Feature Article - International Game Warden Magazine · Bohinski repeatedly hit the officer in the...

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A full conference sponsored by:

12 hours POST-certified training from trainers such as Breach Point Consulting, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department Forensics Laboratory, and wardens with special expertise from around the continent.

• Daily activities for spouses, retirees, and children

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• Stay for Cheyenne Frontier Days activities after the conference

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From the Editor’s Desk ....... 4Front Lines ......................... 5Behind the Badge ............... 7Agency Profile ................... 12Timber Tech ..................... 18

Marshall Law ................... 25Enforced Humor ................. 27International Digest .......... 30Oldtimer’s Corner ............. 39Look Who’s Reading IGW .. 40

COLUMNS

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ARtiCLES

international Game Warden Motto

Know all that makes up our natural resource and the land on which it thrives. Know the people who share it and keep them as happy as you can. Keep the outlaws guessing,

give honest people the benefit of the doubt and hold no

mercy for crooks. But above all, be fair!

Winter 2017-18

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

On our cover:Texas Game Wardens Colt Gaulden (in hip boots) and Calvin Harbaugh (in black wetsuit) rescue victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Founded 1984 by Don Hastings

International Game Warden is published quarterly by the North American Wildlife EnforcementOfficersAssociation.www.naweoa.org

Contact IGW Magazine: To inquire regarding content please contact IGW Magazine by email at: Editor Todd Vandivert PO Box 1461, Mead, WA 99021 (509) 202-3150 [email protected]

Assistant Editor: Marshall NychCreative Services: Bruce WeildSubscriptions: Marion HoffmanWebmaster: Rob Brandenburg

For subscription information or change of address please contact: Marion Hoffman IGW Business Manager P.O. Box 462, Shokan New York 12481 Phone: 845-399-7207 [email protected]

Direct advertising inquiries to: Carlos Gomez, IGW Advertising Manager 215 W 115 St., Jenks, OK 74037 Phone: 1-918-232-8449 [email protected]

Articles and stories in International Game Warden magazine are the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of IGW, its staff or its publishers. IGW editors handle all contributions – solicited or unsolicited – with care, but do not accept liability for these materials. Print your name and full return address on the back of each item you want returned. Permission to reprint photographs, graphics or articles from International Game Warden must be granted by the editor and the photographer, writer or artist.

IGW Editorial Schedule Issue Content deadline Spring January 1 Summer April 1 Fall July 1 Winter October 15

Night Hunting Patrols for SPot LigHterS iN tHe Duck Mountain District of

Saskatchewan

“if you had just taken an hour more…”

Page 29

4 • INTERNATIONAL GAME WARDEN • WINTER 2017-18

From the Editor’s Desk

i doubt most North Americans will sadden as 2017 draws to an end. In the last four decades, few years have resulted in as much turmoil and suffering as this one. The

calendar year launched with massively destructive spring tornadoes in the southern United States. These natural disasters were followed by the July wildfires in British Columbia, which resulted in the loss of 300+ structures and 3,000,000 acres of timber.

During 2017, the hurricane season introduced us to her misbehaving children Harvey, Irma, and Maria, which combined for the loss of hundreds of thousands of homes. Sadly, we lost more than 200 souls during these relentless storms. Add to those lives the senseless mass shooting of hundreds, and the murder of 58 innocent concert-goers in Las Vegas. We capped off 2017 with the hellish fires sweeping through large parts of California, accounting for over 40 lives lost and 5,700 homes destroyed, and ending with yet another horrific mass murder (this time in a Texas church).

Combine any personal traumatic events within your own family, and I doubt many of you will argue that 2017 was not North America’s best year.

Yet, for those of us who were not directly affected by these numerous tragic events of 2017, we can benefit from what we have all witnessed this year. If you have ever thought that the good people of the world are outnumbered by the bad, this year certainly illustrated just how wrong such an as-sumption is. Pick any of the above-listed horrible events, do a little digging and you will come up with scores of examples of individual citizens who vaulted into action, at enormous personal risk, to help total strangers.

Case in point, neither Texas nor Louisiana realized each state had amassed a large Navy of personally owned “rescue” boats, until that armada jumped into service without even being recruited to do so. These bass boats, personal watercraft, and

hunting boats carried thousands of people and pets to safety.

