Your opinion on this matter.

[barry]

This is unfortunate. Some game officers are crooks and use intimidation to their advantage. It gives the good ones a bad rep. I'm glad your brother was able to get the bogus charge dismissed.

I wouldn't this officer is a crook but he certainly could have handled this matter in an entirely different fashion. To make matters worse he told us he could give us tickets for every old deer rack we have on our shop wall if we didn't have documentation for it. Some of these racks are 30-40 years old!

[vaturkey]

I know a fellow that has over 50 deer racks hanging in a big cluster in a tree in his yard ! A GW rode by his house & saw them in the tree. The GW knocked on his door & told him he wanted to see a game tag for every rack in that tree. My friend said   " I bought all them racks @ the flea market " ! The GW shook his head & left !  TRUE STORY !   

[Tail Feathers]

I'd recommend calling the GW's supervisor and posing the question to him.  If his guy is writing tickets that don't pass court muster, he would be interested in stopping that practice.
Jeopardy has attached, so he's out of the woods on the charge so there is no harm in asking.
I'd bring up the other issues here regarding possession limits and such as well.  That way, he can be prepared for the future.  A phone call for some clarification could save him some heartache down the road.
Honestly, it doesn't sound like gathering that extra information would hinder your brother too much anyway.

[firstflight111]

My brother has been boiling and whitening deer & bear skulls here in VA for a good many years now. Several years ago he was told that he needed a taxidermy license in order to continue doing them so he got his license and has kept it current.

Well the game warden came by a couple months ago and asked to see his records. My brother showed him the names and check-in confirmation #'s for everyone he had done a head for. Game warden said that was not good enough and wrote him a ticket saying he should have hunters address, ph. #, date of kill, date head was brought to him and date it was picked up. He also told him that he needed to update all of his records for the past 3 years before he came back or he would issue him another ticket.

My brother was just going to pay the fine and forget about it but was told he had to appear in court. While waiting in the courthouse a lawyer friend of ours saw him and asked why he was there. Upon hearing the reason he told my brother to follow him to a back room. He gave him a state law book and told him to read a certain part to the judge.

The judge asked my brother what his "taxidermy practice" consisted of whereupon he told him that he boiled skulls. The judge then asked if he had anything to say in his defense and he read from the book our lawyer friend gave him.

What did he read you ask?...the state definition of a taxidermist.
Taxidermy - The art or operation of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of dead animals for exhibition in a lifelike state.
Taxidermist - A craftsman who stuffs and mounts the skins of animals for display

The judge dismissed the case.

I have 2 questions...
1. Why is the hunter's name and his check-in confirmation # not enough for his records?
and...
2. If the court does not consider what he does as taxidermy why does he even need a license?

Maybe he is taking work away from someone that has ties to said game warden ??

I would call his boss and tell him what his employees is up to . explain what he has done. most of the time they will help you out .

Sent from my C811 4G