“Three men were charged with more than 100 wildlife violations in one of the largest poaching cases in Wyoming history.”
https://wgfd.wyo.gov/News/Three-men-convicted-of-numerous-charges-in-one-of
“In a prolonged killing spree dating back to the mid-2000s, the trio illegally took moose, bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, antelope, pheasants, turkeys and a bobcat, according to Game and Fish.”
$302,780. . . That’s a lot of money and that’s the amount Russell Vick, Robert Underwood and David Underwood, former Gillette residents, have been cumulatively fined for their nefarious poaching exploits. Add to that over three years of incarceration for Vick and hunting/trapping privilege suspensions for all three men and you have the makings of justice.
I’ve said for years that serial poachers should be treated very harshly and in my opinion this case is getting us somewhere. These three scumbags robbed law abiding hunters and trappers of numerous valuable resources and deserve even more than they’ve gotten.
Think about it. . . the paucity of big game tags, especially, sheep and moose, keeps folks spending thousands of dollars for a meager chance at drawing a tag and having the opportunity to hunt. Along come three troglodytes like Vick and the Underwoods, stealing from the public trust and more than two dozen highly prized animals are stricken from the landscape. Sickening, maddening, appalling. . . that’s why I literally rose from my desk and fist pumped when I read about the conviction of these poachers. Kudos to all the hardworking personnel who ran this trio of lowlifes to the ground.
I truly hope this conviction serves as a deterrent to other would be poachers, I doubt it will but one can hope. Beyond that, it falls to the rest of us to police our ranks and report poaching when we encounter it. Do you part and call it in!
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14 comments
I agree this is a good start but unfortunately until states start tacking on 10+ years of PRISON it won’t stop them.
Yes your exactly correct need to take away hunting privileges for life and all vehicles ,guns, ammo , equipment sold in auction and proceeds go to fish and game for night vision and equipment for battling poaching.
I am only upset that several of the charges got dropped in exchange for guilty pleas. I would like to see them all doing at least 5 years in prison and all of them having hunting privileges’ revoked for life.
Exactly – they should serve time in the pen. There was no “Hammer Dropped” – – for the quality and number of species they stole- they got off only oxen free!
Slap on the wrist punishment for this sort of crime is the norm nowadays with liberal prosecutors and Judges.
Prosecutors are lawyers, lawyers are left of center. Judges are lawyers, left of center. We can all be happy there was any jail time at all. And , the fine of 100K a piece was a good idea, because they cannot file bankruptcy against a criminal fine
I would have liked to see more forfeitures, ie; any vehicles used, all firearms used, etc.
Lifetime hunting privileges revoked too. ( and for those who think that means nothing to a poacher, would you rather they not be revoked?)
More jail time seems appropriate but probably unrealistic these days.
Outstanding job Wardens!
$300k and there were at least 4 trophy bull elk, 2 moose and 4 bighorns. Pitiful, it should have been $300k each. Agree with Don B. if they really want to stop this bs, tack on some prison time and not at a country club one either.
I think it needs to be bigger fine each and jail time
I think that these type of people do not really find punishment in losing a license that they ultimately didn’t pay for in taking these animal. Definitely needs strict payment/ fine, loss items used in obtaining in taking of these animals and a heavy hrs of a work program with State F&W Conservation to work and give back what was taken, while being educated on impact of their actions first hand!
I too think the sentencing was way too lenient. A step in the right direction… yes. Still a long way from achieving justice. The fines should be tripled and significant prison time for each. Hunting privileges should be permanently revoked. These guys are criminals, stealing from all of us law abiding sportsmen.
They need to do time! And lose of privilege for life!
Curios what the sentence would have been if all the poached animals had been wolves!
Or Grizzly