poaching

Illegal hunting of game and fish on someone else's property. Since the creation of hunting grounds in the early Middle Ages, poaching has attracted heavy punishments.

Deterrents have included special laws including the Night Poaching Act 1828 and the Game Act 1831. The battle of wits between gamekeepers and local poachers is part of English folklore, but in recent years large-scale organized poaching by mobile gangs has become a serious criminal activity.