Guilty or not guilty of taking a buck illegally?

[Stanley]

He was definitely in a gray area. But I think the ruling was good. I wonder how the neighbors even found out about the deer. The kid must have realized he was in a sticky spot he should have kept his mouth shut about the deer. Too many people have to brag about it and some jealous person will try and ruin it for you. I see no usefulness coming out of telling anybody about the deer you shot public or private land.

The kid had a big party and the story/picture went viral. I did see it mentioned on some other hunting sites. It was such a phenomenal buck. Not many hunters in the world have killed an 8 pointer that push 180. The kid was on cloud nine.

[Scot]

Wow! I am a bit late to this story. I have read all the posts and appreciated most's perspective. Stan's description of the young man as being a bit shady didn't help when you are trying to look at this objectively.
If he hadn't formerly become a Wisconsin resident and he maintained his Iowa drivers license and was receiving mail there then it really isn't that grey to me. No lease agreement in Wisconsin in his name, no utility bills etc.
I am glad he won in court. Was he the victim of a jealous neighbor and over zealous law enforcement? Without knowing all the background it seems he should have been cut some slack. It seems like perhaps they were looking to make an example out of him. It would help me if I knew if he was a decent young man. I know in the eyes of the law that doesn't matter at all but for me hunting isn't about record book animals it is about tradition and family and friends, of course ethics and the law are paramount.
With the buck envy and people thinking they own an animal because they grew it and have it on trail cams 1000 times, it is hard enough to escape persecution when you have done everything ethically and legally. Taking the buck, his bow and fining him when he was hunting with a license and still had the Iowa connections he was maintaining seems way over the top to me! I'm glad DNR took it on the chin.

[ThePreBanMan]

To answer some of the questions. He got a degree in May 2014 and was living in Wisconsin and working in Wisconsin since then. He got a resident Iowa hunting license in November 2014. There are no over the counter NR licenses in Iowa. The kid claimed he asked the Iowa DNR and they told him it was legal to purchase an Iowa resident license.

I am pretty sure he never did that. He is known to be dishonest and untruthful. There was no documentation to prove that he did. His employer would have taken care of the taxes. I don't know if Wisconsin state taxes were withheld? I do not know if he ever hunted in Wisconsin. I don't think he did.

I think his mail if he got any was sent home to Iowa. His pay was sent to a bank in Iowa. I do not know if he payed Non resident tuition, I think he did. The picture was posted on the internet shortly after he killed the buck. The kid was wired for sound. They had a big party the night he killed the buck, I said at the time someone would turn him in, and someone did.

Then he should be guilty. Your state of residence is where you spend 6 months plus 1 day. Where your drivers license, registration, banking, etc. is done is an irrelevant point. Lots of snow birds establish these in the less expensive states where they have an address. But your official state of residence is where you spend greater than half the year. This is on the books for many reasons... Taxes being one of them. but also what state you're allowed to purchase handguns in would be another....

[goldtip5575]

To answer some of the questions. He got a degree in May 2014 and was living in Wisconsin and working in Wisconsin since then. He got a resident Iowa hunting license in November 2014. There are no over the counter NR licenses in Iowa. The kid claimed he asked the Iowa DNR and they told him it was legal to purchase an Iowa resident license.

I am pretty sure he never did that. He is known to be dishonest and untruthful. There was no documentation to prove that he did. His employer would have taken care of the taxes. I don't know if Wisconsin state taxes were withheld? I do not know if he ever hunted in Wisconsin. I don't think he did.

I think his mail if he got any was sent home to Iowa. His pay was sent to a bank in Iowa. I do not know if he payed Non resident tuition, I think he did. The picture was posted on the internet shortly after he killed the buck. The kid was wired for sound. They had a big party the night he killed the buck, I said at the time someone would turn him in, and someone did.

Then he should be guilty. Your state of residence is where you spend 6 months plus 1 day. Where your drivers license, registration, banking, etc. is done is an irrelevant point. Lots of snow birds establish these in the less expensive states where they have an address. But your official state of residence is where you spend greater than half the year. This is on the books for many reasons... Taxes being one of them. but also what state you're allowed to purchase handguns in would be another....

He spent the greater portion of the year at least 5 months as a student so not sure about that.

[Zap]

Innocent until PROVEN guilty. Iowa did not prove guilt so its an obvious decision.

It is a good example of government intimidation to get a plea deal, thou.