16 year old son went hunting with a friend on their property (Van Zandt County) for last day of youth Season (Sunday). He called and said he shot a button buck, so I told him to make sure they gutted the deer and cleaned it all out, and hung it up, etc. I said.. It is cold enough so it will be fine hanging outside until he can get back here so we can drop off at processors.

Long story short. did not hear from him most of the day, and finally around 4PM he calls and said he is in trouble with Game Wardens and they were talking about felony poaching charges. Finally started getting the details between crying and hubbling, and scared he was going to jail......

Ticket #1 (Hunting during closed season): Game Warden said he was in the area nearby and heard the gun shot and said it was past shooting time. Son said he did not know exactly what time it was but they were walking back to camp at dusk when deer jumped out and other kid missed, and he shot it.

Ticket #2 (Criminal Trespass on Agricultural land): Kid he was hunting with said they had permission to hunt the neighboring property to theirs.... (Not so according to land owner that showed up)

Ticket #3 (Improperly Tagged WT Deer): They had the deer hanging up in the tree after they gutted it with no tag

Ticket #4 (Failure to keep game in edible condition): Son said GW told team deer was not edible due to being muddy from them dropping it in the mud while loading it in truck and outside all day.

Restitution: Tickets says Restitution is required also.

GW said they were going easy on them by giving them 4 tickets, because neighboring property owner wanted felony changes brought, etc. against them. They confiscated his 30-30 and told him he can have it back once fines are paid. Have to call Judge and see what fines he is getting assessed, and what we need to do.

Any idea how Judges view these things for Juveniles or previous experience.

#4 sounds like BS.

I don't have any first hand experience with this, but I wouldn't be surprised if at 16, the judge doesn't offer any leniency.

I agree with this, #4 sounds non-legitimate..Unfortunately probably merit to 1-3. I would show contrition and hope for some leniency assuming he is actually contrite.

Kids can sometimes, unintentionally, get themselves into a pickle on 1-3 maybe, but #4, really, ain't the game warden ever heard of a water hose?

Yes... I agree on #4.. just don't know if I want to press the situation or not. I told wife.. we just need to pay the fines and get it over with.... as we were not there and can't argue much since we are only getting told the story from a 16 year old.

I disagree with the leniency from first hand experience. A long long time ago, (1967) I was dove hunting on land that I honestly thought I had permission to hunt on by a friend of my Dads. I was one fence off. The GW gave me a ticket for trespassing and I went to court to explain why I was one cattle guard short of the property going down a country road. I was supposed to go through 4 cattle guards but I thought he said don't go through the 4th cattle guard. Judge said that I should learn to count and fined me $135. I just checked what that would be in today's dollars and it is $953.61. I had a licence and was not over my limit or unplug gun or any of several things that the GW looked at. So, it will just depend on the mood of the judge. I'm still pissed!!!!!!!!!!!!

No one in here saw the deer but we are not agreeing on #4? lol

Id say with what the neighbor wanted done they went very easy on them. live and learn I did something similar when I was his age and got caught.. taught me a good lesson early on. My judge gave me the option of community service along with a shortened fine. I worked at the county dump for a few weeks.. smelt terrible by the end of the day lol

Sounds like a bad situation. I would seek some kind of recourse on #2 being that he was hunting with a buddy on his land and the buddy said they had permission to hunt the area.

Any possibility that the #4 is a gift from the warden? Like when you get a speeding ticked for 20 over and have an expired inspection sticker they only write you up for the speeding because if you get the inspection thrown out then the whole ticket is thrown out? Maybe if you can prove #4 wrong they will drop it all? Maybe I was dropped as a baby. Best of luck to your son, life lessons being learned it will make him a better person some day.

Id also say pushing the fact and trying to argue one violation would not help your case with leniency...

Hopefully your son has learned a life lesson, seems to me he could have thrown the book at him.

About #4 I personally don't leave animals hanging outside for 24 hours, maybe over night, but on the ice quickly. I'd love to see how nasty the deer was.

Just remember your son will know what to do and not to do next season.

If air temps permit absolutely nothing wrong with leaving a deer hang 24 hours plus.

covered in mud?

Goodluck with that, it nearly got to 60 yesterday

I'm not a parent but can certainly understand your wanting to defend your son.

However, based upon the details you've relayed, the GW used discretion to keep from charging a couple kids with felony trespass/poaching. And I imagine the GW is the one who convinced the landowner not to pursue those charges.

I'd pay the fines and let your son work off the $ through household chores or a job. Tough lessons to learn, but it could have been much worse.

You can plead for leniency from the court, but is that the right signal to send?

Yes, that is what I told him... that the responsible thing to do was drive into town and drop off the deer at the processors, then go back out hunting or shooting, etc.. later. You take care of business first.

I told him,, I hope he learns a lesson and he will think twice and understand hunting on your own is different than tagging around with dad.

I was agreeing with what you said. Don't expect leniency. He's 16. Unfortunately it's young enough to still make stupid mistakes, but old enough to have to be responsible for them.

wait, wait, wait, hold up....let me get this straight, you mean to tell me you understand that there may be 2 sides to the story? wth is this world coming to when we dont get ready to throw hands after hearing the story from one side, much less a family member!

that's refreshing to hear sir

How was the game warden there to hear the shot and then the deer hung for a full day to get muddy and ripe? Im not understanding the story.

Ok now for the real story......

3 friends in their late teens went out to a property in Van Zandt county for the last weekend of youth season. At some point during the night these three kids were SPOTLIGHTING ON SOMEONE ELSES PROPERTY. During this spotlighting escapade what was thought to be a doe was shot at multiple times by all three kids with one bullet striking the animal. The kids then proceeded to put a final kill shot on the animal directly in between the eyes. So now these three have killed a deer knowingly not on their property, knowingly after season, and knowingly with a spotlight.

As the story goes they we're heading to town to get ice when they got their truck stuck in the mud. One thing led to another and these three kids found theirselves at a gate about a mile away from where they began. This gate was dummy locked because the landowner had just left his property. These three kids then proceeded to go through the gate, behind the barn, and into the 95 Z71 parked with the keys inside. They then proceeded to drive this truck as if it were their own (with a front flat tire) to pull theirs out, only to get the stolen GMC stuck in the process.

Now how do I know this story you may ask yourself??? Well I am the landowner who's truck they stole. These kids committed MULTIPLE FELONIES. They should have all been thrown in jail and would have been had I not been in such a good mood yesterday (You can thank my girlfriend for that). So you may want to just accept the penalties bestowe upon your child, have him take them like and man, and pay for what he did. I was stupid once myself as a 16 year old but I would like to think I learned from my mistakes. The game warden was extremely fair with these kids and most defenitaly took it easy on them. All three should be sitting in an 8x10 concrete box today instead of at home eating Cheerios.

Sbeckhams story seems to make sense... I would go ahead and pay some fines and be happy.

Ouch... gotta love it when we get to hear both sides!!!

Welcome to the forum and thanks for telling us the whole story. Sometimes sixteen year olds forget the real story. I'm sure I did more than a few times way back then.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for telling your side (the truth).

Woah. Same kids? Or a different, but similar situation?

If txbasser's son didn't relay this story the same way as sbeckham did, gonna be hell to pay tonight, I'll bet.