Bowers case elk head.

Aspen tree carved with kill site details.

Regional Roundup
Southeast

March 2009 — As reported by District Conservation Officer Blake Phillips.

Senior Conservation Officer Joel Gunnell made one of many waste cases following a contact with a California hunter who had killed his elk in a hole in Rock Creek. The hunter had just a few choice roasts off the elk. Joel advised the man he needed to return and get the rest of the meat which he did after hiring horses and tack. The elk was spoiled and had not been gutted. In court, Christian W. Bowers, 48, of Helendale, Calif., pleaded guilty to wasteful destruction and hunting without an archery validation; with fines and court cost he ended up paying close to $1,300 dollars. The judge gave him a choice - he could have the elk rack back with a hunting license revocation through January 1, 2011, or forfeit the antlers to the state and no revocation. Bowers elected to keep the antlers and take the revocation.

Senior Conservation Officer Brandon Chamberlain turned a waste investigation with no suspects into a case of note. The investigation started when Chamberlain and I located the kill site of a large bull elk where we salvaged more than 60 pounds of meat off the carcass. While "combing" the area for clues, Chamberlain located a tree at the kill site indicating a name, date and size of the elk. With some additional sleuthing by Chamberlain the case came together. Five Utah hunters were cited or warned for waste of two different elk, mentored hunting violations, no archery validations and illegal archery equipment.

Chamberlain also received a Citizens Against Poaching report that turned into a search warrant and subsequent confession from an individual who shot a calf elk in the head with a .223-caliber rifle the second to last day of the archery season. According to witnesses, the suspect also shot from the pickup truck he was driving, and he was in an area where he did not have a legal elk tag. On October 28, Jeffery W. Smith of Georgetown, pleaded guilty to the charges and pled guilty. Smith was sentenced to the maximum fine of $1,000, with a $750 civil penalty and $95 in court costs. Smith also had his hunting and trapping privileges suspended for two years. The judge gave him the option of decreasing his fine by $700 by forfeiting his rifle to Idaho Fish and Game, but Smith elected to keep his rifle and pay the maximum fine.

Senior Conservation Officer Marc Porter and his trainee Conservation Officer Andy Smith were on a day off helping Porter's father drag a deer out. On the way home they ran into four tribal members in the process of killing three deer on private property. Alcohol was involved along with no tribal tags, a convicted felon and an outstanding warrant. Porter is still trying to sort out the case, but apparently tribal wardens also want these guys. Senior Conservation Officer Korey Owens, in the midst of all his big game and wrong class license cases, picked up a case for shooting from a road, exceeding the bag on turkeys and using his wife's turkey tag. Senior Conservation Officer Nate Stohosky has kept busy. At our recent big game check station Stohosky and Chamberlain became reacquainted with Alejandro Mejia and Bill Jorgenson after they stopped them for running the check station. Both are on probation for hunting violations from last year and charges for running the check station while in possession of fish may cost them in further license revocations.