When boats weren’t available, we saw total strangers link together to form human-chains, pulling virtual strangers from certain death.

In both British Columbia and California we wit-nessed firefighters risking their own lives to help others to safety, while many of the same firefight-ers were losing their own homes to fire.

But right there, in the middle of almost every single horrible event were the game wardens of North America. There were so many rescue stories involving game wardens, that there simply was not enough room in the pages of this magazine to properly honor them all. Suffice it to say, game wardens once again came through and provided comfort, support, rescue, and relief to thousands of victims, while many of them were facing the same threats to their own families and homes.

To those of you who participated in the multiple operations; we are all proud of you and sincerely thank all of you.

While I am more than happy to put 2017 to rest, I did take away from it a renewed sense of pride, and a glimmer of hope for the future. This year also put a lot of problems in perspective for me personally. To see so many lose so much, and watch them still come out with a positive attitude drove home to me just what really is important in life. I also learned that no matter how bad your problems are, you won’t have to look far to find someone who has it worse.

Here’s to a smooth and prosperous 2018! Take care, stay safe, and remember to have some

fun while you are at it.

Todd Vandivert - [email protected](509) 202-3150

NAWEOA is an 8000 member organization of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement officers from across North America. The association began at a meeting of 16 Wildlife Officers from the U.S. and Canada in Great Falls, Montana in 1980. Other associations for wildlife officers existed, but this was the first to actively solicit membership from all officers in North America.

What can NAWEOA do for you? NAWEOA as a group of dedicated wildlife law enforcement professionals is committed to wildlife protection and to the public we serve. NAWEOA supports the activities of many major conservation orga-nizations through membership and active participation. If you are a Fish and Wildlife Officer, you can be part of the NAWEOA team today by becoming a member. Let us share the benefits of membership with you! If you are a Natural Resource Program Administrator, you can improve your program by sending your officers to NAWEOA conferences and training programs, or let us help you in hosting one yourself.

WINTER 2017-18 • INTERNATIONAL GAME WARDEN • 5

Front Lines

2017-18 • INTERNATIONAL GAME WARDEN • 5

When disasters struck in 2017, Conservation officers answered the call.


The afternoon of October 24th, 2017, a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officer, under attack from a 37-year-old Luzerne County man, shot and killed the assailant.

The officer, who authorities did not name, was patrolling a wooded area along the Susquehanna River in Plymouth Township, Luzerne County, when he encountered Sean Bohinski, of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. A con-frontation ensued.

The struggle extended into the frigid waters of the Susquehanna, where Bohinski repeatedly hit the officer in

the head with a rock and at-tempted to drown the officer several times.

The conservation officer was able to draw his service weapon and terminate the assault by shooting Bohinski.

The officer immediately called for help and attempted first aid on the attacker. However, Bohinski was pro-nounced dead by the Luzerne County coroner, police said.

The officer was taken to a local hospital for treatment of severe injuries, but will survive to patrol another day.


PENNSyLvANiA

Pennsylvania fish and Boat officer Kills Assailant

WE ARE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD...ADVertiSiNg SALeS rePS

IGW (International Game Warden) magazine is seeking game wardens, retired game wardens, and/or their family members who are interested in part-time work selling advertising for the magazine.

IGW is currently in transition between the past advertising agency and a per-manent advertising sales alternative, and needs to immediately begin signing up advertisers. These positions may be temporary (6-months to a year) or may become long-term, depending on the success of these advertising sales and IGW’s ability to find an advertising agency suitable for our needs. Currently we have several different advertising sales posi-tions to fill in both the U.S. and Canada.

These advertising sales assistant positions are “work at will” jobs, and each individual chooses how much or how little to work, and when. Advertising sales assistants will need a phone (can be their personal phone) and internet access. Compensation will be based strictly on a commission/share of gross sales.

If interested please contact IGW Advertising Manager Carlos Gomez as soon as possible for more details:

Carlos Gomez Advertising Manager(918) 232-8449 [email protected]


Front Lines

Man sentenced for assaulting Conservation officerBy: Jackie Padilla

HUNTINgDON, HUNTINgDON CounTy., Pa. - Friday’s sentencing shows there will be no tolerance for potentially putting any officer’s life at risk. And now Rusty garlock will spend up to three years behind bars.

