poachers – Syndication Server

Juveniles tip off the law, leads to jail, $6,750 in fines for poachers

White sturgeon in Scappoose Bay in Oregon is catch-and-release only, but three men thought they could get away with keeping five.

Unfortunately for these perpetrators, some much younger—and wiser—than them had an eye on them.

What the juvenile sportsmen witnessed were the men in a boat catching a white sturgeon and not releasing it. So, they contacted the poacher tip line of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and reported what they saw and where they saw it.

The tip led to wildlife troopers monitoring the area, a slough off the Columbia River north of Vancouver, and after two days of surveillance, trooper Scott Bernardi and senior trooper Justin Morgan approached the men at a dock where they had moored their boat.

At first, the three men denied catching any fish. But when the troopers pulled up two lines they saw tied to the dock, they found four live white sturgeon, ranging in size from 5 to 7 feet. The troopers discovered a fifth live white sturgeon when inspecting the boat.

The incident occurred in 2022 but ODFW just issued a press release Monday about the repercussions.

Julio Duran of Salem pleaded guilty to take/possession of a giant white sturgeon (a Class C Felony) and take/possession of four oversized sturgeons (Class A misdemeanors). He also pleaded guilty to fishing without a fishing license. He served 20 days in the Columbia County jail and owes $5,000 in restitution to ODFW and $500 to the Turn in Poachers TIP reward program. He was given 36 months probation and a three-year fishing ban. He also forfeited the fishing rods and equipment, presumably including the boat, used during the crime.

Jose Plascencia of Dayton pleaded guilty to fishing without a fishing license and must serve either 10 days on a Columbia County work crew or 80 hours of community service. He received 24 months of bench probation, and must pay $750 in restitution. His fishing privileges were suspended for three years.

Axel Guell of St. Helens pleaded guilty to angling without a fishing license and must pay $500 in restitution. He is to serve 24 months of bench probation and is prohibited from fishing for three years.

“This poacher [Duran] spent 20 days in jail over the holidays in hopes of changing his behavior [sic],” Morgan said. “Luckily, the quick-thinking juvenile sportsmen were able to report what they witnessed to the Oregon State Police, through the TIP line, and we were able to apprehend this individual and release the large sturgeon back into the bay.”

The juveniles were awarded $500 each for reporting the poachers.

Fortunately, the other four sturgeon were also released alive back into the bay.

“White sturgeon fisheries in the lower Columbia and Willamette rivers can currently generate between 30,000 – 40,000 angler trips annually, which contribute millions in economic benefits,” the ODFW stated. “In recent years, lower populations of the slow-growing fish preclude taking one home for a meal. But anglers can still catch and release the massive fish, which provides the thrill of the experience.”

Generic images of white sturgeon courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Feds offer $50,000 reward after 3 wolves are found dead in Oregon

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hoping the large sum will help authorities catch those responsible for poaching three endangered wolves from the same pack.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hoping that a $50,000 reward will help authorities catch and prosecute the person or persons responsible for killing three endangered wolves in Oregon.

An investigation was launched after Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife troopers found the carcasses of two collared research wolves and an un-collared wolf last Dec. 29 in Klamath County.

All three wolves – a breeding adult female (OR115) and two subadults – belonged to the Gearhart Mountain Pack.

Troopers responded after Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists received mortality signals from the two collars.

The ODFW stated Friday in a news release: “ODFW and OSP are assisting USFWS in the investigation of three Gearhart Mountain Pack wolves found dead in late December.

“ODFW is aware of seven wolves remaining in the Gearhart Mountain Pack including the breeding male. ODFW continues to monitor these wolves.”

Neither agency revealed how the wolves were killed but the case is reminiscent of a 2021 case – also involving a $50,000 reward – centered around the poisoning deaths of all five members of the Catherine wolf pack.

Gray wolves are federally endangered in the western two-thirds of Oregon.

Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to call the USFWS at (503) 682-6131, or the Oregon State Police Dispatch at (800) 452-7888. Tipsters can also text *OSP (*677), or email TIP@osp.oregon.gov.

Callers can remain anonymous.

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

Montana game wardens travel the country seizing game killed illegally

Montana game wardens went to five other states and collected 18 illegally killed wildlife from Montana. Case involves multiple violations.

