November 24, 2015
From MoodyCountyEnterprise.com
Illegal night hunting, roadside hunting and poaching are serious issues area game and conservation officers tracking right now throughout Moody County and the region.
Conservation officer Chad Williams told the Enterprise they ran a pheasant decoy recently in Moody County and nabbed two hunters.
“We had twelve vehicles drive by and we ended up getting two vehicles that stopped and shot at our decoys,” said Williams.
The two hunters were charged with unknowing trespass in this case. One was from Minnehaha County, the other from Moody County. The fine associated with that charge according to Williams, is $270 and loss of hunting privileges for a year.
Night hunting is also picking up, he added. People are using headlights or spotlights to locate game. Conservation officials recently found a deer poached near Colman; the head had been cut off.
For varmits, illegal night hunting is a class 2 misdemeanor which results again in a $270 fine and loss of hunting privileges for night hunting.
For deer, the penalty is a Class 1 and violators have to go in front of a judge. There is no set fine amount. The cost can be upwards of a $2,000 fine or a year in jail.