A year and a half, to three years in prison, and more than $10,000 in fines.

That’s the punishment for Rusty garlock, of Three Springs, who assaulted a Pennsylvania game Commission officer in Three Springs Township last year.

A judged accepted a plea agreement for garlock, which included two felony charges.

David Smith, District Attorney for Huntingdon County, said the plea agreement was a fair deal for a serious crime.

“It was his actions, it was his deci-sion and now he has to pay the conse-quences,” Smith said.

The officer had initially tried to stop garlock on suspicion of poaching.

But Garlock tried to flee, and rammed his truck into the driver side of the officer’s patrol vehicle.

Brandon Pfister, Conservation

officer for the Pa Game Commission, said the officer who was assaulted was not only his colleague, but a friend.

“[He was] an excellent officer…but we’re forced to step aside and let the facts guide us in the direction that the investigation has to go to be fair and just,” Pfister said.

Pfister was also the arresting officer for the case.

Following garlock’s sentencing, he said the alternative price could’ve been much worse.

“On our side, the ‘what if’ was very important. One second too soon, one second too late, we could’ve either had an officer who had been killed in the line of duty or possibly a victim defen-dant being injured in another way,” Pfister said.

And he hopes no other member of law enforcement is put in this posi-tion.

“We shouldn’t have those kind of fears on our job that people want to do that,” Pfister said.

Currently Garlock is at the Hunt-ingdon County Jail until arrange-ments can be made to send him to a state correctional facility.


A s many of you know, we as game wardens receive informa-tion many different ways; from

phone calls and emails to citizens using the neighboring gas pump. You never know when or how the next case will start. In the fall of 2011, I found myself sorting through mail forwarded to my house from the District Three office in Akron. As I sorted through mail I found the beginning of my next case. A case that lasted three years and ended in eight felony charges and over a dozen wildlife charges on the mythical creature that some people get paid to scour the woods looking for, Bigfoot. now my Big-foot wasn’t a 10-foot tall, hairy creature living in a cave down in Dobbins Hollow, but he is as close as I will ever come.

In my stack of mail was an envelope sent to our main headquarters in Co-lumbus, it was a notecard sized piece of paper with only a few short sentences. In short it read, “A guy on Slater Rd is poaching deer, killing multiple bucks and isn’t allowed to have a gun.” The note had a name on it, but only a first. On the envelope was no return address and on the note was no other informa-tion, no phone number, no name…nothing. Luckily for me, Slater Road was not very inhabited. It hosted only two or three residents and a few hunting cabins. One of these cabins had always gained my attention whenever I was through there. It just looked like a place I should give some attention to, so that’s where I started. I drove by the cabin and was able to get a license plate from

a truck parked in what some would call a driveway. I entered the information into my MCT and continued down the road, as not to draw too much attention. This is where things got interesting…

When I reached an area I could sit and decipher the information, I got a taste of what I was in for. The owner of the truck returned with the same first name as was on the note. The man’s physical description was nothing short of Bigfoot himself… six feet eleven inches, 490 pounds. Yes, one inch shy of seven feet and ten pounds off 500. Now several things ran through my head as I read his physical, but running up to the door and accusing him of poaching was not the first. From this point forward this case was coined my “Bigfoot Case”.

now I had to figure out if this was this the guy referred to in the note. My first step in that end was to see if he was al-lowed to have a gun. A thorough search through his background revealed sev-eral felony charges, ranging from drug possession, felonious assault to tamper-ing with evidence and having weapons under disability. Many offenses of which restrict him from possessing and using fire-arms in Ohio. I started to think I was on the right path. When I

began to look into his harvest records, many things started to stack up.

A little background information before we continue with my Bigfoot. In Ohio, a landowner and their children do not need a hunting license, deer or turkey permits. Starting in the fall of 2011, The Division of Wildlife started using an online based check-in system, meaning landowner’s and their children could check in deer or turkey from their computer at home, license holders could do it online, over the phone or take it to a check station. Along with the conve-nience offered to sportsmen and women, it also offered real time information for us Wildlife officers. This would ulti-mately help me build my case.

