August 11, 2015
From ERStarNewsc.om
In 2014 Minnesota’s TIP (Turn in Poachers) line received 1,127 calls; 1,080 of them were referred to DNR officers, and 236 arrests were made.
Forty-seven rewards were given, totaling $5,275.
77 of the 236 people were arrested for deer violations; fishing violations accounted for another 81 arrests; and waterfowl violations for 45 arrests.
Six arrests resulted from violations involving trapping or taking fur-bearing animals.
Most violators receive a citation and pay a fine averaging $135, according to Minnesota DNR Capt. Alex Gutierrez.
A poaching reform proposal that would have enacted stiffer criminal penalties and longer license revocations for anyone who unlawfully takes and possesses significant numbers of wild animals was recommended by Gov. Mark Dayton during the 2015 legislative session.
Several instances of criminal poaching in Minnesota during the last year include these cases taken from DNR news releases:
- Two rare Bull Elk were illegally shot and killed by poachers near Grygla in an area that holds Minnesota’s smallest elk herd of 18 animals. The area has been closed to hunting since 2012.
- In May, a 28-year-old Blue Earth man who is a licensed bear guide in Tofte and well-known to the DNR as a chronic poacher with previous violations faced nearly $4,000 in fines and restitution after pleading guilty in Cook and Faribault county district courts following an investigation by the DNR.
- A 25-year-old Crystal man and two men from McGregor pleaded guilty to various gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor hunting charges involving several deer taken illegally during the 2013 deer season. The men face fines and restitution totaling more than $10,000.
- An Illinois angler faced nearly $2,200 in fines and restitution, plus the loss of his boat and equipment, following a five-year DNR investigation.
- On Oct. 21, 2014, conservation officers searched a home in Dawson and seized 37 guns and 28 sets of deer antlers, which included 11 shoulder mounts, most of which were trophy-class animals, according to the DNR.
Also seized were four sets of elk antlers and a set of mule deer antlers.
- In July 2014, a Baudette man faced heavy fines, jail time and revocation of his hunting privileges following a DNR investigation of illegal bear and deer activities. He received 90 days in jail, 30 days electronic home monitoring, and 120 hours of community service. His hunting privileges have been revoked for three years.