There’s nothing that gets under my skin quite like poaching. I’m not talking about an honest mistake in the field, those happen to the best of us. I’m talking about a pattern of stealing animals that belong to every one of us. That’s exactly what wardens in Fremont County uncovered, and justice was served.
On October 26, Wyoming Game & Fish announced that Dakota Jordan of Lander pleaded guilty to eight wildlife charges tied to the illegal taking of deer, elk and a moose dating back to 2021. The moose was killed near Crowheart. Here’s the kicker, those eight counts were only the ones investigators could prove conclusively with location data, texts, photos and DNA. They documented more illegally taken animals that never made it onto the charge sheet.
What did it cost him? Circuit Court Judge Jefferson Coombs revoked his hunting and trapping privileges for life. Thanks to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, that revocation follows him to 49 other states. Add 96 days in jail, three years of supervised probation and $18,000 in fines and restitution. He also forfeited his weapons, the wildlife parts and two vehicles used in the crimes. That’s a steep price, and it should be.
He didn’t act alone, either. Jordan’s father pleaded guilty earlier to two related counts and received a five-year suspension and $5,370 in fines and restitution. Wardens are still working with neighboring states and tribal authorities on the Wind River Reservation to charge two or three more co-defendants. This one isn’t over yet.
What impresses me most is the police work. Game Warden Jon Desonier led the investigation alongside nearly every warden in the Lander Region, department wildlife investigators and the Wildlife Forensics Lab in Laramie. DNA from headless carcasses left in the field matched evidence found on Jordan’s property. An elk spotted during a winter classification flight was matched by DNA to elk ivories seized in a search warrant. My favorite detail? A High Plains Power line crew helped investigators match a utility line in one of the suspects’ photos to pinpoint exactly where the moose was killed. You can’t make this stuff up!
Deputy Fremont County Attorney Terry Martin prosecuted the case, and Desonier was quick to share the credit. “The successful outcome of this case would not have been possible without the cooperation” of the public, he said. That’s the part I want every hunter reading this to hear.
I’m not preaching, but this matters. Poachers aren’t hunters. They steal opportunity from the rest of us, from the kid saving up points for a first elk tag and from the landowners and outfitters who manage herds the right way. Every animal taken illegally is one less for the folks who play by the rules.
If you see something that doesn’t sit right, report it. Call the Wyoming Stop Poaching Hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847), text “WGFD” and your message to 847-411, or visit wgfd.wyo.gov/stop-poaching. Wardens can’t be everywhere, but we can.
1 comment
It’s about time that these prosecutors and judges get serious when dealing with serial poachers. Of course everyone knows that this poacher will keep on doing his criminal wildlife crimes in the future.