Dayton renews calls for tougher penalties for worst poachers

Gov. Mark Dayton renewed his call for tougher penalties for the worst poachers Friday, saying they commit shameful and serious acts that should be treated as such under Minnesota law.

Speaking at an annual conference convened by the Department of Natural Resources, the governor said he plans to make another push during the upcoming legislative session for felony-level penalties for poachers who unlawfully take game or fish with a restitution value of $2,000 or more under state law. That works out to four or more ordinary deer, for example, two or more trophy bucks, or 67 or more walleye or northern pike.

"They're really criminal acts against all of us. ... We're the ones who are harmed," Dayton said.

Dayton made essentially the same proposal last year, but it failed to get enough support. The governor said he'll try to do a better job this time of explaining to legislators why tougher penalties are necessary, citing some recent cases in which hunters far exceeded the number of deer, fish or turtles they were allowed to kill.

His office put out a statement listing four acts in particular: two individuals caught with a combined 449 crappies over their limit last May in Wright County; a deer poaching case in January 2014 in Dawson in which the DNR seized 28 sets of antlers and other illegally taken game; a man caught in November 2014 who admitted taking 13 deer illegally from the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge and the Sand Dunes State Forest; and the unsolved killing of two rare bull elk near Grygla in 2013.

DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr told reporters afterward that the governor's proposal is aimed at "the worst of the worst offenders" with penalties commensurate to the severity of the offenses.

"This is not people who are doing this by accident," Landwehr said. They're people who take pride in beating the system and bragging about it afterward, he said.

Turn in Poachers, a nonprofit that works with the DNR to catch poachers, supports the proposal, said Dennis Mackedanz, the group's executive director.

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association also supports the idea of increased penalties, said its executive director, Craig Engwall.

"Poachers aren't hunters," Engwall said.

But passing tougher criminal penalties for poachers is more complicated than passing typical game and fish policy proposals because the bill would have to survive more committee stops, such as the judiciary committees, rather than just the natural resources committees, said Gary Botzek, executive director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation.

Rep. Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, who chairs the House outdoor recreation committee, said he'll wait to hear more details from the DNR.

"I think we probably can get something done this year," he said. "It might not be this exact proposal."