Van Loon with his poached moose | IDFG
They say that even the invisible leave footprints but in the case of one hapless Idaho poacher, he was kind enough to leave a bloody trail, complete with his home address. In this twisted tale of wildlife theft, a man by the name of Carl Van Loon was slapped with a plethora of felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from an investigation that began with a bloody box of deer parts and ended up on his front doorstep.
The incident first came to light when a local rancher discovered a blood-covered cardboard box containing freshly processed deer parts that included a skinned hide, legs, and hooves that had been dumped along a remote backcountry road. Knowing full well that deer season had not yet opened, the rancher decided it was a good idea to alert the good folks over at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Thankfully for the investigating officer, the box also contained a pretty damning piece of evidence: a shipping label on the box that traced directly to Van Loon’s property address.
Upon arriving at the residence, the officer confronted Van Loon, who initially denied any involvement. He claimed that someone had obviously retrieved the box from a Cottonwood dumpster over 22 miles away and used it to dispose of the parts on the road that led to the back of his property. As he was attempting to paint the perfect picture of an innocent man being wrongfully framed, the investigating officer cut through the noise and asked to have a look inside Van Loon’s freezers. It was at this moment that the accused realized the gig was up and then admitted to killing the deer 12 days ahead of the season opener without a valid license or tag.
With the investigating officer satisfied with his findings, he seized the deer meat and the antlers and issued citations for both littering and unlawful possession of a deer killed during a closed season.
Assuming that he had solved all of the crimes committed by Van Loon, the officer went on his way but the very next day, was drawn back to the same property by the sound of gunfire.
Van Loon with an illegally killed buck | IDFG
Visiting the property for the second time in as many days, this time the officer found a hunting blind along the edge of the property. In front of the blind he found a treasure trove of goodies laid out like milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas eve. In addition to a salt block, water trough and a hay feeder set out for unsuspecting prey, officers also found a bin filled with an irresistible molasses-like mixture of oat and grains.
Given that baiting big game animals like deer and elk is strictly prohibited in Idaho to ensure fair chase, it didn’t take long for the investigators to acquire the necessary warrant to dig a little deeper.
Once granted access to Van Loon’s home, it was the evidence gleaned from Van Loon’s phone that proved even more damning. Photos and text messages documented multiple unlawfully taken deer and even a moose that had been killed during a closed season in Unit 13. Messages included instructions to others not to “speak of these animals to anyone,” and showed attempts to delete incriminating communications. To back up the evidence, nearby neighbors also attested to hearing large-caliber gunshots near the bait site around the time of the offenses.
Given the rare status of moose in the state of Idaho, the illegally killed bull elevated the case dramatically. Moose are exceptionally rare in the region, with no hunting permits issued for Unit 13, making any take a significant violation.
For his actions, Van Loon initially faced six felonies, nine misdemeanors, and one infraction. Through a plea agreement in Idaho County District Court, all deer-related charges were dismissed in exchange for a guilty plea on the felony moose charge.
For that crime, the penalties were severe and included a lifetime revocation of all hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges in Idaho, 10 days in jail, a $10,000 civil penalty specifically tied to the unlawful moose take and additional citations for littering and unlawful possession of the out-of-season deer.
During the initial investigation, Van Loon reportedly remarked, “What do you care what I do on my own property?… I’m not hurting nobody by grabbing deer and putting them in my freezer.”
IDFG rightly countered that such actions undermine conservation efforts and steal opportunities from law-abiding sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts. Happy trails, Carl.
