If you can't beat em, join em

I wonder if this is really such a bad thing? What the heck is wrong with this? Another case of government control in regard to the Pennsylvania Deer herd? I'll have to see what else I can find out about this story because it is interesting at best. I wonder if he had the deer fenced in on his property? To keep the cougars out maybe or the other critters which love to venison as much as we do. If he has the critters contained, what difference does it make to the car insurance companies? I know how I feel about those organizations and the part that I believe they play on the deer control in Pennsylvania. Now, the selling of the venison, I suppose there are some regulations, again, the FDA has there say about this one. The sad thing is, most people can only afford to buy venison. We have alot of poor people, below poverty level here in our great state. Goes back to government control. I see it that this fellow, Jeffrey Dean Spence of Reynoldsville, PA was trying to help the Pennsylvania hunting industry. To bring the hunter back to Northwestern Pennsylvania and bring the big bucks (both literally and figuratively) back to this area. There must be some way, if the government wants the money themselves that they can help to preserve the white tailed deer.

source:

A Jefferson County man faces more than 2,300 charges and fines and penalties in excess of $16 million in connection with the illegal operation of a white-tailed deer farm and hunting preserve.

Pennsylvania Game Commission officials filed wildlife-related and criminal charges against Jeffrey Dean Spence of Cemetery Road in Reynoldsville, Jefferson County, Feb. 14 in the office of District Justice Richard Beck of Brookville. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 31.

Spence was charged with 1,284 counts of selling or bartering, offering for sale or barter, conspiring to sell and barter, and having in possession for sale or barter white-tailed deer or the edible parts of deer. Spence is also accused of propagating deer at an unpermitted facility.

If convicted of those violations, Spence faces fines up to $1,027,200.

At the same time, Spence is charged with 960 counts of unlawfully using a computer to sell or offer for sale the white-tailed deer raised at his unpermitted facility. Conviction on those counts carries penalties of up to seven years in prison and $15,000 in fines for each count.

Finally, Spence faces 74 counts of taking payment for selling deer he was not permitted to sell or raise. Those charges carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison and $15,000 in fines for each of 10 counts, five years in prison and $10,000 in fines for each of 34 counts and two years in prison and $5,000 in fines for each of 30 counts.

The investigation is continuing, so additional charges may be filed, wildlife conservation officer Roger Hartless said.