I don’t know if it’s because the Portland Press Herald got information that suggested that Maine’s game wardens vote mostly Republican, but the Press Herald’s zeal to go after these people suggests something more is at play here than just journalism.

The “investigative report” in the Press Herald on May 29 was laughable. Now the Press Herald is accepting the word of people who are game poachers coming out of the woodwork to “confirm” that they, too, have been “victims” of overzealous game wardens.

Big surprise there. The people who kill our game illegally and who play by their own rules when it comes to hunting, fishing and trapping hate game wardens, of course, because these are the people who arrest them for their crimes.

Here’s a news flash for game poachers: If somebody – anyone – approached me and tried to get me to play along and go ahead and kill deer illegally, I wouldn’t even consider it. And I would report them to the warden service if I thought they were doing it. (Interesting that none of the “victims” in your story called the warden service to report the undercover agent who they are blaming their crimes on now.)

I certainly wouldn’t go ahead and do it and then later cry that “it’s not my fault, he was doing it so I did it, too.” Neither would the other law-abiding outdoorsmen and women in Maine, who are the vast majority, unlike these people.

Now, thanks to the Press Herald going after the warden service with a vengeance, the criminals feel empowered and are hiring lawyers and saying, “Hey, I’m the real victim here. Not fair!”

Great work. Maybe now your staff “journalists” can get back to their regular job of 24-7 attacks on Gov. LePage.

Dave Johnson

Kennebunk

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