Legislature OKs bill boosting deer poaching penalties

(AP) – The Maryland General Assembly has passed a bill raising deer-poaching penalties to up to $10,000.

Maryland Hunting Coalition Executive Director Allen Ellis said Friday that the bill, if signed into law, would make Maryland’s penalties among the toughest in the nation.
    
Currently, deer poachers can lose their hunting privileges for up to five years.
    
The bill would mandate fines of $5,000 to $10,000, plus 80 hours of community service, for poaching any deer that scores above 150 inches on the Boone and Crockett antler scale.
    
Poaching antlered white-tailed deer or any sika deer with a lower score would bring a $2,000-to-$5,000 fine, plus 80 hours of community service. Anyone convicted of poaching an antlerless white-tailed deer would be fined $300 to $500, or perform 40 hours of community service.