Image courtesy of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
January 12, 2012
By Dylan Polk
Pop quiz. When wandering onto private property and confronted by the landowner, do you A) politely apologize and go on your way, B) state your case and hope he sees things your way, or C) high-tail it back into the woods and spend the night there.
A Louisiana man decided C was the best of the three options, especially considering that gun he was toting wasn't supposed to be in his possession.
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries , on Nov. 25, 37-year-old Ray McKinney of Benton, La., was confronted by a Jamestown landowner, who had found McKinney wandering around his property. Upon being confronted, McKinney took off into the woods nearby, where he apparently became disoriented and spent the night.
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Officials from the LDWF Enforcement Division and the Bienville Parish Sheriff's Office located McKinney the next morning, finding that McKinney did not possess any necessary licenses or deer tags and was not wearing hunters' orange. He was cited for deer hunting without a basic or big game hunting license, without deer tags and failing to wear hunters' orange. McKinney's rifle was also seized by officials, who later discovered he was a convicted felon and was not allowed to possess a firearm per terms of his probation. McKinney surrendered after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Now, McKinney will have a pretty hefty check to write. Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by 10-20 years in prison with a fine from $1,000 to $5,000. In addition, hunting without a basic or big game license and without hunters' orange is punishable by up to 15 days in jail with a fine up to $50 for each charge, and hunting without deer tags in punishable by up to 60 days in jail with a fine from $100 to $350.
