State farmer charged with poisoning 200 wild turkeys

[Go Big Red!]

State farmer charged with poisoning 200 wild turkeys

The Associated Press • March 18, 2009


POUND — An Oconto County farmer has been charged with three felonies for poisoning wild turkeys.

Mark Kostreva told investigators he decided to take matters into his own hands after the turkeys repeatedly ate the feed on his farm west of Pound.

Kostreva mixed antifreeze with corn and place it in a wooded area near his farm, according to the criminal complaint.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says about 200 wild turkeys were poisoned.

Kostreva, 50, is charged in Oconto County Circuit Court with three felony counts of mistreating animals, causing their death. A conviction carries a maximum of 10½ years in prison.

[snow]

So,where in the hell is POUND

[Dotch]

Think it's in Wisconsin. Probably ate some moldy cheese...

[Go Big Red!]

North of Green Bay.

[Joe]

What!?......sometimes I read stuff like this and I'm left completely speechless. I just feel like I want to punch them in the head.

[guythathunts]

I would be willing to bet $1,000 that his idiot dosn't allow hunters either.

[tuna]

sad thing is this guy is going to probably get all his jail time stayed and like a 2,000 $ fine.  i'm sure probation is really going to teach this guy a lesson 

[beeker]

first the idiots on the snowmobiles run down all those deer and then the tool on the snowmobile runs down a bunch of mallards.. not this douche poisons a bunch of turkey. I only see one common denominator in this entire equasion.. = WISCONSIN

just kiddin I love your cheese

[Cody Gruchow]

yep i have to agree this guy is probably one of the fellows that dont hunt turkeys and has refused to let anyone hunt his land and the population grew way to much...throw the book at him

[tuna]

they definatley need to start making examples of people like this

[rem]

They were damaging his property right (rodents) TO HIM!!! I dont totally agree with him but his income may depend on that field. And if he dont like hunters thats his own opinion (there are a lot of idiots out there) What do they do to the snow geese when they wipe out a field

[JCAMERON]

Crop insurance...

[Bufflehead]

So, the farmer should pay crop insurance so you have a better chance at a turkey?

I laugh, city folks think rural folks should make sure that city folks are guaranteed a wilderness safari each weekend they load up the RV and head out

 Maybe the farmer should come graze his cattle on your pristine yards

 IMO, the guy was wrong but IMO so are those who expect rural folks to put up with wildlife dictating everyday life on private property, just so a weekend seasonal land owner/public land hunter is assured his venison or other game.

 Maybe they should take crop insurance out of the DNR general fund then 

[beeker]

what does a farmer grazing cattle in a city guys back yard have to do with anything? people make their choices where to live and have their own issues they have to deal with in order to live there. just because you live in the country doesn't mean squat. I don't see you turning away the extra taxes and dollars that get dumped into your community that help better your schools and such.  you can always move

[Cody Gruchow]

now ya hit a button. this has nothin to do with me living in the city. lived on a farm for 17 years so dont come at me with that city crap. yes there are idiots out there but not as many as you think. its like a written review on something you only hear about the bad ones never the good ones. and i have met several people that live in the city and are more responsible in the woods than someone that lives out in the country so has nothing  to do with were you live... bottom line comes down to is that they may be "destroyin his crops" but that gives him absolutly no right to break the law. if they were such a problem then why not contact the dnr? sure they would of traped alot of them and moved them else were.

[thunderpout]

Seems to me its its a right vs wrong/morals/respecting wildlife issue to me. The Crop insurance is there so he doesnt have to poison the turkeys... Farmers crops are for their stocks feed, for other farmers stocks feed, and feeding all them city folks (and fuel for all their cars).... the money farmers make, whether its from selling corn to petrolium companies, to green giant for feeding them damn city folks or for bird feed for them same damn city folks to feed to the birds out of their feeders(imagine that... feeding birds... should be poisoning them! ) Guess what... thats where the farmers get the $$ from that they work so hard for!  If they were only selling their produce to folks in the rural areas, they wouldnt be farming for long... wildlife in the rural areas are a part of or at least used to be a part of that way of life, not something to be exterminated like rats or roaches... why is it you hear that city folk greed angle with the game, when its also a greed situation with the farmer not getting all the $$ from his land  that they could be getting...  thank god nature doesnt poison us humans because we screwed up their land, cause we wouldve been pushin daisys a loooong time ago.

[Dotch]

I agree, let's not turn this into a rural vs. urban bashing thing. Have seen the movie, know how it ends. What the guy allegedly did was wrong. We deal with plenty of damaged crops on some 50,000 acres of crop land scouted over the course of a year. Whether it's geese, ducks, turkeys, deer, gophers, etc., they all take their toll but it's part of the risk inherent in the occupation. Contacting the DNR or the state's equivalent of that is the first step. Crop insurance was mentioned. Doesn't necessarily come into play here especially if the animals are coming up in the yard and feeding on high-moisture corn that's been ensiled in a bag or some other similar situation. My father in law had lots of turkeys doing this and he thought it was great. My brother in law wasn't quite as impressed since it was his corn. Bottom line, once it's harvested, it's your baby. It also usually takes a pretty major mauling by Ma Nature in order to collect on crop loss in the field depending on the level of coverage, how the units are put together on the policy, type of damage, etc. Still doesn't give you the right to kill or harvest animals out of season without a permit. Let's keep it civil. The legal system will probably determine the guilt or innocence more accurately than a panel of experts on an outdoor forum without access to all the facts in a case.

[7outof10]

wow ...... i bet if he called the dnr they could of help him out some way .....

[Bufflehead]

Oh I agree he was wrong but it really chaps my hide when someone who lives on a lot in the cities expects everyone in his rural play ground to leave his game alone. We don't mess with your neighborhood...Please don't mess with ours. That's all we ask.

[Cody Gruchow]

what do you mean by leave his game alone??? there were numerous other ways he could of taken care of this instead of poisioning 200 turkeys!!! if this was a city guy who did this i bet a few of you would be rippin on him pretty good. why should it be any different if he lives in the country? country or city makes no difference he broke the law plain and simple and i hope he gets what he deserves

[Bobby Bass]

Time for everyone to stop and take a breath............................. good discussion, please take a moment to stay on topic and not make this in to a us vrs them topic... thank you

[Bufflehead]

what do you mean by leave his game alone??? there were numerous other ways he could of taken care of this instead of poisioning 200 turkeys!!! if this was a city guy who did this i bet a few of you would be rippin on him pretty good. why should it be any different if he lives in the country? country or city makes no difference he broke the law plain and simple and i hope he gets what he deserves

Your obviously not getting it!

DID I NOT SAY...IMO HE WAS WRONG???????????????

Maybe you would understand if....na second thought never mind

[Randy Kaar]

Good discussions and opinions are great... Lets not let this get out of
out hand. No personal attacks please!

randy

[Cody Gruchow]

ive got nothing against you bufflehead. we just see it different ways.

[HUNTER2]

Hey I have a idea. Relocate them on my farm. . He could have always let hunters thin them out. I say throw the book at him also.

[kenhuntin]

We are all responsible for preserving resources together whether we live in the country or the city. We need each other to maintain a quality environment. If you do not believe that imagine driving the roads in a rural area maintained by only the local population without city,county and state funds.