Years After the Shot, Utah Poacher Finally Pays for Illegal Bull Elk Kill

The weekend might not be here just yet, but your favorite dispatch from the great outdoors is. 

So grab your coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and let's get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past 24-or-so hours.

Here's what's worth reading about today:

“WE’LL FIND YOU” - UTAH DNR, PROBABLY
YEARS AFTER THE SHOT, UTAH POACHER FINALLY PAYS FOR ILLEGAL BULL ELK KILL

It was 2019 when a nice bull elk was killed about two miles outside of legal boundaries and eight days after the season closed in Utah. For years, the suspect seemed to have gotten away with a crime he thought no one else knew about. That is until a pesky little tip finally trickled in.

Although vague, reports indicate that the Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement officers opened an investigation following the tip that involved photo matching, interviews, and search warrants of the suspect’s home and devices. With evidence in-hand, they eventually traced where the animal had been processed and began the process of building a case. 

Now nearly six years later, the unnamed suspect has pleaded guilty in Morgan County District Court to a Class A misdemeanor charge of wanton destruction of protected wildlife. For his actions, the court ordered him to pay $9,500 in fines and restitution and he is forfeiting his hunting privileges for eight years.

Judging by the fact that photo matching seems to be what blew this guy out of the water, it’s safe to say that the poacher (or someone close to him) foolishly shared photos that later got recognized. Either way, it’s nice to see that he got caught, even though, judging by the size of the bull, the penalties don’t really fit the crime.

DON’T USE GRANDMA’S TAG, K?
TIP UNRAVELS YEARS OF ILLEGAL DEER KILLS AND FAMILY LICENSE FRAUD IN MONTANA

A single tip about a wasted whitetail buck led Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wardens into a yearlong investigation that uncovered repeated illegal deer hunting across Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson counties.

That investigation ended with Jeremy Michael Hill and Ryan Francis McGuire, both of Harrison, being convicted. According to FWP, Hill killed multiple antlered deer each year over a three-year period, all while using hunting licenses issued to family members to tag the animals, while McGuire played a supporting role. 

Charges included unlawful possession and waste of game animals, hunting over the limit, spotlighting, and hunting from a vehicle and public highway without landowner permission.

Hill received a 36-month suspension of his hunting and fishing privileges and $2,980 in fines. McGuire was suspended for 24 months and fined $670. And because Montana participates in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, both men lose hunting and fishing privileges in just about all 50 states for the length of their suspensions.

JACKED THEM UP ALRIGHT
ALABAMA NIGHT HUNTING CASE ENDS IN GUILTY PLEASE AFTER MULTI-AGENCY INVESTIGATION

A tip about suspected night hunting in Jackson County sparked a multi-agency investigation that ultimately produced guilty pleas for illegal night hunting and related offenses in northeast Alabama.

Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries officers, working alongside the Jackson and DeKalb County sheriffs’ departments and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, monitored areas where the activity was believed to be occurring. During one operation, officers attempted to stop a vehicle after observing behavior consistent with night hunting, during which the driver fled, leading officers on a pursuit. Firearms were later recovered after allegedly being discarded during the chase, with help from a local landowner.

Search warrants executed in the case turned up additional firearms, ammunition, narcotics, and a wide variety of deer antlers.

The defendant pleaded guilty to hunting at night, hunting without landowner permission, and felony eluding.

Yet another example of how just one complaint can blossom into multiple guilty pleas.

Maine anti-poaching group offers $2K reward for information regarding illegally killed deer in Mercer: A concerned caller reported to the Maine Warden Service Wednesday of a dead doe in an apple orchard on West Sandy River Road, according to a news release from Maine Operation Game Thief. Read the full story.

New Illinois Law Expands Centerfire Rifle Capacity for Deer Hunting: A new law carried by State Senator Patrick Joyce will increase the max capacity of centerfire hunting rifles. Senate Bill 2756 will increase the max capacity of centerfire rifles from one to three rounds. This will put Illinois on par with all other states, as Illinois is the only state that institutes a single-shot limit on centerfire rifle capacity. Read the full story.

Appeal filed testing whether cities can restrict lawful hunting in Tennessee: Attorneys have formally filed their brief to the East Tennessee Court of Appeals for six duck hunters, legally hunting in Sweetwater, Tennessee, cited for "discharging firearms inside the city limits." The ultimate outcome of the case could have sweeping impact on hunters all across the Volunteer State.  Read the full story.

No Joke: Scientists Launch OnlyFans Account To Raise Money For Marmot Project: Struggling for funding, researchers have launched an account on the racy OnlyFans website called OnlyMarms to raise money for a marmot project. Instead of erotica, the site features marmot videos. A Wyoming wildlife biologist describes the effort as "innovative." Read the full story.

Man Arrested After Fatally Shooting Neighbor He Believed Was a Bear Invading His Chicken Coop in the Middle of the Night: A Florida man has been arrested four months after police say he fatally shot a neighbor he believed to be a bear invading his chicken coop.

A warrant for the arrest of Ariel Gonzalez Rodriguez, 25, was issued by the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida on July 28. Rodriguez faces a charge of manslaughter in connection with the death of 30-year-old Jason Sheffield. Read the full story.

Michigan law now allows limited backyard feeding of deer and elk: Michigan residents can now legally feed deer and elk on their properties following a bipartisan bill signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Under House Bill 4350, citizens are permitted to place less than two gallons of feed on the ground at any given time. Read the full story.

CPW expects mostly normal hunting season despite drought and wildfires: Colorado Parks and Wildlife expects a relatively typical deer and elk archery season in Southwest Colorado, despite persistent drought and several large wildfires this summer.

CPW wildlife biologist Jamin Grigg said the region’s deer and elk herds are generally in good condition. Recent monsoon storms are also bringing needed moisture to high-country forage and lower-elevation winter ranges after two years of limited snowpack and dry soils. Read the full story.

😝 Watch this young bull get a little crazy and start hissing at the cameraman.

Looks a lot like me when my wife gets to cooking bacon in the other room...

The pull of the weekend.

📸 by @blackstoneoutfittersyukon

 Oh, and one more thing…