Back to my Bigfoot, throughout the fall of 2011 I began to build my case. I was able to determine the land was owned by the subject’s mother and he would utilize his landowner tags for checking in deer. As I looked deeper into the case, there were several deer being tagged under landowner status from that property by his family. Brother always killed a couple, dad killed a few every year, mom and sometimes sister always seemed to have great luck on this 30 acres of heaven in Harrison County. Whenever there were new vehicles on the property I would get license plate

number and run their history as well, it did not take long for my manila case folder to thicken. This pattern of landowner tags would continue until the final capture of my Bigfoot in 2013.

Catching BiGFOOt

State Wildlife Officer Nick TurnerOhio Division of Wildlife,

Harrison County


By the offseason of summer 2012, I had enough information to make an attempt at an interview. I love interviews and interrogations as much as the next guy, but I did not see this one going so well. Asking a man who has a criminal history four pages deep and spent three years in a federal penitentiary to admit to more felony charges seemed unlikely. I de-cided this was a man who needed caught red-handed in the field with a shotgun and dead deer at his feet.

The hunting season of 2012 started and I determined it to be the one when I finally caught Bigfoot. I would make several attempts at finding him in the field, con-stantly checking his harvest records and license sales to see if or when he would be back in the county. Several things were stacked against me throughout the entire duration of this case; one is that nobody wants to double cross a man who has to bend over walking into a gas station. Another is that there was only one way in and one way out of the area he was hunting, if I drove into the area, someone would see me and everyone would know. We had tried to use unmarked vehicles, walk in from the next road over or even use four wheelers to cross over hundreds of acres of mine property just to see if he was around, yet every time we proved to be a day late or a minute behind. The 2012 hunting season ended in the winter of 2013 and he was still roaming the hills of Harrison County.

The following fall brought new hope and more determination than ever. I was determined to get things done this fall and finally move the three pound case folder out of my passenger seat. The final fall of my Bigfoot really gained traction one evening while my supervi-sor Peter Novotny and I were patrolling the opening day of Ohio’s week-long deer gun season. We had taken a call from a concerned citizen in that neck of the woods who had finally had enough of the suspect’s shenanigans. We met the informant in a discrete location and gained more information. According to the informant, our subject was down hunting and had a couple friends with him, some of which may also be under firearms disability. The informant was given several ways to get in touch with me and we parted ways.

That Saturday, I would finally come face to face with my Bigfoot. While out checking hunters and patrolling the back roads of Harrison County, I got the phone call I had been waiting for. The infor-mant had come through, the suspect had just left the cabin with a friend, and they both had guns with them. The informant was able to give me the exact location where they went into the woods. I made several phone calls to get other officers in the area and began to make plans.

We all met up and went over the plan, my supervisor and I would go in on foot to locate him and his friend, two other officers would be on the backside of the property in case they made a break for it, and two more ready to cover the cabin. Novotny and I parked along the dead end road and began our half mile trek up the hillside. We fol-lowed ATV tracks for a while until two sets of tracks broke off as if they were dropped off.

“I think this is his track,” I told Novotny as I pointed down to a set of size 15 boot tracks. As we meandered through the old strip-mined property, we finally caught two orange dots on the ridge. We slipped in and out of view to get as close as possible before letting our location be known. Novotny and I decide to “play dumb” and act like we are just out checking licenses. We agreed, “Let’s get the guns away from them to check for plugs before we show our hand.”

Finally inching to within an uncom-fortable distance, I announced our presence, “Hey guys. game wardens. Ya’ll having any luck?” The two were surprised, but not concerned. We made small talk for a short time while I checked their hunting licenses and deer tags, then asked for the guns to check for plugs. The two 12 gauge shotguns were unloaded of their deer slugs and set on the ground.

“Are we good to go then?” was the inquiry.

“Well not really, we have some other issues to work out. I need you to step over there. You’re not supposed to have a gun are you?” I replied.

“Well, not really.” Was all Bigfoot could muster. I advised him he was under ar-rest and read him his rights. When in-structed to turn around and put his hands behind his back, he got a little uncomfort-able. He began to get fidgety and was not doing exactly as I had asked.

