# Poaching Sage Grouse



## skeeter065 (Jan 18, 2010)

Kaparowitz pleads guilty for shooting two sage grouse on Deseret Morgan county side. He realized that he shot them illegally so ended up with a Cheap $135 fine for having his own people respond to write him a ticket. Should have been handled by a different agency, not his. Says in the paper that he had his employee who he has known for his entire career write him a ticket. If this ever happened to anyone else I think they would have lost there license, gun, vehicle.


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## Stellarmike (Mar 12, 2009)

Who is Kaparowitz?


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

> Who is Kaparowitz?


Jim Karpowitz, director of the DWR.

I see it differently, skeeter. I think anybody who turns themselves in when they make an honest mistake will neither be charged with wanton destruction of wildlife nor poaching. They'll get a ticket instead. People make mistakes sometimes. I say mistake because Karpowitz had the right sage grouse tags. He was hunting an area right along the county line. He just didn't realize where he was until after he shot the birds. Had he been a mile in the other direction he'd be eating a yucky sage grouse dinner instead of paying the fine. Honest mistake, Karpowitz owned up to it, and it cost him $135 bucks. You say that's cheap. I say that's pretty darn expensive for a couple of bad tasting chickens.

People who get hit with the heavy penalties are those who knowingly take wildlife illegally and/or those who try to hide what they've done.


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## Stellarmike (Mar 12, 2009)

Makes sense! Sounds like he did the right thing.


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## TAK (Sep 9, 2007)

I don't know this guy, but does sound like he done the stand up thing! Ask yourself just how many people would have just Shot, Shoveled and Shut up about it!

Now being the director of the DWR you would think he would have know the boundry just a bit better. Shame on him... But I think any of us that Came forward and reported it would have got the same punishment! At least we better have.


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## FishNaked (Apr 15, 2009)

I know a biologist that works for Idaho Fish & Game and he shot two sage hens this year in one shot with a .410. He tried to call and text the biologist in the area he was hunting to report it and tried to get the local game warden's number which he couldn't find out in the desert. He ran into another warden and asked to be checked and reported what happened. He didn't try to hide the bird in a cooler or leave it out to waste. The warden didn't want anyone to think he was getting preferential treatment so he got a written warning. Things just happen sometimes and when you come forward with it and don't try to cover it up then it usually turns out ok for you....better than wasting the animal or bird.


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## vdogs (Sep 22, 2007)

BirdDogger said:


> > Who is Kaparowitz?
> 
> 
> Jim Karpowitz, director of the DWR.
> ...


Agreed.


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