Washington Man Caught Masquarading As Resident Hunter

LEWISTON - The law, which requires a minimum of six months of residing in Idaho to earn resident hunting and fishing privileges, recently caught up with a Washington man. In a case settled in Latah County, David Lee Turner of Bellevue, Washington was sentenced for unlawfully purchasing an Idaho resident lifetime hunting license and Clearwater region deer tag. Turner, age 39, was issued an Idaho lifetime resident hunting license, after falsely claiming to reside near Troy, ID, where he owned a house trailer and property. It was later discovered by Tanna Ragan, Idaho Department of Fish and Game conservation officer, that Turner lived permanently in Washington and his Idaho property was listed for sale for almost two years through a local real-estate agent. After determining Turner wasn't an Idaho resident, Ragan notified him of the residency laws and requested that he return the invalid lifetime license to IDFG. The letter also informed Turner that his lifetime license application would be denied until he could prove his Idaho residency. Ignoring the written request to return the invalid license, Turner attempted to purchase an Idaho resident deer tag at Gart Sports in Moscow but was denied by the computer licensing system. However, the next day at a different license vendor, Turner succeeded in purchasing a resident deer tag using his denied Idaho lifetime resident license. To qualify for Idaho resident hunting and fishing privileges, an individual must have "domiciled" in Idaho for at least six months with a bona fide intent to make Idaho their permanent home. Ownership of property or paying of taxes within the state of Idaho is not a qualification for residency. Because Turner knowingly purchased a resident license and tag unlawfully, Latah County Judge Hamlett fined Turner $1,022 for the unlawful purchases and revoked his hunting and fishing privileges for one year. In addition, Turner cannot be associated with a hunting group or violate any law of any state that involves firearm or hunting laws. Although the computer licensing system makes investigations much easier, Ragan says wrong class license investigations are an immense task. "There are hundreds if not thousands of similar cases going unreported," said Ragan, a 15-year IDFG veteran. "It's critical that ethical hunters do their part in reporting all law violators."