Montana game wardens traveled to five other states and, with the assistance of game wardens in those states, collected 18 illegally killed wildlife from Montana.

Seven elk, six mule deer, three whitetail deer and two antelope were confiscated as evidence in cases that include multiple wildlife violations, as announced by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

“These cases involve complex, long-term investigations of the most serious type of violations of hunting laws in Montana,” MFWP Chief of Law Enforcement Ron Howell stated.

Game wardens from the Montana cities of Kalispell, Billings and Miles City participated in the investigation, which included traveling to Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Kentucky.

Violations include license fraud, hunting without licenses, hunting during a closed season, over-limits of game animals, waste of game animals, tag transfer and unlawful possession of game animals. Charges are pending on all cases.

“Without the assistance of officers from the states involved, these cases would likely not be successfully investigated and prosecuted,” Howell said. “These investigations highlight the hard work and tenacity of our wardens to ensure that serious violations are investigated, and suspects are held accountable for those violations.”

Watch: Poachers fire at elephant-viewing tour boat; ‘scariest day of my life’

Video footage shows the scary moment as the tour boat driver shifts into high gear and the guide yells to ‘lie down, lie flat, flat, flat.’

A dozen people aboard an elephant-viewing tour boat in South Africa were forced to duck for cover when they came under fire by poachers Wednesday morning.

It occurred on the eastern shores of the Jozini/Pongolapoort Dam, located on the southern border between South Africa and Eswatini.

Several shots were fired at the double-decker tour boat Jozenic, allegedly by a group of nearly 20 armed men linked to the recent slaughter of about 25 elephants and other illegal wildlife poaching activity around Jozini Dam, according to the Daily Maverick.

Video footage captures the scary moment as the tour boat driver shifted into high gear and the guide yelled for the passengers to “lie down, lie flat, flat, flat.” Two sounds that might be shots can be heard early in the video, though it’s unclear whether that was part of the gunfire.

On board at the time were five Germans, two Americans, one Australian and four South Africans, including local elephant and rhino monitor Suzette Boshoff, who described the attack as “the scariest day of my life.”

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Several elephant carcasses have been discovered along the shoreline of Jozini Dam in recent months. They are part of a herd of more than 70 elephants originating from the private Pongola Game Reserve that roamed into the area during a severe drought seven years ago.

Crash of pickup truck leads to conviction of two poachers

Two men who committed several wildlife crimes when illegally killing three antelope might have gotten away with it had they not crashed.

Two Texas men who committed several wildlife crimes when illegally killing three antelope in Wyoming might have gotten away with it had they not crashed their truck soon after driving away from the crime scene.

Matthew Adams, 26, and Carl Denmon, 25, pled guilty to 17 crimes, resulting in over $31,000 in fines and restitution, and each was sentenced and served 30 days in jail, along with 11.5 months of unsupervised probation, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

They also lost their hunting, fishing and trapping privileges in 48 states for five years, and surrendered the firearms used in committing these crimes, which were two Smith & Wesson M&P .22-caliber rifles with homemade suppressors.

On Oct. 18, a Wyoming game warden received a tip from a tow truck driver who had towed a Ford F-150 that had been involved in a crash, as reported by K2 Radio Wyoming. The tow truck driver suspected foul play upon seeing blood and hair in the bed of the truck.

The next day, the game warden inspected the pickup and discovered blood and hair consistent with antelope hair, along with numerous spent and unspent .22-caliber long rifle shell casings, a receipt for the ammunition, a laser boresight and a rifle scope that had been purchased in Rock Springs on Oct. 15.

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The game warden interviewed a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper who apparently responded to the scene of the crash. He said the occupants were Adams and Denmon, who claimed the blood and hair in the bed of the truck was from the coyote they had shot and put in the back of the truck for a photo. Afterward, they said they left the animal where it was killed.

The tow truck driver told the game warden that Denmon had blood on his pants, and when he took them to a local hotel, he saw them unload their rifles and a cooler with blood on it.

It was discovered that neither Adams nor Denmon had ever applied for or bought any license in Wyoming; they had traveled 1,600 miles from home to commit these crimes.

