Montana FWP
The boys and girls over at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks just wrapped a multi-year investigation into illegal hunting that took place on and around a Vida-area farm in McCone County. The pure scale of the case would take any legal hunter’s breath away, involving illegally taken deer, antelope, and upland game birds, ending with the seizure of more than 100 mounts, antlers and horns.
The case kicked off back in 2024 when Montana wardens first started actively pursuing the case. The focal point of the investigation was centered around landowner Kelly Nelson and the cast of hunters who used his property and neighboring ground. The group he hosted reportedly included hunters from Montana, Washington, North Dakota, Wyoming and Indiana.
In total, FWP ended up issuing 89 citations over the last decade, with fines adding up to $36,785, and resulting in the loss of a combined 44 years of hunting privileges. Three nonresident hunters received lifetime bans from hunting in Montana, and thanks to a plea agreement, Nelson himself was fined and lost his Montana hunting privileges for eight years. As of the most recent release, one additional hunter’s case is still pending with the McCone County Attorney’s office.
"McCone County is a special place with world class wildlife," said game warden John Huberty. "These hunters displayed zero regard for ethical hunter behavior or the lawful pursuit of these animals; however, all but two of these subjects pled guilty to their offenses, were accountable, and cooperated with the investigation."
The public release does not detail the specific violations, only saying that the animals were killed illegally on Nelson’s farm and on neighboring properties. Given the decade-long span, the mix of resident and nonresident hunters, and the volume of seized mounts, the pattern appears to have centered on activity tied to that private ground, but the exact offenses remain unlisted in the information FWP has released so far.
Anyone with information on wildlife violations in Montana can contact FWP through tipmont.mt.gov, call 1-800-TIP-MONT, or reach a local warden. Tips can be eligible for rewards up to $1,000.
