poacher – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Deer poacher charged in ‘crime of opportunity’ using headlights

A 21-year-old has been charged with several crimes involving the illegal shooting of three black-tailed deer bucks near Coos Bay, Ore.

A 21-year-old in Oregon has been charged with shooting three black-tailed deer bucks out of season near Coos Bay, hunting with the aid of artificial light and wasting the meat.

After a lengthy investigation, Oregon State Troopers developed a suspect, interviewed him on Dec. 5 and ultimately charged Macen M. West of North Bend with the crimes, the Oregon State Police announced.

Authorities are asking for restitution of $3,000, a three-year minimum suspension of West’s hunting rights, and the forfeiture of his Savage 93r 17 rifle, which retails new for $380.

West faces three counts of taking game in a closed season, three counts of waste of a game mammal for poaching three black-tailed bucks and leaving them to waste, and hunting with the aid of artificial light. The crimes occurred on the weekend of March 19, 2021.

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“It was a crime of opportunity,” Sergeant Levi Harris said in an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife press release. “We believe the shooter drove around a corner, saw the deer in the headlights and made a poor, shocking, impromptu decision to hop out and shoot those deer.”

From the ODFW:

The deer, likely transfixed by the light, would have been easy targets. He would have had time to aim and drop each deer individually. In a normal hunting situation, a single shot at one deer would have startled others into flight. Black-tailed deer hunting season was closed at the time.

All three deer were shot in the head, from relatively close range, according to Sergeant Harris. Because the deer were found so close together, investigators believed early on that the poacher had used a spotlight or vehicle headlights to blind the deer.

There were no footprints or tire tracks leading to the site according to Joseph Metzler of Coos Bay, who discovered the scene the morning of Monday, March 23. That morning, traveling on his ATV, Metzler noticed crows congregating in the area. As he rounded a bend in the road, he came upon the deer carcasses directly in front of him, on the hillside.

“As soon as I came around the corner, there they were, and if it had been dark, they would have been standing right in front of my headlights on the hillside,” he said.

Metzler was pleased that OSP was able to pursue the case and ultimately solve it.

“It goes to show you that if you turn in poachers, it might be a while, but they can find them,” he said.

Photos courtesy of ODFW.

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Suspected poacher caught with 2,611 pompano over the limit

A commercial fisherman in Florida has been cited for unlawful use of a gill net in a restricted area and possessing 2,611 pompano over the allowable limit.

A commercial fisherman in Florida has been cited for unlawful use of a monofilament gill net in a restricted area and possessing 2,611 pompano over the allowable limit.

Ronald Edward Birren, captain of the 48-foot vessel Legacy, was confronted by officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in federal waters, 5.5 miles south of the Pompano Endorsement Zone inside the Gulf of Mexico.

The net was aboard the boat, bristling with its catch.

The boat was escorted back to Everglades City, where FWC officers determined that the net contained 2,711 pompano. (Fishermen outside the endorsement zone are allowed up to 100 pompano as bycatch.)

The weight of the catch was nearly 4,000 pounds. Some of the fish were undersized.

Birren, 52, of Hernando Beach, was cited for possession of more than the allowable bycatch limit, and undersized pompano.

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The FWC did not disclose the day Birren was cited, but in a news release issued Monday, Maj. Alberto Maza, FWC South Region B Commander, stated: “Our officers are dedicated to protecting our state and federal fishery resources. Violations such as this one highlights the importance of the work that these men and women do every day.”

Monofilament gill nets are banned in Florida state waters and restricted in federal waters. Violations pertaining to their use in state waters constitute third-degree felonies.

Trophy moose poacher receives lifetime hunting ban

A Montana hunter who illegally killed a trophy-size moose in 2019 has received a lifetime ban from hunting and trapping in the state.

Shiloh Berry, 41, pleaded guilty last fall to unlawfully possessing and waste of a game animal, and hunting without a valid license. He was sentenced Friday in Broadwater County Court District.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Berry also received a three-year fishing ban and was ordered to pay $12,100 in restitution. He also received a suspended five-year jail sentence.

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An investigation was launched in November 2019 after Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks received a tip on its anti-poaching hotline. Wardens found the decapitated moose 17 miles east of Townsend. Nearby were “distinctive” tire and boot prints.

In April 2020, wardens were tipped off that Berry was in possession of moose antlers said to have been found at the same location. An authorized search of Berry’s premises turned up the antlers, which were an impressive 56 inches wide.

His boots and truck tires were found to have made the prints discovered at the scene. Berry confessed to killing the moose during interviews with wardens.

