BigHornRam
Well-known member
Bighorn poaching probe leads to multitude of charges
By PERRY BACKUS of the Missoulian
The trail was already cold by the time Matt Stonesifer located the bighorn ram killed and left to rot last spring just east of Marshall Canyon.
“We didn't have much to go on,” Stonesifer said. “Basically we had a dead sheep with an arrow sticking in it. That was pretty much it. We needed some help from the public to solve this one.”
A newspaper article that resulted in an anonymous tip helped the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game warden file a fistful of charges against a group of poachers who killed three bighorn sheep in the same area over the last year.
“Poaching a single bighorn sheep is something of a fairly momentous occasion in our office,” Stonesifer said. “They are an animal that is highly valued by the public and sportsmen. To have three killed in one year is something that doesn't happen very often. ... it was just shocking.”
The first call to the department's 1-800-TIP-MONT hot line provided Stonesifer with a pair of names.
“People in the Bonner and West Riverside area had been talking about it,” he said.
A herd of bighorn sheep is a common sight for people living in the area.
As a result of that initial tip, Stonesifer and warden Derek Schott filed charges earlier this year against seven different people for killing three bighorns over the past year and other wildlife violations.
Colby Jones, 21, of West Riverside and a 15-year-old juvenile were the first two names provided to Stonesifer.
The pair apparently were together when the ram was killed near Marshall Canyon.
The boy fired the arrow and was convicted of hunting a bighorn sheep without a license. He was fined $735 and his hunting and fishing privileges were suspended for 30 months.
As part of the investigation, Stonesifer discovered that Jones had killed two deer last hunting season and tagged them with other people's licenses. Jones had already lost his hunting privileges after being cited in 2005 for unlawful possession of big game.
Jones was convicted of unlawful possession and illegally transferring licenses. He was fined $1,340, lost his hunting privileges for five years and was ordered to complete five days of work release.
His girlfriend, Staci Skaw, and father, William Jones, were both cited for illegally transferring their licenses.
That case led to charges being filed against Ryan T. Allen, 20, of West Riverside in the death of a second ram in late 2006.
Allen and a second juvenile shot the bighorn with arrows just above the town. That animal was also left behind.
Allen lost his hunting privileges in 2005 after illegally killing seven deer as part of the same case that had cost Jones his privileges.
“He and Colby Jones were partners in crime,” Stonesifer said.
This time around, Allen was sentenced to five days in jail, fined $1,275 and had his hunting privileges suspended for another five years.
The 17-year-old juvenile with Allen was fined $735 for hunting bighorn sheep without a license and had his privileges suspended for two years. Wardens also discovered a deer hanging at the youth's home that had spoiled. He was subsequently fined an additional $535 for wasting game.
“It had turned green,” Stonesifer said.
That case led to evidence of a third bighorn sheep killed illegally.
Trevor Bowman, 18, of Bonner shot a ewe bighorn just above the Bonner mill on the last day of the general big-game season last fall.
He enlisted the help of several others to pack the animal out in the dead of night. They then skinned it, removed its head, butchered it and ate it after putting a deer tag on it, Stonesifer said.
“It was the weirdest one that I've run across,” he said.
Bowman was fined $535 and lost his hunting privileges for two years.
None of the cases would have been made without the public's help, Stonesifer said.
“Without those first two names, we didn't have anything,” Stonesifer said. “That TIP-MONT tip helped us tip over the first domino and all of them fell after that.”
The tipster, who asked to remain anonymous, received a $500 cash reward from FWP and another $500 check from the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep.
By PERRY BACKUS of the Missoulian
The trail was already cold by the time Matt Stonesifer located the bighorn ram killed and left to rot last spring just east of Marshall Canyon.
“We didn't have much to go on,” Stonesifer said. “Basically we had a dead sheep with an arrow sticking in it. That was pretty much it. We needed some help from the public to solve this one.”
A newspaper article that resulted in an anonymous tip helped the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game warden file a fistful of charges against a group of poachers who killed three bighorn sheep in the same area over the last year.
“Poaching a single bighorn sheep is something of a fairly momentous occasion in our office,” Stonesifer said. “They are an animal that is highly valued by the public and sportsmen. To have three killed in one year is something that doesn't happen very often. ... it was just shocking.”
The first call to the department's 1-800-TIP-MONT hot line provided Stonesifer with a pair of names.
“People in the Bonner and West Riverside area had been talking about it,” he said.
A herd of bighorn sheep is a common sight for people living in the area.
As a result of that initial tip, Stonesifer and warden Derek Schott filed charges earlier this year against seven different people for killing three bighorns over the past year and other wildlife violations.
Colby Jones, 21, of West Riverside and a 15-year-old juvenile were the first two names provided to Stonesifer.
The pair apparently were together when the ram was killed near Marshall Canyon.
The boy fired the arrow and was convicted of hunting a bighorn sheep without a license. He was fined $735 and his hunting and fishing privileges were suspended for 30 months.
As part of the investigation, Stonesifer discovered that Jones had killed two deer last hunting season and tagged them with other people's licenses. Jones had already lost his hunting privileges after being cited in 2005 for unlawful possession of big game.
Jones was convicted of unlawful possession and illegally transferring licenses. He was fined $1,340, lost his hunting privileges for five years and was ordered to complete five days of work release.
His girlfriend, Staci Skaw, and father, William Jones, were both cited for illegally transferring their licenses.
That case led to charges being filed against Ryan T. Allen, 20, of West Riverside in the death of a second ram in late 2006.
Allen and a second juvenile shot the bighorn with arrows just above the town. That animal was also left behind.
Allen lost his hunting privileges in 2005 after illegally killing seven deer as part of the same case that had cost Jones his privileges.
“He and Colby Jones were partners in crime,” Stonesifer said.
This time around, Allen was sentenced to five days in jail, fined $1,275 and had his hunting privileges suspended for another five years.
The 17-year-old juvenile with Allen was fined $735 for hunting bighorn sheep without a license and had his privileges suspended for two years. Wardens also discovered a deer hanging at the youth's home that had spoiled. He was subsequently fined an additional $535 for wasting game.
“It had turned green,” Stonesifer said.
That case led to evidence of a third bighorn sheep killed illegally.
Trevor Bowman, 18, of Bonner shot a ewe bighorn just above the Bonner mill on the last day of the general big-game season last fall.
He enlisted the help of several others to pack the animal out in the dead of night. They then skinned it, removed its head, butchered it and ate it after putting a deer tag on it, Stonesifer said.
“It was the weirdest one that I've run across,” he said.
Bowman was fined $535 and lost his hunting privileges for two years.
None of the cases would have been made without the public's help, Stonesifer said.
“Without those first two names, we didn't have anything,” Stonesifer said. “That TIP-MONT tip helped us tip over the first domino and all of them fell after that.”
The tipster, who asked to remain anonymous, received a $500 cash reward from FWP and another $500 check from the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep.