From K2 Radio:

Law enforcement officers Interviewed Adams and Denmon. Adams said he killed one doe antelope and one buck antelope when they were driving on the evening of Oct. 15.

Denmon said they killed three buck antelope. They took the heads of the antelope, and some meat from one of the bucks. However, they dumped the heads and meat in the sagebrush near the crash site.

Officers received warrants to search the hotel room, and Adams’ iPhone, which showed two pictures of him posing with one of the buck and his rifle.

The photos had time stamps and locations.

Officers located the remains of the carcasses, and the pair were arrested on Oct. 25.

Adams was charged with wanton destruction (2 counts), taking a big game animal with an illegal caliber firearm (2 counts), shooting outside legal hours (2 counts), using artificial light for hunting (2 counts), using a silencer or suppressor to take big game (2 counts), and accessory before/after the fact.

Adams was ordered to pay $19,070 in fines and restitution.

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Denmon was charged with wanton destruction, accessory before/after the fact, taking a big game animal with an illegal caliber firearm, shooting outside legal hours, using artificial light for hunting, and using a silencer or suppressor to take big game.

Denmon was ordered to pay $12,570 in fines and restitution.

“Each year, hundreds of animals are taken illegally in Wyoming, and without tips from concerned members of the public, many of these crimes would go undetected,” the WGFD stated. “The concerned citizen and another reporting party in this case each received a $750 reward for providing information that led to the convictions of Adams and Denmon.”

Photo courtesy of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Anglers cited for catching 100-plus crappie over the legal limit

In the past two weeks, crappie anglers in Nebraska have been cited multiple times for grossly exceeding the daily bag limit.

For some Nebraska anglers, it seems, a daily bag limit of 15 crappie is not even close to being sufficient.

In the past two weeks, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, numerous anglers have been cited for grossly exceeding the limit at Standing Bear Lake.

During one visit, Conservation Officers cited three people for possessing more crappie than regulations allow. One angler possessed 119 crappie, or 104 crappie over the bag limit.

During another visit, an angler was found in possession of 121 crappie, or 106 crappie over the limit.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, which addressed this issue Friday via Facebook, did not disclose possible penalties for those cited. The commission did state that the fish were seized as evidence.

The agency added: “It’s the job of our Conservation Officers to prevent poaching, which includes over-fishing. Overfishing can be detrimental to the ecosystem. There are reasons for limits and far-reaching consequences when people choose to poach and over-consume.”

Some in the comments section called on the commission to impose lifetime fishing bans on those who were cited for excessive over-limits.

Four Texans cited for poaching alligator in Louisiana

Four men from Texas have been cited for their suspected roles in an alligator-poaching incident Sunday in Louisiana’s Assumption Parish.

The Louisiana Department of Fisheries and Wildlife cited the men after responding to a complaint about an alligator carcass left at a truck stop.

Agents located the alligator and discovered a bullet hole in its head. Video footage from the truck stop implicated the four men.

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The men, cited for killing an alligator out of season, were identified as Boyd Bumbera, 23, from Brookshire; Baron Vargas, 27, and Manuel Gomez, 33, from Houston, and Jesus Fajardo, 35, from Baytown.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries stated in a news release that alligator hunting in the region does not open until the last Saturday in August.

Killing an alligator during a closed season carries fines of between $400 and $950, and up to 120 days in jail. The men might also be forced to pay civil restitution totaling $375 for the “replacement value” of the alligator.

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

10 arrested in Florida for illegally netting 500 pounds of fish

Authorities in Florida have charged 10 suspects for illegally using monofilament gill nets to capture and kill more than 500 pounds of fish, including sharks.

All 10 suspects are from Atlanta, Ga. They were arrested and charged recently after being found in possession of four gill nets spanning 1,600 feet at the Skyway Bridge North Rest Area in St. Petersburg.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced details of the bust Thursday.

The suspects were identified as Marcos Lopez Navarrete (27), Ernesto Lopez Navarrete (35), Roberto Gonzalez Lopez (41), Carlos Lopez Santana (18), Fredy Lopez Navarrete (38), Fredy Lopez Reyez (18), Rafael Castro Herrera (40), Daniel Reyez Valente (26), Efren Lopez Navarette (43) and Lorenzo Lopez Navarette (40).

