http://www.lakesunleader.com/display/inn_n..._news/news5.txt
Proposed bill may make illegal hunting costly
Includes paying the state for trophy value of whitetail bucks
By Ceil Abbott, Lake Sun Leader (Camdenton, MO)
2/18/03
JEFFERSON CITY - A bill currently before the General Assembly would increase the already stiff penalty for taking a whitetail buck illegally to include paying the state for the amount of the animal's value as a trophy.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Roy Holand, R-Springfield, would increase the penalty for anyone found guilty of taking an antlered deer illegally to include a payment to the Missouri Conservation Commission ranging from $1,500 to $7,500 per violation.
Under the terms of the bill, a guilty conviction would carry the current penalties for committing a class A misdemeanor in violation of the state's wildlife codes plus require the defendant to pay the state for the value of the animal.
The worth of the animal would be calculated by a complicated system of valuations based on a system of points using the certified Boone & Crockett scoring data.
Boone & Crockett scoring is an accepted manner of judging the worth of a trophy whitetail buck determined by a complicated systems of measuring the size and spread of the animal's antlers.
If the bill passes both houses of the legislature and is signed into law by the governor, an individual convicted of illegally taking an antlered whitetail deer would be forced to pay for the cost of the animal as follows:
• A Boone & Crockett score of 100-125 points, $1,500.
• A Boone & Crockett score of 125-150 points, $3,000.
• A Boone & Crockett score of 150-175 points, $5,000.
• A Boone & Crockett score of 175 or more points, $7,500.
Landowners who take the animal on their own property would be exempt from the law provided no part of the deer is removed from the property.
The fine money would go to the Conservation Commission and be used for a grant program to promote anti-poaching regulations.
Proposed bill may make illegal hunting costly
Includes paying the state for trophy value of whitetail bucks
By Ceil Abbott, Lake Sun Leader (Camdenton, MO)
2/18/03
JEFFERSON CITY - A bill currently before the General Assembly would increase the already stiff penalty for taking a whitetail buck illegally to include paying the state for the amount of the animal's value as a trophy.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Roy Holand, R-Springfield, would increase the penalty for anyone found guilty of taking an antlered deer illegally to include a payment to the Missouri Conservation Commission ranging from $1,500 to $7,500 per violation.
Under the terms of the bill, a guilty conviction would carry the current penalties for committing a class A misdemeanor in violation of the state's wildlife codes plus require the defendant to pay the state for the value of the animal.
The worth of the animal would be calculated by a complicated system of valuations based on a system of points using the certified Boone & Crockett scoring data.
Boone & Crockett scoring is an accepted manner of judging the worth of a trophy whitetail buck determined by a complicated systems of measuring the size and spread of the animal's antlers.
If the bill passes both houses of the legislature and is signed into law by the governor, an individual convicted of illegally taking an antlered whitetail deer would be forced to pay for the cost of the animal as follows:
• A Boone & Crockett score of 100-125 points, $1,500.
• A Boone & Crockett score of 125-150 points, $3,000.
• A Boone & Crockett score of 150-175 points, $5,000.
• A Boone & Crockett score of 175 or more points, $7,500.
Landowners who take the animal on their own property would be exempt from the law provided no part of the deer is removed from the property.
The fine money would go to the Conservation Commission and be used for a grant program to promote anti-poaching regulations.
