RIVERTON MAN SHOOTS DEER WITHOUT LICENSE, LEAVES IT TO WASTE; HAS GIRLFRIEND TAG IT

A report to the "Stop Poaching" hotline has resulted in a Riverton man receiving heavy fines for knowingly killing a large whitetail buck in a limited quota area near Riverton after he had already taken a mule deer on a general license.

In a recent plea agreement with the Fremont County Attorney's Office, a 23-year-old man pleaded guilty to five charges resulting from the investigation. He was fined $450 by Circuit Court Judge Robert Denhardt and ordered to pay $2,500 in restitution to the state of Wyoming general fund and $750 to the Wyoming Wildlife Protector's Association. He was also sentenced to 300 days in jail with all but 10 days suspended provided he meets the terms of his probation, which runs through early February 2003. During that time he cannot possess a firearm or accompany anyone who is hunting or in possession of a firearm. In addition, he had his hunting and fishing privileges suspended for 10 years in Wyoming and the 13 other member states of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

After receiving the report, Wildlife Investigator Gary Good and Game Warden Chris Daubin interviewed the man and several other people. He admitted killing the trophy class whitetail and getting his girlfriend to purchase a license to tag the deer. Another individual provided officers with the deer's antlers. Further information led the officers about 6 miles northeast of Riverton where two whitetail carcasses, without heads, were found. Tissue samples were sent to the G&F's Laboratory in Laramie where DNA analysis matched one carcass to the antlers.

Prior to the investigation, the game law violator harvested a mule deer, tagged it with his general license and took the antlers to a taxidermist. He was cited for taking an antlered whitetail without a license, wanton destruction of a whitetail deer, transfer of license, overlimit of deer and failure to check in and out of the G&F's Dubois Check Station.

Rewards of up to $5,000 are paid by the Wyoming Wildlife Protector's Association for information leading to the conviction for taking antlered or horned animals and trophy game animals without a license during closed seasons. Anyone with any information on this type of activity is encouraged to call the Stop Poaching Hotline at (800) 442-4331. Callers can remain anonymous.