One of the reasons I carry when I'm in the field in NC, and the biggest reason, is that bear poaching is a serious problem there. I'm far less concerned about bears than I am about bear poachers. And they work in groups. I saw a truck load of bear poachers on the NWR I frequent who had come over from the game land to the south. Even got photos for the law enforcement I contacted. Those guys are serious criminals and not to be trifled with.

Another thing they do is work in groups. One guy, or maybe more, in trucks but without a weapon will come onto the NWR and scout the property and locate a bear then radio his buddy who then zooms in in a separate truck and shoots it, loads it and takes off, while the original guys keep a lookout for the law. The guy that shoots is stopped for only minutes before he is gone with his bear. It's easy there. In the many years I have been going there, I have only seen USFWS law enforcemnent patroling the area once. I occassional see a refuge facilities vehicle, but almost never actual law enforcement.

I have zero use for a poacher. They are wildlife and game thieves.

Those examples of turkey poaching above from Virginia are only the some of the ones that have been caught and written about. Poaching is a a serious problem, and I suspect most of the poachers don't ever get caught. I've known people that always seem to have fresh venison. Really? How'd you re-stock your venison supply in July?

No use for a God damned poacher.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
https://vcdl.org/