Can you fight a prior conviction?

[mpriest]

Nope your out of luck. If you would have taken it to court and faught the charges when you were issued the citation then you might have had a chance. Since you plead no contest you accepted responsibility for the offense and there for will be on your record.

[murfys69law]

Nope your out of luck. If you would have taken it to court and faught the charges when you were issued the citation then you might have had a chance. Since you plead no contest you accepted responsibility for the offense and there for will be on your record.

I don't buy that answer. There have been many people that have had their records changed. Talk to a lawyer. I am def. not 1 but I wouldn't give up hope just yet.

[billrquimby]

Coach: I'm not a lawyer, and you definitely need to sit down with one. However, from my business law classes 100 years ago at the UA, I seem to remember that those who plead no contest are not considered to have admitted guilt for whatever they are charged with. ===Bill Quimby

[Flatlander]

Does it actually show up on your background checks? I have a G&F conviction from when I was 18 that I used to list on all those applications, but when I listed it on my college application the school called me and asked about the circumstances and told me the conviction did not show up on the background check they did. After that I quit listing it and it has never come up since.

 

In the interest of full transparency, my conviction was for harvesting a buck antelope with horns shorter than the ears. I had an archery lope tag and was sitting water, a buck and three does came in, and I waited for the does to clear before shooting at the buck. My arrow clipped the cloth on the side of the blind and sailed over the bucks back and hit a fawn that was standing immediately behind him. Neither my dad who was with me or I had any idea that fawn was there. It hit him with a perfect double lung shot, he died right there on the spot. I called G&F, self reported, plead guilty in court and paid a $100 fine. They were extremely reasonable with me, the officer even wrote some favorable notes on the citation for the judge to reference when sentencing. The judge laughed when he read the charge, gave me the minimum fine and we moved on with our lives.

[murfys69law]

Very noble and responsible of you Flatlander. Did you get to keep the goat?

[Edge]

Exactly. When I lived in WA, a lawyer advertised in the game publication, specializing in espungements of game and firearms violations. He even had a Superior court judge he would use that was firearms and hunter friendly. The individuals didn't even need to appear.

[LifeFeedsOnLife]

I don't know how you would go about changing your situation at this point. My dad is an attorney and he has told me that you never want to plead guilty right off the bat. You can always change your plea to guilty later if you decide that's the best option. Not guilty gives you the opportunity to explore your options. Fight the charge, make a deal or whatever it may be. Good luck with your situation.

[stanley]

Does it actually show up on your background checks? I have a G&F conviction from when I was 18 that I used to list on all those applications, but when I listed it on my college application the school called me and asked about the circumstances and told me the conviction did not show up on the background check they did. After that I quit listing it and it has never come up since.

 

In the interest of full transparency, my conviction was for harvesting a buck antelope with horns shorter than the ears. I had an archery lope tag and was sitting water, a buck and three does came in, and I waited for the does to clear before shooting at the buck. My arrow clipped the cloth on the side of the blind and sailed over the bucks back and hit a fawn that was standing immediately behind him. Neither my dad who was with me or I had any idea that fawn was there. It hit him with a perfect double lung shot, he died right there on the spot. I called G&F, self reported, plead guilty in court and paid a $100 fine. They were extremely reasonable with me, the officer even wrote some favorable notes on the citation for the judge to reference when sentencing. The judge laughed when he read the charge, gave me the minimum fine and we moved on with our lives.

 

Actually, that's a good point. Was it a felony or misdemeanor? It might not really "show-up" on your record anyway......

 

Bill Q. also makes a good point.

 

Bottom line, maybe see if you can get 30 minutes with a lawyer to run the scenario by him and see what options there are.

 

Good luck!

 

S.

[Flatlander]

Very noble and responsible of you Flatlander. Did you get to keep the goat?

Nope, lost my tag and the goat got donated to a food kitchen. It sucked, but it was better for me than it was for the antelope.

[Coach]

Thank you all for your responses. I really appreciate all the advice you have given. I'm going to start with a letter to the judge - maybe talk to a lawyer. This was a long time ago and I thought it was water under the bridge. I shouldn't have been there plain and simple. And I've regretted not fighting it harder since it happened. I hoped the court would toss it based on the facts, but they didn't. Knowing my luck, or lack thereof, I didn't want to take the chance. I should have fought it harder - I know that now.

 

A couple of days ago, after submitting a volunteer application to coach little league I got this response basically saying I'm a poacher. So yeah, it does show up on background checks. If there is one funny side-note to all this, I also turn up by name as three different registered sex offenders in various states I've never lived in or have ever visited, all with ethnicities and physical characteristics that could never be confused with me. i.e. I'm a 350 black man who lives in Virginia. Can't a man of color get a break around here? LOL.

 

Life is strange for sure.

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Oh man I had the same thing on my credit. Pain in bum to get it fixed. I was 23 and had 3 houses a wife and 8 credit cards. Even had 4 different social numbers? What a joke.

[murfys69law]

I think we all know that our justice system, or lack thereof needs work. Murderers get off by technicalities and someone who made a mistake on their taxes does 5 years. Very confusing.

[wildwoody]

I went thru kind of the same thing. I went back and forth with the judge and told him to come and arrest me. The problem is number one the judges hate game and fish tickets they consider everyone guilty. And number 2 its the way the game and fish have there laws written. Like you were going to a spot where you were going to hunt out of season, but the laws bundle up many things like attempting to hunt in the wrong units goes under taking game out of season, so they don't have a specific law for attempting, and it falls under there umbrella. Kinda like shooting from a road, but falls under the umbrella of taking game from a vehicle, very different but the same under law. Bottom line, when they say anything can and will be held against you believe it. Shut up take only the ticket no selfie. Good luck with that

[Edge]

Pg.3 from last years elk proclamation. Ask for a free consultation.

[520HUNT]

This is why I won't even talk to Game and Fish with out a lawyer present! Went thru one of their checkpoints last year, and the first thing I said when I pulled up, was I respectfully decline to answer any of your questions. He asked "why"? and I repeated, I respectfully decline to answer any of your questions. He then asked, "what are you trying to hide", and I repeated I respectfully decline to answer any of your questions. He then told me I was free to go.

 

It's unfortunate that it's come this. But some of these guys are out to get people and end up turning your own words against you. Gone are the good ole days where you could actually have a conversation with a game warden.