I think a better question is what kind of father wouldn't turn in his child for illegal activity and would decide covering up his crime was a better parenting technique?  This father did the right thing.  There's no excuse for what this kid did, and no reason to let it slide.  How exactly do you propose this father should have "dealt with his son like a man?"  Ram the kid with his truck?  The way you deal with it like a man is to make your child pay for the consequences of his actions instead of protecting him.  Then he can learn personal responsibility and maybe even learn to respect wildlife and the people around him.