History Main / RoguishPoacher

Whereas the Evil Poacher is a GreatWhiteHunter out for endangered "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charismatic_megafauna charismatic megafauna]]", the Roguish Poacher hunts [[WhatMeasureIsaNonCute prey animals]] like rabbits, fish and game birds (the only quarry the two might compete over are deer). Where the Evil Poacher is a GlorySeeker who wants to put trophies on his walls, the Roguish Poacher wants to feed his family and maybe scratch a living selling the meat and skins.

* The EricBogle song "Poachers Moon" is about the traditional Scottish pastime of poaching salmon from the laird's stream.

* The ''Stanley Baxter's Playhouse'' episode "The Pool" is about a salmon poacher on a Scottish estate being caught by the laird, and eventually revealing that [[spoiler: he's the son of the local blacksmith, who many years earlier taught the laird to poach on what was then his father's estate, until the former laird caught him.]]

* Carter the Poacher in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels.

* In ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', Pteppic spends some time under the wing of a roguish poacher, whom his absent minded father mistook for his tutor.

* In ''Discworld/{Pyramids}'', Pteppic spends some time under the wing of a roguish poacher, whom his absent minded father mistook for his tutor.

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[[AC:Mythology and Folklore]]

* The [[GreekMythology Homeric Hymn to Hermes]] has the titular {{Trickster}}, not yet part of the pantheon, stealing the herd of cows entrusted to Apollo and managing to charm his way out of trouble when he's caught. He then divides up the meat into sacrifices for all the gods... including a portion for himself, so that their acceptance of the sacrifice implicitly acknowledges him as a fellow god.

->''When [[UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers those boys are out on the beat]],\\

[[CanineCompanion With my longdog]]. I am a poacher!''

[[SympatheticCriminal I'm gonna catch what I'm gonna eat,]]\\

These are generally from a time when [[{{Grimmification}} even kids' stories]] admitted that animals have to be killed for people to eat meat (and this kind of poacher always ''does'' hunt for food, usually [[SympatheticCriminal for his starving family]] or [[JustLikeRobinHood to share with the community]]), and the conflict is more about the morality of claiming ownership of natural resources.

Subtrope of KarmicThief. Often a GuileHero, who may be portrayed as JustLikeRobinHood. Compare HunterTrapper. Sympathetic portrayals of TheRustler may also fall under this trope.

As this guy is still a criminal, he'll either have a SympatheticInspectorAntagonist, or the police/sheriff will be in the pockets of the CorruptHick landlord ([[JustFollowingOrders or even both]]).

Naturally, in real life it's more complicated than this -- how you would classify a poor African hunting bushmeat would be much more open for debate. But fiction is usually [[BlackAndWhiteMorality more willing to take sides]].

These are generally from a time when [[{{Grimmification}} even kids' stories]] admitted that animals have to be killed for people to eat meat (and this kind of poacher always ''does'' hunt for food, usually [[SympatheticCriminal for his starving family]]), and the conflict is more about the morality of claiming ownership of natural resources.

* The play ''ACryOfPlayers'' is about a young WilliamShakespeare, who gets caught poaching the local Lord's deer and has to flee Stratford, joining up with a band of players.

* Several of the minor characters in ''[[ElementalMasters Phoenix and Ashes]]'' poach the Fenix woods with the tacit permission of Reggie Fenix -- it's a source of protein that isn't affected by rationing.

* Creator/RoaldDahl's book ''Danny the Champion of the World'' where the poacher, Danny's father, is a good guy and a GuileHero, showing a germ of the character of ''FantasticMrFox''. The bad guy is the man who owns the land they live on, who is a pompous, heartless, cruel man. It probably helps that the animals being poached are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute pheasants]] being readied for an upcoming hunt, and so are due to die whatever happens. It also helps that the father came up with increasingly [[ZanyScheme clever ways of going about it]] and the landlord kept trying to find more and more trivial ways to force the family to sell their gas station that you have to root for them, regardless of your stance on hunting, trespassing, and poaching.
* The aforementioned ''FantasticMrFox'', who combines this with CarnivoreConfusion by stealing chickens from industrial-scale farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean.

* The [[GreekMythology Homeric Hymn to Hermes]] has the titular {{Trickster}}, not yet part of the pantheon, stealing the herd of cows entrusted to Apollo and managing to charm his way out of trouble when he's caught. He then divides up the meat into sacrifices for all the gods... including a portion for himself, so that their acceptance of the sacrifice implicitly acknowledges him as a fellow god.

* Creator/RoaldDahl's book ''Danny the Champion of the World'' where the poacher, Danny's father, is a good guy and a GuileHero, showing a germ of the character of ''FantasticMrFox''. The bad guy is the man who owns the land they live on, who is a pompous, heartless, cruel man. It probably helps that the animals being poached are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute pheasants]] being readied for an upcoming hunt, and so are due to die whatever happens. Moreover, England has a bit of a cultural trope about the hearty countryman who is not above a little poaching now and then. It also helps that the father came up with increasingly [[ZanyScheme clever ways of going about it]] and the landlord kept trying to find more and more trivial ways to force the family to sell their gas station that you have to root for them, regardless of your stance on hunting, trespassing, and poaching.

* Black George in ''Literature/TomJones'' is a gamekeeper on an estate (the guy supposed to stop poachers) but also does some poaching himself- a combination of feeding his family and being a (lovable) scoundrel. At the end of the novel, the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue indicates he was ultimately [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_transportation transported]] for his crimes.

->''When [[BritishCoppers those boys are out on the beat]],\\

->''When [[BritishCoppers those boys are out on the beat]],\\
[[SympatheticCriminal I'm gonna catch what I'm gonna eat,]]\\