–Moose image courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Hunter hit with fines, suspensions for poaching bighorn sheep

A Montana resident has been fined more than $5,000 for illegally killing a bighorn sheep and leaving the meat to waste.

Harold Horine, 45, shot the bighorn sheep ram on Nov. 22 in the Highland Mountains. A witness contacted Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks after discovering the abandoned carcass.

Horine later told FWP wardens that he mistook the sheep for an elk.

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In a news release issued Wednesday, FWP stated that Horine pleaded guilty in Madison County Justice Court on Dec. 7. Charges included hunting without a valid license, unlawful possession of a game animal, hunting on private land without permission, and waste of a game animal.

Horine, who is from Deer Lodge, was ordered to pay $5,245 in fines and restitution. Additionally, his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were suspended for two years.

–Bighorn sheep image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Things go from bad to worse for man caught poaching salmon

It might have seemed as though things couldn’t get worse for a man who was cited by different wardens for catching salmon in different closed areas on the same day recently.

It might have seemed as though things couldn’t get worse for a man who was cited by different officers for catching salmon in different closed areas on the same day recently.

But as announced Friday by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police, after receiving his second citation the man wrecked his automobile on a nearby highway.

“After such a bad-luck day, the subject may reconsider poaching in Pierce and Mason County streams,” the WDFWP stated in a news release.

The man was one of three anglers “blatantly violating” regulations by fishing in a closed Minter Creek hatchery zone established to protect vulnerable salmon as they migrate toward spawning grounds and through narrow hatchery intake areas.

The man tried to flee but was caught by “Officer Summit” and cited along with the other individuals. Nine salmon were seized as evidence.

When Officer Summit submitted his report later that morning he discovered that the man had been cited for a similar violation near Hoodsport about 90 minutes after receiving his first citation.

Officer Jewitt, who issued the second citation, noticed that the man had marked his salmon catch record card with fish he caught from Minter Creek. These cards must be filled out by anglers to help biologists monitor fish populations.

According to the WDFWP, the man told Officer Jewitt that he had given those salmon away when, in fact, they had been seized by Officer Summit because they were caught illegally in a closed area.

The WDFWP stated: “After being contacted and cited by two fish and wildlife officers on two different closed waterbodies, the individual wrecked his vehicle on Hwy 101 near Potlatch.”

The agency did not mention whether the man had been injured in the crash.

–Image courtesy of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police

Suspected poacher likely killed by elephant in South African reserve

A suspected poacher appears to have been killed by an elephant in South Africa’s vast Kruger National Park.

The park announced via Twitter that the body of the suspect was discovered Thursday in the Stolznek district as a result of an “intelligence-driven” search.

“Initial investigations suspect that the deceased was killed by an elephant and left behind by his accomplices,” Kruger National Park stated. The park added that no animals had been killed in the area and that poaching of elephants for their ivory tusks will not be tolerated.

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“Criminals stand to lose their lives and freedom,” the park warned.

African elephants can weigh up to seven tons; their tusks can weigh more than 150 pounds apiece. The pachyderms are highly intelligent and this would not be the first instance of an elephant killing or injuring a poacher.

Kruger National Park, which spans more than 7,500 square miles, is home to more than 140 species of large mammals, including tusked elephants and rhinoceroses.

Wolf poacher lands in jail, loses hunting privileges for life

A Michigan man accused of several wildlife violations, including the poaching of 18 gray wolves, has been sentenced to 90 days in jail as part of a plea agreement.

Kurt Johnston Duncan, 56, also will lose hunting and trapping privileges permanently in Michigan and all 48 states that are members of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

Duncan, of Pickford, pleaded guilty on Sept. 24 to seven crimes, including three counts of illegal take and the possession of wolves; three counts of illegal take and possession of bald eagles, and one count of illegal commercialization of a protected species (wolf).

Additionally, Chippewa County District Court Judge Eric Blubaugh sentenced Duncan to pay $27,000 as reimbursement for the animals he killed, and $9,240 in court fees.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources described the case as “historical” for the agency and state in a news release issued Wednesday.

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Gary Hagler, Chief of the DNR Law Enforcement Division, added: “We hope this poaching case acts as a deterrent to criminals for committing future wildlife crimes such as this.

“Our officers did an excellent job working as a team and building this investigation so it could move quickly through the criminal justice system.”

The months-long investigation of Duncan identified 125 wildlife misdemeanor crimes involving other animals, including deer, bobcat, and turkeys.

Duncan was ordered to forfeit all items, including firearms and snares, seized during the execution of search warrants.

–Generic gray wolf images are courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service