Party Hunters Get Caught

The frustration of long days, early mornings and late night stake outs in areas suspected busy with poaching activity, turned to satisfaction for two Idaho Fish and Game Conservation officers recently, with a significant sentence levied to four nonresident hunters. Four Washington men were sentenced in Clearwater County Court on November 5, 2001, on various charges stemming from their involvement in the illegal killing and possession of multiple elk. Acting on a tip, Officers Mark Rhodes and Mark Sands both of Orofino, cited Gary Colley, John Colley, Daniel Hilt and Greg Hilt, all Washington residents, for six charges in mid-October in Big Game Management Unit 10A near Sousie Creek. When the officers first contacted the men, their camp contained three untagged elk. Shortly thereafter, another untagged elk arrived. Through lengthy interviews and further investigations it was determined that there were four elk tags in camp, but only two of the hunters had killed all four elk. One of the elk tags intended for use belonged to a hunter from Washington who didn't bother coming to Idaho for the hunt. Charges included unlawful possession, exceeding the elk bag limit, failure to tag, and use tag of another. Total sentencing for the four men totaled nearly $4,000 in fines, court costs, civil penalties and processing fees. Each man also had his hunting license privileges revoked for one year. Two of the elk were seized by IDFG and will be donated to charity. Rhodes is thankful for tips in the case and encourages other ethical hunters to do the same. "Without the tip, these men probably would have gotten away with this crime," Rhodes said. "Fish and Game needs the help of all citizens to keep an eye out and report wildlife violations." If you have information pertaining to hunting or fishing violations, call the Citizens Against Poaching Hotline at 1-800-632-5999, your local Conservation Officer, or other law enforcement authority. Rewards are available and callers may remain anonymous.