The ugly business of poaching
Today is the start of the general hunting season in Montana, and as such, many families are thinking about the bounty of the wild and of the long tradition of shooting sports.
Most Montanans realize that hunting comes with many responsibilities, and they follow safe, ethical practices when in the field, but unfortunately there are always a few who do not follow the rules.
Perhaps some sympathy can be mustered for a person who poaches game for subsistence, the hungry hunter just trying to feed his starving moppets.
But that image doesn't accurately describe the modern Montana poacher. The common denominator in most poaching cases these days is money - people are profiteering off of Montana wildlife.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reports that poaching investigations have increased from just a handful per year in the 1990s to about 40 cases a year.
Most recently, a Plains man with previous poaching and illegal outfitting convictions pleaded innocent to 17 similar counts that resulted from an undercover investigation. The Sanders County affidavit charging the man cites as evidence more than $8,000 in checks that were paid to the man for guiding a series of hunting trips.
If proven in court, what this amounts to is sheer exploitation and commercialization of wildlife. But it's not the worst case that Montana wardens have encountered in recent years.
A Gardner man was convicted for running a commercial poaching ring out of his ranch for more than 10 years, with more than 40 bull elk, two mule deer, a mountain lion and a black bear being illegally taken by more than 30 hunters during that time. The state ended up pursuing charges against 14 other people as well.
Another case involved a couple who lived in the Seeley Lake area, guiding people on hunts that took more than 100 trophy class mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, antelope, moose, mountain lions and black bears.
An investigation in Rosebud County netted the largest poaching case in Montana history, with 32 people ordered to pay nearly $80,000 in fines and $68,000 in restitution for illegally killing more than 90 animals.
As the big game hunting season gets under way today, hunters should be on the lookout for those who would steal and exploit a public resource for their own financial gain.
Don't let it happen. Report any suspected poaching activities to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks by calling 1-800-TIP-MONT.