Georgia likely to join wildlife agreement with other states to stop poachers

Posted 7:33PM on Saturday 23rd February 2002 ( 23 years ago )

ATLANTA - Out-of-state hunters would have to undergo limited background checks before getting a Georgia hunting license if Georgia joins 17 other states in an agreement to stop serious poachers. The Wildlife Violator Compact, first started in 1985, allows states to share information about people who have had hunting or fishing licenses revoked for serious violations. Georgia would be the first in the Southeast to join, although Florida and Tennessee are considering joining. Supporters say the compact has two benefits. First, a person who applies for a Georgia license would be flagged on the computers used to grant licenses if he has serious violations in another state in the compact. The background check would only show wildlife-related violations. Joining the group also would allow state officials to write citations to out-of-state hunters for minor infractions, just as if those hunters were Georgia residents. Wildlife workers now have to take an out-of-state hunter to jail to process even a simple violation, such as not wearing enough fluorescent orange on a hunt. It's an inconvenience that affects several hundred hunters a year in Georgia. ``It ruins the trip, and it's usually just a minor violation,'' said Terry West, assistant chief of law enforcement for the state Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division. Bill sponsor Rep. Bob Lane, D-Statesboro, called the measure ``hunter-friendly'' because visitors could handle fines by mail once they go home. States have similar agreements for minor traffic violations, which is why people can pay speeding tickets by mail in states where they're not licensed. In Nevada, which joined the wildlife compact in 1990, hunters have not complained about it taking longer to get a license, said Nevada Chief Game Warden Rob Buonamici. ``It doesn't affect the efficiency of getting a license. But it does take wildlife criminals out of the system, so they can't have their license revoked next door and come right on in and do it here,'' Buonamici said. Georgia has poaching problems, especially along the coast, West said, with some shrimpers and fishermen coming to Georgia after they lose a license in South Carolina. In some cases, wildlife officials know a fisherman is unscrupulous, but have no cause to deny him a license here. The DNR also is worried about poachers that target black bear, West said. About 80 hunters or fishermen currently have suspended Georgia licenses, he said. ``The mobility of these wildlife violators is increasing. They know what states aren't in the compact and go operate there. Some of these guys are professionals,'' West said. The bill is pending before the House Rules Committee. It's considered likely to pass because it's supported by both the DNR and Democrats in the Legislature. ``If a person has a record so egregious that their own state has taken away their license, it doesn't make a lot of sense to let that person have that privilege in other states,'' said Ron Bailey, chief of law enforcement for the DNR Wildlife Resources Division.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/2/198399