Being a half mile or better in the middle of nowhere was not exactly where I would have chosen to arrest a seven-foot felon, but we do not always get to pick our battles. “Buddy, this is going to go one

of two ways,” I told him. “You are too big for me to mess with out here, and I am going home tonight. If this does not go the way I need it to, that officer is going to use that rifle!” I told him as I pointed to Novonty with his patrol rifle on sling. Bigfoot decided he did not want to face such a battle and quickly complied with all commands. As I was placing him in hand-cuffs, I asked his friend if he was allowed to have a gun.

“No,” he shamefully re-sponded.

“Why are you on disability?” I asked.

“Manufacturing Meth,” he reasoned. I relayed his information to another officer who confirmed that Bigfoot’s friend was also under firearms disability, at which point he was also arrested.

From this point forward, Bigfoot was overly cooperative. We had a nice conver-sation the entire way off of the hill. Talks included him admitting to taking several shots of Crown Royal throughout the day and having some more guns and drugs back in the cabin. He signed consent to search his cabin and admitted that every deer a member of his family checked in was killed by him or a friend of his. Sev-en other firearms were recovered from the cabin, along with some untagged deer and turkey parts.

My Bigfoot was charged with and con-victed of seven felony counts of weapons under disability, weapons while intoxicat-ed and over a dozen wildlife charges. The offenses racked up three more years in prison. What started as a post card sent to the state headquarters, ended in several charges and Bigfoot behind bars.

“You are too big for me to mess with out here, and I am going home tonight. If this does

not go the way I need it to, that officer is going

to use that rifle!”


QUIlLIN COYOTE“Well, I might as well get me one more ticket…”

Ohio Wildlife Officer Roby Williams

Late winter for wildlife officers in southeastern Ohio is not usu-ally a hot bed of activity. Deer

season has recently ended, turkey season is weeks away, and most fishing is limited to spillways. On a cold snowy March day in Guernsey County ohio, I had one of the most unusual contacts of my career. While on patrol in the eastern part of the county, I received a tip from our poaching hotline regard-ing possible road hunting and shooting near the intersection of Standing Rock Road and Marlatt Run Road, which is on the west side of the county. This area is historically a prime spot for illegal road hunting activity. The caller stated they had observed two vehicles driving around the area several times. They had witnessed the suspects using dogs while hunting, and had watched as one of the suspects shoot twice from a white Dodge Ram pickup truck.

I arrived in the area and began patrolling in an effort to locate the suspects. At approximately 2:30 p.m., while traveling north on Standing Rock Road, I observed a white Dodge Ram 3500 dual-wheeled truck backed into an access lane. It appeared to be the same vehicle the caller had described. In the vehicle I could see two individuals with the windows down. Keep in mind this was a chilly 35 degree day in March. The pair were holding what appeared to be gPS units. I approached the vehicle and asked them what they were doing, and the driver, Ronald Quillin, stated they were coyote hunting. As I looked through the driver’s window I could see the butt of a Remington 870 shotgun in the passenger compartment area and brass from a shell sticking out the magazine tube. It just so happens that in Ohio it is a violation to have a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle. I grew suspi-cious.

I asked Quillin and the passenger, Harry Yoder, if they had their hunting licenses and both men stated, “Yes,” as they started to look for them. Quillin

stepped out of the truck and started look-ing in his clothing for his wallet. When he stepped out of the truck I could see a second gun lying in the front seat next to Yoder. Yoder handed me an Ohio hunt-ing license that was for license year 2014. All licenses in Ohio expire the last day of February so I asked him if he had a 2015 hunting license. Yoder said, “It’s March isn’t it?”

To this I re-sponded, “Yes.” Yoder cringed and stated he had not purchased a new license for this hunting year.

Meanwhile, Quillin had stopped looking through his cloth-ing and stated the same thing. I asked Quillin if they had been over on Marlatt Run Road shooting. He stated that they had. I asked him if he had shot at a coyote from his vehicle. Quillin paused, looked at me, and admitted he had. I started thinking, man this is coming together so quickly, and then turned my at-tention to the firearms. I asked Quillin how many guns he had in his truck. He rolled his eyes and began counting with his fingers. He said he believed five, but he wasn’t sure. I quickly realized I needed to get a camera and start documenting some of this information. After retrieving my camera, I opened up the back driver’s door of the truck. I observed the butt of a shotgun sticking out from under the seat, and came to find it was a semi-automatic shotgun. I pulled the action back and there was a live round in the chamber, hence once again another loaded firearm in the vehicle.

