Juveniles Charged in Wildlife Violations

Six Boundary County juveniles were charged last week in two separate poaching incidents. On November 4, a landowner in Paradise Valley south of Bonners Ferry reported that three subjects were trespassing on her property and that they had shot several turkeys in the same field her cattle were in. She contacted Conservation Officer Greg Johnson about the matter and provided a license number of the vehicle. The resulting investigation by Johnson led to charges being filed against three area juveniles for trespassing on private property to hunt, and for taking turkeys during closed season. During the investigation, Johnson also found evidence indicating that two of the suspects had been involved in the spotlight shooting of a deer shortly after the trespass and turkey poaching incidents. A second investigation led to charges against one of the suspects for taking a deer with the aid of artificial light. Another individual was charged with aiding in the offense. In a separate, unrelated incident, three other male juveniles were apprehended in the Curly Creek area for allegedly spotlighting and shooting a large 5-point whitetail buck. An alert landowner also reported this incident. The landowner heard a shot after dark on Saturday evening, Nov. 9. The landowner recorded the license plate of a suspect vehicle and reported it to the Boundary County Sheriff's Department. Fish and Game Officer Greg Johnson and a Boundary County Deputy Sheriff responded to the call. They found the three suspects looking for a deer that they allegedly shot after dark with the aid of a spotlight. Johnson eventually found the mortally wounded buck. One suspect was charged with unlawfully taking the deer with the aid of a spotlight. The other two were charged with aiding in the violation. Spotlighting big game is a flagrant misdemeanor in the state of Idaho and can result in loss of hunting privileges for up to life for anyone convicted of the violation. Both of these cases were solved because alert landowners took the time to record the license number of the vehicles used and promptly reported the incident to Fish and Game and the Boundary County Sheriff's office. Violations may also be reported by calling the Citizens Against Poaching Hotline at 1-800-632-5999.