I had this happen last season, let the warden know about a mistake I made in the tagging of a deer and I got ticketed for it. Kinda makes you not want to tell them anything

You takes your chances.
You pays your prices.
If I were to be hunting in Maine, or just about anywhere in the northeast, and had something go wrong, I would be sweating bullets. Danged if you do, danged if you don't.
That is why I do not hunt there.
I bear hunted with a guide in Maine one year. The guide was an outstanding guide and a wonderful person, but he made it clear that if we messed up and he learned of it, he was required to report it. If he did not, he would automatically lose his guiding business for a ridiculous amount of time, if not permanently. The game department in Maine does not play any games.

I agree that it depends on the situation and the warden. There is nothing that says they have to give you a break . There is also a lot of difference in game wardens some are good and will assess the situation and act fairly some just want to be a barney fife. I am not saying if you broke the law you shouldn't pay a fine but if you own up to your mistake that should be taken into consideration.

i aint afraid ta say it---yeah,i'll get right on that one.

Deny everything, admit nothing, make counter accusations....

Not quite the same, but close.

I have had a number of people come to me and tell me that they screwed up. I have them explain themselves and 99% of the time, I do not write a ticket or any other form of sanction.

Years ago a few days before the end of spring beaver season we got a lot of rain,which with the snow melt raised our rivers here probably 3' or more over our usual high water in the spring.Having high water and out of reach beaver traps is not that unusual here,it happens.In the past I just waited until the water went down and went looking for them.Yes,it was after season closed but I never thought much of it,it was a real job trying to find them since they were silted over bad and were never operational.This one spring I had this happen and I got thinking about how I'd never ran into a Game Warden while doing this and how I should notify them to give them a heads up,and so they'd think I was a pretty honest guy .Ha,when I called the office I was put in touch with the head CO,he listened to me and said"I'll let this go just this one time,but you better make sure it never happens again".You bet it'll never happen again,the next time something like this comes up I won't be informing anybody,it'll be business as usual.Incidently after this happened I ran into a Game Warden and told him about it and he said"we're supposed to be working with people,not against them".My sentiments exactly.

A friend of mine hunted in the mountains of Alaska where he lives shot a large big game animal it ran behind the house size Boulder and came out the other side and he put it down. The problem was that his animal died behind the house size Boulder and another animal ran out from behind the house size Boulder when he got there there was two big game animals on the ground. He reported it got into a world of (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) and basically he could have just packed out one and let the bears eat the other.



I also know of an instant where a conservation officer was hunting with his father and the father accidentally shot two turkeys this was in Michigan. Nothing was ever done.

I'm not condoning poaching but an honest mistake is an honest mistake and when you turn yourself in they hang you from the highest tree.

When a coon chews a trap tag off I am not calling the warden to tell him. I just put a new tag on. If I am trapping a chicken killing coyote in August and a skunk shows up I'm not releasing it or calling the warden. If I'm filling an antlerless deer tag and find out my doe is a spike that deer is getting ate and I'm not turning it in either. I make an honest effort to stay legal but a whole season without a tag getting chewed off? not very likely.

I think intent should be given more concern when a crime happens than it frequently is, including during the charging process, not just the sentencing.

Keith

this about sums it up

Exactly. Intent of the law itself and intent of the potential lawbreaker.