I noticed around Quillins neck was a lanyard with his gPS tracking collar

and a hand-held portable radio. While speaking with Quillin his portable radio went off. The voice on the other end, later identified as Chip Lafferty, said, “Hey, where you at?”

Quillin looked around at the area, hesitated for a minute and said, “I’m on Standing Rock Road (long awkward

pause).....with the game warden.” The radio

went silent and Laf-ferty didn’t respond.

Around this time a fellow wildlife officer, Jerrod Allison, who had heard some of the radio traffic contacted me and asked

if I needed as-sistance. I believe

even if I had said no, officer allison would

have come to my loca-tion simply because it started

sounding interesting on the radio. I said yes to officer allison, as I knew Chip Lafferty would not be showing himself on Standing Rock Road anytime soon.

While I continued through Quillin’s truck, he continued to track his dogs. I could tell he was getting concerned about them being so far away and was beginning to lose coverage. We happened to be stopped in a large valley and the dogs appeared to be in the next valley over. I walked

around to the passenger side of the truck and opened the front passenger door. I could see the two guns; the Remington 870 and a high powered rifle in the pas-senger seat. Both actions were closed, which is a violation. Then between the seats was the barrel of another shotgun, a Mossberg 835, so I put the Mossberg in close proximity to the other two guns and took a picture. all three firearms were loaded.

During the time I continued to look


for firearms in the truck, I asked Quil-lin how far away the coyote was when he shot. He proudly stated, “About 200 yards running, but I was shooting behind him.” Quillin stated that his group of hunters had named that coyote “Bigfoot” and had been hunting him since about 8:00 a.m. that morning. I asked Quillin, “You know you have to have these things (meaning firearms) unloaded in the vehicle, right?”

Quillin admitted, “Yeah.” I asked Quillin if all of the firearms were his, to which he confirmed.

Next, I observed a lever action .22 magnum lying in the back seat. I opened the action and observed a live round. I cycled the action and another live round ejected. Quillin stated, “You might as well take them out the tube.” By this he meant it was fully loaded. I removed the rifle from the truck and Quillin and I unloaded the .22 magnum rifle. The magazine tube was fully loaded.

I explained to Quillin and Yoder there were several violations. I told Quil-lin, “You obviously can’t shoot from a vehicle.”

Quillin stated “Yeah, I know.” I asked Quillin how many shots he got off. He stated two. I also asked if he knew if Lafferty was coming back to the area. He informed he didn’t know and that he was trying to round up a couple dogs. Next, I asked Quillin to try to radio Lafferty to come to our location while I radioed Columbus and ran license checks. I also spoke with officer allison who had responded to assist. Allison was looking for Lafferty.

Quillin was concerned about his dogs and stated he had lost track of them. I decided that Quillin and I would drive to the top of the hill at the intersection of Standing Rock Road and Union Hill Road in effort to track Quillin’s dogs and reach out to Lafferty on the radio or cell phone. When we got to the top of Standing Rock Road Quillin was on the phone with Lafferty. Quillin stated that Lafferty had gone to the house. I thought to myself, that’s not surprising. Quillin stated that his dogs appeared to be standing out on Prider Road.

I asked Allison to go to Lafferty’s house to interview him. I asked Quillin

if you did not know James V. Spignesi, Jr., and had only heard that he was a DEP Conservation officer who was

fatally wounded while on patrol in eastern Connecticut on november 20, 1998, then you may not have known that Jim was a 22-year DEP veteran at the time of his death. Jim became a Conservation officer in 1990 and, prior to that, spent over 14 years as a wildlife biologist with the Wild-life Division’s Deer Management Program.

