Quote:
Originally Posted by OldRussian
I am having a bad experience with this ambiguous measurement system.
I shot my sheep on the second day of the season. Got home, booked my appointment to register, and prepared the skull in the way prescribed in the regulations.
During the registration they told me my sheep is 1.2 cm short. I looked at the jig and saw they had it set up to measure from the front edge of the eye socket. I argued that is not the eye but the eye-socket. They kept repeating that where they had it set was the eye. There was no convincing them otherwise. I asked to adjust the jig. I was able to set the jig touching base of horn and tip of horn while still being forward of the eyeball.
They brought me into the interview room and told me I wasn't being charged. They read me my rights and asked for a statement of events leading up to me shooting the sheep. I declined to give a statement without a lawyer being present. They confiscated the skull and meat. They told me they were keeping it whether I made a statement or not.
During this time they told me it is their policy not to charge within a certain range. I forget if it was 1.5 or 2.5 cm.
I told them I would like to appeal their decision. They replied that there is no appeals process. I then asked how do I get this in front of a judge. They replied it will not get in front of a judge because I'm not being charged. At this point I was beyond frustrated. They clearly know that their system is flawed and the regulations vague at best. Any judge would clearly see this and side with the hunter.
During my drive out to sheep hunting I called a CO to clarify the new regulations. She informed me the new jig system "makes it black or white whether the sheep is legal or not". Yet here I am with no sheep and no charges. It makes no sense to me that they can keep the sheep without charging me. In my opinion the sheep is either legal and I keep it or it is illegal and they keep it and I get charged.
Anyone out there dealt with something similar before? I want to fight to get the skull and meat back. A lawyer suggested that writing an appeal to the Minister of Wildlife would be my best bet. Others told me a civil suit would be in order. I haven't found one that will handle it on the civil side. They seem to handle criminal charges.
I will try and upload pictures soon.
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You will never see the sheep again. Charges no charges wether you dump $100 thousand into lawyers and take it to the federal courts. The government will always have more money and more lawyers and more time to waist than us poor hunters. Let this be a warning to all don’t shoot any ram unless it’s unmistakably legal, it’s a waist it’s unethical and it could cost you big $$ if you do get charged as they will never set presedence and return any animal once it is in the governments possession. Now that sheep was a waist of a life, meat,