Illegal behavior,, never ceases to amaze me

[contender]

I was on another gun forum yesterday. And a problem was mentioned about having bats in a house. When I found this posting,, I immediately jumped in & posted about the posts suggesting illegal activities to remove the bats. (For those who do not know it,, I do Animal Damage Control.)
Even worse,, even after I posted info about the potential felonies they might commit,, I still see posts about doing exactly what they should not do.
Do people really think that LEO's & others do not see such posts?
Do they really think that the laws do not apply to them?
Do they not realize that it gives good, honest law abiding gun owners a bad name if they commit illegal activities and any media outlet gets that info?

Luckily,, I think the homeowner in question,, will not be trying anything illegal. I PMed him with more details,, and he & I have been enjoying a good conversation.

But others,, point blank say things like; "I don't care,, it's my house & I'm gonna get rid of the bats"!

And this gun site is a NC/SC gun site. I know NC laws. And I know that our wildlife enforcement folks monitor such places. And I know other LEO's on there.

Stupidity at it's finest.

 

[Mobuck]

No argument here. Too many folks posting illegal AND self incriminating comments. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid(OK a LOT paranoid) hence some of what I post is intentionally ambiguous and/or referred to as third party.
There are lots of things that don't need to be posted on public venue.

 

[contender]

It just amazes me how often people willingly post stuff,, knowing it's illegal, and strongly defend their "right" to do as they please.

As Bill Engvall says; "Here's your sign!"

 

[Tenbore]

What was the illegal stuff being suggested?
Kind of a worthless post if you don't give more information.

 

[Fox Mike]

One thing I quickly and easily found was this.
"A law in North Carolina prevents residents from removing bats during their mating season, which occurs between May 1 and July 31. During the three months, bats are protected, as females bats are raising their young and bat pups will starve without their mothers.

 

[Dan in MI]

It's amazing how much people throw out on line that is incriminating.

Regarding the bats, in my experience, they are pretty easy to remove once you know how they are getting in. Without killing the mosquito eating machines. (don't hit me with the rabies stuff either. I've been through the protocol)

 

[XUSNORDIE]

As I've mentioned here before my Wife is a retired Animal Control Officer/Cruelty Investigator.....I can confirm what Contender is saying by the stories she has come home with. Even with her and a Sheriffs Deputy present people did stupid things sometimes leading to arrest for unlawful taking, chasing, harassing (etc...) of wild life or protected animal because it was in their house or on their property.......

Also, I moderated a predator hunting FB Forum awhile back......people would post pics of animals they killed out of season, and others would tag on encouragement or post pics of their own......threads would be closed immediately and warning given. Often members would say "who will ever know?"....well, I knew in fact there were DNR types watching because I was contacted....and complied 100% with their investigation which lead to a couple folks being taught the hard way that "stupid is as stupid does".

The ridiculous thing is that in most cases if these folks had just done some research and explained their case to DNR prior to acting.....they would have learned there were certain permits that could have been obtained to do what they needed to legally.

 

[Kevin]

It just amazes me how often people willingly post stuff,, knowing it's illegal, and strongly defend their "right" to do as they please.

As Bill Engvall says; "Here's your sign!"

I'm in agreement with you.

But I wonder if a person writes some thing online that happens to be an illegal activity, And the police see it. Does that mean they can go to the persons house and arrest them?

I happen to like bats but can only imagine what some crazy people will do to get them out of their house. That's too bad.

 

[hittman]

Not enough hours in a lifetime to police what people say on the internet.
And it'll make you cranky.
But bats should be in season all year round.

 

[blume357]

Many animals are protected by law. I as a chimney sweep have for years had to deal with Chimney Swifts that specifically nest in chimneys this time of the year. You take those noisy babies out and if the government catches you it is $15K per bird. And is is not a new tree huger law... it is the migratory bird act from back in the 1930's.

 

[bobski]

how would someone know you were taking bats out of your own home?

 

[daveag.]

Not enough hours in a lifetime to police what people say on the internet.
And it'll make you cranky.
But bats should be in season all year round.

Wait!!! I thought bats brought us Covid. Be careful.

 

[hittman]

how would someone know you were taking bats out of your own home?