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Each suspect was charged with a third-degree felony for use of illegal gill nets. The men also were charged with first- and second-degree misdemeanor violations pertaining to the illegal capture of various species, including permit, black drum, snook, blue crab, trout, sharks, and sheepshead.

The maximum penalty for a third-degree felony is five years in jail and/or a $5,000 fine. The maximum penalty for a first-degree misdemeanor charge is one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Second-degree misdemeanor charges carry a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.

Monofilament gill nets, which are invisible underwater, kill indiscriminately by trapping fish by the gills. The nets, suspended underwater via floats, also pose substantial threats to marine mammals, endangered sea turtles, and diving birds.

The FWC said that the amount of netting seized as evidence spanned “more than four-and-a-half football fields.”

The arrests occurred after a period of surveillance following an anonymous tip.

Monofilament gill nets were banned in Florida in 1995.

Poachers ‘stealing’ wildlife remains a troubling issue in Utah

Wildlife authorities in Utah this week revealed that more than 1,000 wild animals were killed illegally in 2021, marking the continuation of a troubling trend.

According to the state’s Division of Wildlife Resources, hunters and anglers last year illegally harvested 1,153 animals with an estimated value of $6,100.

It was at least the third consecutive year in which the number of poached wildlife increased.

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Deer topped the list, with 180 deer, including 34 “trophy” bucks, having been killed illegally.

Elk (113, including18 trophy bull elk) were the second most targeted species.

Also on the the list: 17 mountain lions, 11 bears, five moose, one bighorn sheep, and 374 fish.

“The remaining illegally killed wildlife include a variety of small game animals, waterfowl and a variety of other wildlife species,” the DWR stated in a news release issued Wednesday.

In 2020, 1,079 animals worth an estimated $387,000 were killed illegally in Utah. In 2019, 1,065 animals worth $384,000 were poached.

In 2021, the state issued 4,394 citations and suspended the hunting or fishing privileges of 48 people. The suspension figure was up from 2020 (35), but down significantly from 2019 (84).

Said DWR Capt. Chad Bettridge: “Each animal that is illegally killed in our state is one less animal for legal hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and everyday residents to enjoy. Poachers steal our ability to enjoy Utah’s wildlife.”

Domestic violence call leads to multiple deer-poaching charges

A Michigan man previously convicted of illegally killing white-tailed deer faces 15 new charges after the discovery of nine poached bucks in a Decatur barn.

Police responding to a domestic violence complaint on Oct. 17 spotted the deer and tipped off the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The DNR determined that the deer belonged to Justin Ernst, 33, a convicted felon who is suspected of killing the deer while scouting from his truck and illegally shooting the bucks with the aid of a spotlight.

DNR Conservation Officers Matt Page and Tyler Cole seized eight trophy bucks on Oct. 17. Two days later, a day after Ernst was arrested following the domestic violence complaint, Page discovered another freshly dead buck in the barn.

The homeowner allowed Page and Cole to conduct searches on both dates.

Antlers seized as evidence. Photo: Michigan DNR

On Oct. 20, Conservation Officers executed a search warrant and discovered two shotguns and a crossbow, and a bloody crossbow bolt from the bed of Ernst’s truck. Officers also found a handheld spotlight under the driver’s seat.

Ernst, who was arranged Nov. 9 in 7th District Court in Paw Paw, could be ordered to pay $59,500 in restitution. His next court appearance is Dec. 20.

In 2018, Ernst was convicted of illegally harvesting and possessing white-tailed deer. His felony record includes possession of methamphetamine, fleeing a police officer, and a third strike for driving under the influence of alcohol.

White-tailed deer. Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Lt. Gerald Thayer of the Michigan DNR Law Enforcement Division stated in a Thursday news release:

“It’s a shame that this criminal ruined the chance for ethical, legal hunters to have their opportunity to take one of these trophy deer. Not only did this felon steal from the natural resource, he also damaged agriculture crops, and has been doing so for some time.”

Among the charges against Ernst are two counts of firearm possession by a felon; two felony firearms violations; hunting with a revoked license, and nine counts of illegal deer harvest.

The nine bucks included five with 10 antler points, a nine-pointer, and three eight-pointers.