Originally Posted by
dracb
Absolutely none what so ever. Since you know my name you should know enough about me to be aware that much of my life is spent protecting wildlife and the environment and mentoring new hunters and trappers. I have no patience whatsoever with blatant violators of game laws, but once the violator has paid for the crime what is the benefit to him or society of ongoing wanton persecution. My arguments are not so much in support of him as to try to make people think a bit about what they are saying. He is being persecuted here by people citing his transgressions from more or less 25 years ago. Not only do a number on here state they want him killed or wish him a painful death but they are willing to spread their dislike for him to anyone that knows him or allows him in their store.
I took the time to read all 20 previous pages of this thread to see where there was evidence he is continuing his anti social transgressions. Bugger all proof only innuendo. Numerous comments implying he is must be guilty just because the CO's check out hunters coming and going from an operation he may or may not own. But then that is their job with regards to any transporter or guide so it is not proof of any wrong doing.
Sure the CO's will watch someone with his record more than the average Joe but it is insulting to them to imply that after 25 years of search they have not found something to charge him with IF HE IS GUILTY.
During his first trials he claimed not to speak or read much English and had not read or been read to the hunting regulations. He also claimed that he had purchased some of the trophies that he was charged with. Granted if he was found guilty in error of hunting them their possession without the enabling permits constituted another charge. He was then a man from a different time and different place who brought with him an ethos from then and there that obviously was not a good fit with that of his new home. Poaching in parts of Europe was not readily available available to people without money unless they poached. I suspect the game laws of the Portuguese colonies were applied largely to trophy hunters from abroad during the years when he fought there for Portugal. He stated he learned from the various Canadian prosecutions. Unfortunately the prosecutions all took place in a short period of time following a number of years of what we call poaching and what he probably called hunting.
Given the reasonable expectation that LEO's have reportedly tried their damnedest (without success) to catch him in violation for 25 years perhaps just perhaps he is a man that is driven by a desire to hunt that is the equivalent of the most driven hunters on this site. Perhaps he started here without any knowledge of of the North American hunting ethos and got in trouble applying the standards from where he came. Maybe he did learn from each prosecution as he stated at trial and just maybe he has been clean for 25 years. I do not know but then neither does anyone else on here. He did not get a lifetime hunting ban as has been stated here. He got a 25 year ban that expires in 2019. He did state in his appeal that he had paid large fines and spent time in jail and thought a 25 year ban was not fair as it amounted to a lifetime ban.