Iffn yer dumb enuf to post it on the inner-web

 

[contender]

Ok, to answer this;
"Kind of a worthless post if you don't give more information."

My OP mentioned bats, and it revolved around how other people posted stuff that's illegal to do. But it could also be about how people illegally take animals,, trap & relocate them onto Federal property,, or the MANY other things I see mentioned,, even here,, and then post such "knowledge or help" on the internet. Even after a post that shares the laws & how it's illegal.

And I see Fox Mike has posted the info about the law concerning bats & removals & the law. Thanks Frank.

Dan; Please read Franks post. It's illegal to remove them during baby raising season. And in some cases,, you can possibly be charged with a FELONY!!!!!! That means you lose your gun rights.

Kevin; "But I wonder if a person writes some thing online that happens to be an illegal activity, And the police see it. Does that mean they can go to the persons house and arrest them?"

No,, not immediately. But Wildlife enforcement officers do open investigations into such things,, and then,, if they uncover evidence of illegal activities,, yes,, they can & will arrest people as necessary.

This quote; "But bats should be in season all year round." is kinda embarrassing to see here. While I know people have phobias, or just dislikes for certain species,, (snakes, spiders, bats or whatever,,) wishing uncontrolled hunting them all year isn't what I've enjoyed seeing from the fine folks here. Bats (and other creatures,) have their place & should never be placed in a situation of becoming extinct. In NC,, we have 17 species of bats that visit,, or live here. Some are on the Federal Endangered list. Killing certain ones can potentially carry the same charges as killing a Bald Eagle.
Besides,, as mentioned by Dan,, it's somewhat easy to get them out of a house,, once you understand what you need to do, and how to do it. But many don't like heights,, or ladders.

Blume & I often have our jobs "overlap" in a sense. I NEVER try & remove chimney swift birds from a chimney.

But the post;
"how would someone know you were taking bats out of your own home?"

goes to the heart of my OP.

People posting stuff on the internet,, on forums, or other social media. THAT'S one of the ways LEO's know what's going on. But to go a bit further, people talk. Let's say you remove bats from your house or kill some. And several months later,, a good friend asks if you know who or how to get bats out of a house because he has them. You happen to be in a public setting. (Church, restaurant, or whatever,) and a 3rd party hears you talking. Then they being animal lovers or knowledgeable about bats or whatever,, they can easily make a report to wildlife officers.

But the heart of it was not only how people post stuff online,, it's how they PROMOTE illegal stuff, even after being politely educated about the law where the activity they suggested could cause problems.

Luckily,, most of the people on this Forum are not like that.

 

[Jeepnik]

We have coyote problems here. Getting worse. I regularly post how to legally trap and dispose of them. The rules are quite specific. I also usually post the web address of Fish & Game who regulate it.

You'd be amazed how many respond with illegal suggestions. And those that post derogatory, even threatening responses to my information.

Between ignorance and activism I'm surprised Contender is able to do his job as well as he does.

 

[gnappi]

Man we don't have any (or many) bats down here, I wish we did. I also wish we had a permanent Purple Martin population to eat mosquitoes but alas they're migratory.

Tyrone, there must be wildlife control outfits who are licensed to remove or relocate unwanted bats and other wild animal species that invade homes?

 

[Busterswoodshop]

In the desert , bats are kind of important to the environment.
Without them , there would be no agave or sahuaros .
This should be of concern to you tequila drinkers.

 

[vito]

I had no idea that bats are protected by law. You learn something new every day.

 

[contender]

"Between ignorance and activism I'm surprised Contender is able to do his job as well as he does."

You have no idea. I do a lot of work in a very liberal town of tree huggers,, (Asheville NC,) and I get cussed when I tell people the State doesn't allow relocation.

"Tyrone, there must be wildlife control outfits who are licensed to remove or relocate unwanted bats and other wild animal species that invade homes?"

Yes,, that's exactly what I am,, a business that handles such stuff.

 

[flyer898]

Back in my flying days, I used to joke that a comprhensive knowledge of the Federal Aircraft Regulations was important so you knew which of the things you did not to brag about back at the airport.
I think that applies here by analogy.