Man who killed 24-point buck didn't have license


by Steven Hepker | Jackson Citizen Patriot
Wednesday January 30, 2008, 8:23 AM

Dave Weatherwax / Jackson Citizen PatriotChris James, of Horton, holds up the rack of a large buck that he shot with a bow on Oct. 25, 2007.

Game authorities have seized a record-book deer rack and filed poaching charges against a Horton man.

The Department of Natural Resources investigation stemmed from an Oct. 26 Citizen Patriot story about a 24-point buck killed in the archery season.

Christopher James said he shot the buck in a Spring Arbor Township swamp at dusk on Oct. 24, tracked a blood trail part of the night and returned to find the carcass the next morning.

Doubting his claim, conservation officers said they searched the DNR license database to discover James did not buy a deer license until the morning after he shot the buck.

"He bought the license at 9:44 the next morning at Pine Hill Lake Marina," Conservation Officer Troy Bahlau said today.
The misdemeanor charge of unlawfully taking game carries a mandatory jail term of 5-93 days, a $1,000 fine, loss of hunting privileges for three years and forfeiture of the antlers.

"He lost the buck of a lifetime for the lack of a $15 license," Bahlau said.
Contacted after the charge was authorized Tuesday afternoon, James said he confessed to Bahlau and will plead guilty.
"I turned myself in and told the truth on my own," James said. "Like I told the conservation officer, it was an honest mistake. I always bought my deer licenses, but this time I forgot."


WOW

let him keep it, he bought the license anyways

Im sure he was planning on buying a license but put it off for too long. He shot the deer on Oct. 24, well into bow season. Kinda run out of excuses by then.

MORON!!!!
Who goes hunting before they buy a license?

Yeah and then once he did do it why didn't he just claim he killed the deer after buying the license? In other words leave the deer in the field go buy his license then go hunting??

Give his dumb a$$ the max!

ha Ha Ha, That is what he gets!!!

that seems a little exessive, seeing how he bought a license the next day.

maybe pay a fine, and do a little community service, but give him his deer back

I think taking the deer is WRONG! Sure he hadn't bought his license, but he DID buy his license the next day. There are a lot of folks who would never buy the license in the first place or poach them.

Just fine the man and let him keep the deer.

Would you feel any different if he shot it with a rifle (in season)?

He broke the law, and should not get the deer back. He probably had no intention of buying a license if he didn't shoot anything.

What if he thought that he already bought his license, reached into his pocket to tag his deer and notice that he still had his old one from last year. Its a mistake that could be made. If he had a good history of buying his license before the season started in the previous years, and this was the first time that he did it late, then I think that he should have just got a small fine. But he had never bought a license or has a history of buying it late then "stick it to him"..

jmo

How do you think he should get the deer back? Someone steals something tonight, sells it, then comes back to pay for it tomorrow??? Should they get a pass too?

That's bull. Hang him! (figuratively of course...)

I am tired of people who think its ok to break little laws as long as they say "Sorry"...

He knew the law, he knew it and broke it. If not, who gets to decide what laws to prosecute and what ones to not prosecute?

Where's that flag the little guy waves with the BS on it?

They should have let him keep the antlers.... ONLY after making him eat the meat!!!

Have you really ever forgotten to buy your hunting license? I haven't, I could see someone forgetting ther fishing license expired, because of the time it expires. But a hunting license needs to be purchased BEFORE the new hunting season.

Well the guy admitted to his illegal act and is willing to take the consequences like a man. He shouldnt expect to get the antlers back. The law reads one way, when you start making exceptions why even have laws.

That's , almost a month into bow season and you "forgot" to buy your license. Giving him the horns back, or anything for that matter just encourages others like him to take their chances. They should display the horns with the story to show people what they stand to lose by not buying a license. JMO

I've been buying my damn license for years and I have never seen a buck like that. I think I will stop. Seemed to work for him.

I think that's the way a lot of things seem to work. Karma has a way of kickin your A$$ when you think the rules don't apply to you.

Let him have it. He deserves whatever he gets. And then some!

Bankwalker

I have been hunting for over 25 years and NEVER forgot to buy a license. Every legal hunter knows the time of the year, he just got lazy. I will bet next year he does not forget......

If he was smart he should of left it go buy a license then claim it. I know the way parks and wildlife are! Had it been a spike or doe they would of not made much of a fuss! Probably just write him up. Just like the woman a few years ago that shot a deer that was trapped on her fence, it was going to die and suffer. So she shot it to put it out of it's misery. So what does parks and wildlife do! It was a record deer so they charged her and guess what? Took it away and now it probably hangs in some parks and wildlife's executives office! Now who are the crooks! It was her ranch they should of just charged her. Was that not enough?? Like i said had it been a spike???

You are right Parks and Wildlife would not have made a fuss if it was a spike or a doe because they wouldnt have heard about it unless it was reported. This was a trophy possibly record buck that drew some attention and when the stories and dates didnt match up well he got busted. He came clean and admitted to his screw up. Now there are so many "What Ifs" well let me put this one out there WHAT IF it would have been a spike or a doe would he have went and bought his license? Or would he have just boned it out and not tagged it or WHAT IF the Isotoner gloves fit OJ Simpson would he have been found guilty or WHAT IF Patrick Crayton would have caught that pass the Cowboys could have won.

The laws are written for a reason. Hats off to the guy. He did turn himself in and expects/accepts the consequences!!!