Recreational hunter hunts during closed season
A recreational hunter from the St. Gallen region shot a red deer during the closed season. He loses his hunting licence and must pay 8'000 francs.
A wildlife killer from the St. Gallen region shot a red deer during the closed season.
He has now lost his hunting licence for at least one year — and a great deal of money.
Deliberate kill during closed season
Red deer in St. Gallen are protected during the closed season from 16 December to 14 August. However, the 61-year-old amateur recreational hunter from the Linth region went out hunting on 14 August 2020 and shot a red deer at around 9 p.m., as stated in the penalty order issued by the Uznach investigating authority.The recreational hunter acted knowingly and willingly — that is, with intent.
«Mistaken for a roe buck»
According to the penalty order, the man acted deliberately. He stalked the wild animal, fired a targeted shot, and then went to retrieve the kill. During questioning, he later stated that he had intended to recover the shot deer with the help of like-minded accomplices. This course of action, combined with his knowledge of hunting seasons and closed seasons, proves the intentional nature of the offence.However, the recreational hunter attempted, true to the nature of such individuals, to excuse his wrongdoing with a lie. He claimed he had “carelessly misjudged the red deer and mistakenly taken it for a roe buck”. The prosecutor, however, regards this as a false defence, which furthermore does nothing to change the fact of the deliberate kill.
Particularly among recreational hunters, it is absolutely essential that one looks very carefully. Nowhere else is there so much manipulation through untruths, hunters’ tall tales, and fake news. Violence and lies are two sides of the same coin!
The severity of the wildlife killer’s act was objectively assessed as “not very serious”. This is because the red deer was shot without authorisation, but in accordance with all the rules of recreational hunting. “However”, the penalty order goes on to state, “the subjective severity of the act is considerably higher.» Because the accused would have had sufficient hunting opportunities at the time of the offence. «He would have had absolutely no need to hunt during the closed season.» In his favour, it is noted that he has no prior convictions, writes the Zürichsee-Zeitung.
Better off buying a deer
His hunting licence is revoked for one year. In addition, he is handed a fine of 6,600 francs, suspended for three years on probation.
However, the amateur recreational hunter still has to pay, and not a small amount. The man is billed nearly 5,600 francs for fines, fees, and special expenses. Had he simply bought a deer, he would have come off considerably cheaper. A male red deer costs between eight and ten francs per kilogram, and they weigh roughly between 80 and 130 kilograms. Depending on the weight, the deer would have cost around 1,000 francs.
RECREATIONAL HUNTER RADAR
On the trail of hidden animal welfare offences, poaching, and/or criminal activity? Report suspected cases to us! Help with the great Recreational Hunter Radar.
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In the dossier Poaching and hunting crime in Switzerland we document cases, legal questions and recurring patterns. What the research says about this is shown by Hunting fact-checked: the state of research.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
