in years. With numerous cold fronts and hard freeze conditions up north, thousands of ducks wintered in the marshes of South Louisiana. With the high population of waterfowl in the area, Agents were busy conducting many hours of surveillance on waterfowl hunters. Some really good cases were made this season including, over bagging, rallying migratory game birds, shooting during illegal hours, hunting from moving boats, and a few bait cases. One of the most common types of complaints the Agents heard this season was of late (illegal hours) shooting and trespassing.

Agents even heard stories of hunters going to their blinds (leases) in the mornings only to find spent shotgun shells, dead birds floating in their ponds, and litter in and around their hunting areas. Some hunters even found illegal birds dead near their blinds, such as Federally protected non-game birds. If you have ever been in these shoes, you know how discouraging this can be, especially before starting your hunt. On many of the complaints, the Agents were able to obtain enough information to follow up and make good cases with the support of the landowners or people who actually lease the property. The poachers, who utilize everyone else’s property to hunt so carelessly, obviously have no regard for the resource either. In most trespassing and late shooting cases, other charges follow. Keeping in mind that darkness works in favor of the outlaw, illegal hours shooters wait until just before dark before firing shots. This technique makes it hard for the officers to get near the poacher’s position. This particular technique does not discourage the officer, but rather it creates a challenge, and as we say, "let the games begin." True hunters know that shooting a pond where the birds are roosting ruins your pond for future hunts.

Attitudes encountered while dealing with the poacher are something to see and hear. At times, they are quite amazing and can be very amusing. Although entertaining, Agents have no mercy when it comes to dealing with the people who steal the state’s natural resources. Some of the statements that come to mind are, and I quote, "Why should I pay for a lease, we have other people footing the bill." Or, "We appreciate people making blinds so nice and comfortable for us, we don’t need to build anything of our own." Then there’s "Posted signs, that must mean the property is good. We don’t worry about signs. We ride around until we jump ducks and then hunt, we don’t care whose land we are on." "No one can own the water and that’s where the birds are landing." One hunter once told Agents, "Why should I have a lease to hunt, state highways run through all the good leases and I road hunt." One of the most famous statements that we have all heard is "We only have a couple of days to hunt, so we figured we would take advantage." It is attitudes such as these that the poachers will share with the officers as they are being issued citations for abusing game and fish laws. On one occasion, a landowner was so disgusted with trespassing and poaching on his property that he advertised his disgust on the Internet and warned bootleg hunters that he would no longer tolerate their inconsiderate attitudes.

As Wildlife Enforcement Agents, we see things each season that truly amazes us. One of the hardest things to figure out is what people are thinking and why. If we could figure this out, our jobs would be much easier, but less challenging. In today’s modern world with updated electronics such as cell phones, radios, and high tech cameras, there is no reason for the poacher to survive. They can be shut down with the right combination of efforts. Good information, patience, officer persistence, and good court systems with convictions are what it takes to get the point across. Poaching will no longer be tolerated. "Get the Message!"