Schwing, Nice post. I think some people do post around here just to get a rise. The Internet is a great place to say anything you want and on a board like this, many people will read it and you will be heard regardless of your social ability or opportunity. Posting to get a rise is not bad. It's mischievous and sometimes malicious, but it is entertainment. You have to sift through the BS and pick your battles.

Is DJ pulling our leg? Could be. Another benefit of the Internet is the nearly absolute anonymity. If you want you can create a totally fictitious character and play him on a site like this. Seems like a lot of effort for little gain, except to possibly use it to get a rise without embarrassing your true self. However, I know there are people in dire straits (or at least they think so) who are harvesting to fill the freezer and there are sportsmen (or at least they think are) who fish for the sport.

You said one thing about how the world is changing. Actually illegal harvesting behavior is a throwback to days past when things were not regulated as tightly and people who had the resource available did what they had to in order to put fish and game on their table, including dynamite and spotlight poaching. So I think it is more that the world hasn't changed completely yet and it will take the education of several more generations to evolve to that higher level.

Will we ever eliminate the poverty that results in the illegal harvest mentality? Probably not. The one to educate is the everyday guy that wants to catch fish legally, can’t seem to do it and then resorts to the Big Creek snag fest to bring home the trophy.