The Deer Management act of 1974 changed the status of deer in Connecticut from an agricultural nuisance to a game animal and, in 1975, the first firearms deer hunting seasons began. Jim began his ser-vice with DEP (now DEEP) as a seasonal employee in 1977 during the early days of the Deer Program and was upgraded to wildlife biologist in 1981. He accomplished much during his short tenure, at a time when mainframe computers were used instead of the personal computers of today. Actually, the state land deer permit lottery was originally run on the Connecticut Lot-tery mainframe computer and Jim would bring the large magnetic storage disks with hunter data to the CT Lottery computer and work with their personnel to select the “winners.” The state’s deer herd was small at the time and the number of applicants far exceeded the number of permits issued. Jim was always professional in fielding the complaint calls from hunters who were not selected, even though he really wished that he could have given them all permits.

Jim’s dedication and perseverance were evident when he was analyzing data using the time-consuming software that was available at the time. During those early years, all department publications were designed by hand, not computers, and Jim was meticulous in pasting up and laying out the Deer Season Field guide and many other booklets and ap-plications. Jim also was instrumental in maintaining the original 14 to 16 manda-

Remembering James v. Spignesi:

Former CO and Biologist

Written by Julie Victoria, Retired Wildlife Division Biologist

for his phone number, and then seized the rifle he had used to shoot at the coyote. I explained to Quillin that I was going to have him go down on Prider Road and try to gather up his dogs. I was going to stay right here and work on paperwork until he returned. Quillin and Yoder then left and, approximately 15 minutes later, they returned.

While I was waiting for Quillin to re-turn, I was able to contact the landowner and the lessee’s of the private property where Quillin and Yoder had been hunt-ing without permission. The owner and lessee advised no one within the group I had caught had permission to be on the property. As Quillin returned, he stated he had gathered up most all the dogs, but he still had two out.

Quillin said, “I might as well get one more ticket.”

I asked, “Why?” Quillin directed me to the back of his

truck and he dropped the tailgate. He slowly and cautiously opened one of the dog boxes and peeked inside. Quillin then lunged into the box, armpit deep and was attempting to pull something out. After a few seconds he pulled out a live coyote! I was completely stunned. The coyote had black electrical tape around its mouth and Quillin stated that his dogs had cornered the coyote under a camper and he couldn’t shoot it. Quillin stated he was able to grab the coyote with his bare hands and catch it, which is a violation of the law. Quillin could not have been prouder of his trophy!

At this point I thought to myself, I need to get a picture and told Quil-lin, “Stay right there, I need to get a camera.” Quillin stated he was going to shoot the coyote after he showed me and I gave him permission to get a gun out. Still not believing what I had just seen, I wanted a witness. So I waited for officer allison to arrive on scene so he could see the live coyote also. Allison, suffice it to say, was just as surprised as I was. I then directed Quillin and Yoder dispatch the coyote. As is often the case with wildlife violators, some friendly conversation and handshakes were exchanged and we parted ways. Quil-lin was issued four citations, Yoder was issued three citations, and Lafferty was issued two citations.


HOW iGW READERS CAN HELP SUPPORt JiM’S LEGACy:

This year, the Connecticut Conservation Officer’s Association will be hosting our 19th Annual James V. Spignesi Memorial Sportsman’s Dinner. It is our main fundraising event for the scholarships. At the dinner we have a wide variety of raffles and auctions. This year, we are opening up one very special raffle item to brother and sister IGW readers.

Please support our scholarship fundraising efforts by purchasing one (or more) raffle tickets to continue Jim’s legacy.

FOR RAFFLE: Standard Manufacturing, 5” Government, 1911, case colored. Special custom serial number paying tribute to Jim’s badge number, GVT000648. www.stdgun.com/1911-case-colored/

tory state-operated deer check stations and overseeing all of the data collected at the stations. Later in his career, he inspected private facilities interested in becoming deer check stations. He also personally marked the boundaries and worked with private land neighbors at a controlled hunt in East Lyme so that the hunt would run smoothly. Jim conducted aerial deer surveys from a low-flying helicopter to monitor the deer population during winter. His rapport and friendship with the pilots got the job done safely and efficiently.

A lasting tribute and evidence of Jim’s time as a wildlife biologist is a paper co-authored by Jim and Mark Ellingwood (former CT Wildlife Division biologist and current New Hampshire Wildlife Division Chief) about the management of an urban deer herd and the concept of cultural carrying capacity (the maximum number of deer that can coexist compat-

ibly with local human popula-tions) that is cited often in research pa-pers, journals, and statements.

