LEO's on Trapperman

Have put more thought into my thread on Pictures and enforcement. Brought some additional questions to mind.
Anyone can see this website. Pictures, threads, etc. Even the screen names of those posting. But, you have to join to be able to post. So any LEO can visit the trapperman forums and see what is going on. However, he/she would have a difficult time identifying the names of any members I suspect. So, how do they find out who is who? Where who is trapping, etc. etc.
Moderators, do you get requests from LEOs to get real names? How are those requests handled?
Hope this thread doesn't get me booted here too!!

I have never been contacted by a LEO concerning anything on the forum.

I have asked our local AST if a certain practice is legal or not, based on forum posts, but even then I have never been asked for any personal info on anyone

I bet they could figure out who is who if they really want to.

I suspect that with a warrant they could get whatever they needed.


Here's a real life example..... You all remember the picture posted here of the 'thief' on the snowmachine around the Lake Louise area.

I sent a link to that thread to our local trooper hoping he would disseminate it widely. He was already aware of it and said there was "a lot of hard chatter about the guy on the machine" among the troopers. I think that is a good thing.

LEO's and investigators, including game wardens, regularly utilize SM and talk forums to gain intel. It's a logical use of readily available information.

It never ceases to amaze me how many violators are dumb enough to think that posting pictures of violations they committed on the internet is a terrific idea!

Pete

So what are Paul’s rules, if any, on providing info after requests from enforcement?

I have never heard of any. BUT......if I was asked for info I would send them to Paul to make the decision

To be honest, they probably would never even contact Paul. They would get a warrant or subpoena and go directly to the company that hosts this site for the information. And I can bet that they also tell the company to never tell Paul or anyone here about the request. We get them in the banking world from time to time with the same requirement to not tell the account holder. It could be they have a drug case, or other times they may be trying to find someone and can track them via purchases made. Phone company's also get these requests.

-TJ

Like these guys: https://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/the-public-eye/article250441186.html

Yup..... just like that!

This is how it would happen. I do it with Facebook and similar sites when needed. Basically, a preservation order is sent to the site company, a warrant is generated, and the information is gained if the warrant is granted.

Wow that was a lot of time, effort and money to convict such minor transgressions. Unreal. Thats like some of the federal investigations of guides up here when the feds have gone on all expense paid guided hunts multiple times trying to bust people.

When they decide to make an example of somebody it's full-on.

Yup I've guided undercover feds. Some of them even tip good Always felt like it was an atrocious waste of my tax dollars, however.

Notice in the article, even though they claimed these guys did a lot of stuff, they didn't have proof of much of anything. If they did, they wouldn't have made a deal. I'm not sure how the laws are in California, but all they really had was that these guys had trail cams on salt/mineral blocks and there was a tree stand looking at one, which they didn't even have proof was their tree stand. I know here it is illegal to hunt over salt or bait (except bears) but it is legal to put out salt and have trail cameras on it. If you remove the salt beforehand it is legal to hunt where it used to be. I have never bothered myself, but it is quite common to come across salt licks with trail cameras on them here, particularly in the summer months.

I have no idea who the folks are who post on here, unless they choose their given names for their display names. I don't keep any of the answers to the questionnaires I send out to those requesting a registration. Once they're approved/disapproved, I delete them.

I have never been contacted that I can recall in regards to a game violation by a member showing their violation on here.

X2

Got one for you all. On the way back from our camp 2 springs ago my wife and I decided to go to the base of the mountains for a ride. We drove into Cape Krusenstern National Monument and skirted the south side of the mountains and headed towards a camp my dad built in a creek with trees. About 5 miles west of the camp we ran into a large set of bear tracks. They were fairly fresh so I asked my wife if she wanted to see a bear. We followed the tracks for about a mile and 2 sets of snowmachine joined up the tracks. I looked down the valley and saw a bunch of ravens take off from the tree line. Se headed for the ravens and saw the carcass of the bear. Very large male with his hide and head gone. The back straps were also missing. I knew this bear was inside the park so I took pictures and decided to do a little investigating. We drove back to town and I asked one of my buddies with Facebook to look up two guys that were known to hunt for trophies. Sure enough one of them had already posted pictures of the bear on Facebook. I knew the local wildlife trooper and gave him a call just to ask a question about trophy hunting in a monument. He told me he didn’t have jurisdiction in the monument but could do an investigation because someone had a concern. So, long story shortened. The bear was inside the monument where sport hunting is not allowed. Subsistence hunting is allowed but hunter harvests the bear for consumption. The trooper had all the pictures from me as well as Facebook. He landed with a supercub and marked his position on a map which was well inside the border of the monument. After all his investigating he closed his portion of the would be case. He passed it on to the people who decide who gets charged. Somehow this whole investigation disappeared. No charges. I figured it went away because “family” worked for the powers that be. So even though the troopers do their job things can still “go away.”

I have a similar story involving sea lions. Heard from a very reliable source, (who witnessed it), about a local Native killing sea lions for, of all things, the whiskers. He shot several, plucked the whiskers, and left the rest.
I first spoke to ADFG. who sent me to the National Fish and Wildlife, who sent me to NOAA.
All told me, without exception, that they didn't want to "get tangled up in subsistence issues".
Go figure.

Very odd nolluk. I. is there no state season in that unit for bear harvest? 2. Is there a restriction in state regulation on harvesting bears where you found it? 3. Has the FSB regulated this area to Federally qualified users only for grizzly bears? 4. AWT has a MOU with federal enforcement, meaning the state can charge for violations.

absolutely right

Like i always say: "We have equal protection under the law but, we do not have equal enforcement under the law".

I work for a state wildlife agency and our officers start by looking on Facebook and Instagram as soon as information is turned over to them or they start an investigation. They have been able to verify the information and get warrants for further investigation. When I am approached by the public on what they can do to stop a poacher, I say a license plate is all we need.