Why It Matters: Poaching – the illegal take of game – stands in the way of professional science-based wildlife management and remains among the greatest threats to the social acceptance of hunting. Proactive measures to increase penalties for those found guilty of poaching would disincentivize bad actors from interfering with science-based wildlife management and would protect our time-honored traditions.
Highlights:
- In 2024, Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) Co-Chair Senator Paul Rose and Caucus member Representative Caleb Hemmer introduced House Bill 2141 and Senate Bill 1751 that would have increased poaching penalties and fines in the Volunteer State. Unfortunately, both bills failed to advance last year.
- Earlier this month, Caucus member Representative Caleb Hemmer and Senator Page Walley introduced House Bill 24 and Senate Bill 14 which would increase the penalty for removing a wild animal, wild fowl, or fish while trespassing from a Class C misdemeanor to a Class B misdemeanor and increases various fines.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted comments supporting the proposed legislation in 2024 and will likewise be supporting the initiative this year.
As emotional driven attacks from the anti-hunting community have become more common over recent years, like in Colorado with Proposition 127, the need to promote our time-honored traditions in a positive light is paramount. Anti-hunting groups often attempt to create a false narrative that conflates legal hunting with poaching when trying to appeal to the non-hunting public to advance their agenda. The protection of our hunting heritage can come in many forms and one way is through the hunting community leading the charge to strengthen poaching fines and penalties.
House Bill 24 and Senate Bill 14 would increase the penalty for poaching from a Class C to a Class B misdemeanor in addition to increasing various fines. This would be a significant increase from several fine minimums currently in place under Tennessee law, some of which are as low as $25. To put this into perspective, a current Tennessee resident annual combination hunting and fishing license costs $33.
CSF would like to thank Representative Hemmer and Senator Walley for their leadership on a critical issue that impacts all of Tennessee’s sportsmen and women. CSF will continue to work closely with the Caucus and our many in-state and national partners on strengthening poacher penalties in the Volunteer State to protect our time-honored traditions.