Elk poachers busted after hunting show airs

[PA BEN]

http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/2017/03/15/two-men-convicted-poaching-illegal-elk-hunt-aired-television/

[Fl0und3rz]

Oh man.  That was some decent punishment.

[trophyhunt]

Now that is how you crush poachers, big penalties.

[wadu1]

I sure wish that would happen here in WA. But no way would our court system would prosecute them, just a slap on the wrist. 

[Mfowl]

Oh man.  That was some decent punishment.

  That should be the norm for poachers!

[Gringo31]

It's incredible to me.....

How brazen!  It seems the pressure that goes with these kind of shows is too much.  Sad to see, as they had video production talent. 

Just speechless....

[JDHasty]

Very similar to how the wheels came off in the Sam Argo elk poaching in Mt Rainier Park incident .  A reader of Washington Fishing & Hunting News recognized the bull and he was a very dedicated enforcement officer.   Terry Hoffer, may God rest his soul, tracked down the kill site and got a conviction. 

[TheSkyBuster]

Here is the episode, a couple of real losers.

Link to

[trophyhunt]

Very similar to how the wheels came off in the Sam Argo elk poaching in Mt Rainier Park incident .  A reader of Washington Fishing & Hunting News recognized the bull and he was a very dedicated enforcement officer.   Terry Hoffer, may God rest his soul, tracked down the kill site and got a conviction.

Terry also took the pictures to the UW and they confirmed the vegetation was from a certain altitude which helped.  He was definitely a go get'er.

[PA BEN]

 

I sure wish that would happen here in WA. But no way would our court system would prosecute them, just a slap on the wrist. 

[idahohuntr]

15 year license ban in 43 states    That's what really hurts these guys and other poachers like them IMO.

[Alchase]

I sure wish that would happen here in WA. But no way would our court system would prosecute them, just a slap on the wrist. 

Or throw the case out because the regs are to "vague"

[Wanttohuntmore]

Nab them poachers.   Yes, Terry was quite the go getter and was determined to get poachers, worked very hard at it.  I have plenty of stories about him and his love of the outdoors.  Was a sad day 32 yrs ago.

[pianoman9701]

Momma always said "stupid is as stupid does."

[ctwiggs1]

That right there is the difference in our states.

15 year loss of hunting rights. WOW

Great job Wyoming.

[dscubame]

Almost like that member once on here out of Colville or such area that got hung up under similar circumstances, don't remember who it was but thinking similar situation. 

Amazing how much this pops up with hunting shows and makes me think the pressure to get footage may be driving this.

[pianoman9701]

MA. I see him on FaceBook once in a while.

[JDHasty]

MA. I see him on FaceBook once in a while.

And his acolyte who posted a whitetail to FB and here and the owner of the property recognized that he had been trespassing.   I can't remember what became of that one. 

[JDHasty]

These guys are serial poachers:

After Lebert got an email asking for help pinning down the location, he and G&F Investigator Mike Ehlebracht began scouting potential spots in the area that fit still images from that episode’s footage. That eventually led them to public land in the Thunder Basin National Grassland east of Bill, as well as private land north of Douglas, where the owner had granted them permission to hunt deer, but not elk. Given the shows’ claim for self-guided hunts only, Lebert decided to take a closer look.
Using a still shot from the episode in which Mills is dressing the elk with a distinct rock spire in the backdrop, Lebert and Ehlebract went in search of that exact spot. It took them countless hours and at least a half dozen searches (including an overhead flight) to finally find the rock. There, they also found the remaining elk carcass, and finally on April 9, 2016, the pair (along with Converse County Sheriff’s Investigator Eric Koss) had the evidence they needed to pursue charges.
With search warrants in hand, Lebert and Ehlebract flew out to Mills and Duncan’s homes in Bedford, Kentucky, where they were able to access the complete archive of video clips on their computers. After analyzing thousands of 10-30 second clips from prior episodes and unused footage, other discoveries and violations were revealed, including a poached antelope in 2013 which Duncan harvested without a license, as well as a 2013 charge against Mills for attempting to harvest an elk without a license.

http://www.douglas-budget.com/article_b7f8d7f0-0980-11e7-a6c9-bb16f5b3302d.html

[huntbow]

glad to see how involved the G&F got and see the case through.  That's a penalty that would hurt.  Hopefully, after 15 yrs is up they will have forgotten how to "hunt" and decide its to hard to try to figure it out again.