Connecticut’s deer herd expanded over the years, as did the Deer Program, and Jim had lots of help to gather data. Many former and current fish and wildlife biologists, State

Park personnel, Environmental Con-servation Police officers, and seasonal staff spent time working with Jim. Some may say that Jim was quiet, but his pithy comments and observations were amus-ing and often made for congenial working conditions.

Jim did not spend all of his time working with deer. He participated in some of the first Midwinter Bald Eagle Surveys conducted in Connecticut, helped with the capture and relocation of nuisance geese, trapped and relocated nuisance wildlife, and participated in waterfowl surveys and banding projects. He was a well-rounded biologist and naturalist.

Jim also was an avid runner, cyclist, and even a lacrosse referee. Though he seemed to subsist on yogurt, peanuts, and coffee, he was very fit and spent multiple winter vacations ice climbing

Conservation Officer Jim Spignesi (standing left) talks with Wildlife Division former Director Dale May (standing center) and former Deer Program Biologist Mark Ellingwood (standing center right) at the Bluff Point Coastal Reserve controlled deer reduction in 1990.

Mt. Katahdin in Maine with friends. This conditioning prepared him for the rigors of being a Conservation officer. In addition, Jim’s tenacity showed through when he was awarded the DEP Medal for Meritorious Service in august 1998 for the return of a distraught

runaway youth.In 1999, after officer Spignesi’s death,

the James V. Spignesi Wildlife Manage-ment area (WMa), a 369-acre parcel located in Scotland and Canterbury, was dedicated in honor of Jim’s memory. The WMA was one of Jim’s favorite places. also in 1999, a scholarship fund was established by a committee of Jim’s friends, family, and coworkers to provide scholarships to: 1) a uConn upperclass-

man who aspires to a career in wildlife management or con-servation law enforcement; 2) a graduating senior male lacrosse player from Conard High School, which officer Spignesi attended;

and 3) a graduating senior from Parish Hill High School located in the town officer Spignesi lived in when he was killed. Those interested in contributing can mail checks, payable to the James V. Spignesi Jr. Memorial Fund, P.o. Box 156, Hampton, CT 06247.

Article reprinted from the Nov./Dec. 2016 issue of Connecticut Wildlife MagazinePhoto credit: Paul J. Fusco/CT DEEP Wildlife Division

“Remember 648” 1911 Raffle Ticket Order Form

Please tear off this order form, complete and enclose a check for the number of tickets you wish to purchase. Make checks payable to: Connecticut Conservation Officer’s Association. We will email you a confirmation that we received your ticket order.

Mail to: C.C.O.A., PO BOX 531 Marlborough, CT 06447or Purchase ONLINE: https://squareup.com/store/ccoa/ Note: Winner announced at 20th Annual James V. Spignesi Jr Memorial Sportsman’s Dinner, April 2018, Scotland, CT. Gun must ship to winner’s FFL. US only. Not legal for retail sale in MA or CA. See CCOA website (ctenconpolice.com) for full version contest rules and requirements.

PuRChAsER INfORMATION

Name ( Last, First, Middle Initial )

Street address, City, State, Zip Code

Primary Phone Number

Email Address

$10 per ticket

CUT HERE


AGENCyPROFiLE

From fertile farmland to Appalachian peaks, Penn-sylvania boasts not only an abundance of wildlife, its pinnacles have found license sales topping more than a million hunters. As summer cools to autumn, bringing with it a variety of fall season

openers, Pennsylvania oft finds itself at or towards the top of the pack with respect to hunter numbers and game harvests. our state’s first day of deer season, the Monday after Thanksgiving, is a tradition as time tested as hunting anywhere in the world.

To protect such a rich hunting heri-tage, the commonwealth formed a wild-life agency with similar roots. Wildlife has always been an integral part of both Pennsylvania’s culture and landscape. However, in the late 1800s wildlife plummeted as a result of deforestation, pollution and unregulated hunting and trapping.

From this dark period emerged the Game Commission, created by the state Legislature to protect and conserve

Wildlife ProtectionWildlife protection is conducted by a

dedicated, swift force comprising about 200 full-time Wildlife Conservation officers and about 400 Deputy Wildlife Conservation officers. a full-time officer’s area of responsibility is approxi-mately 350 square miles; deputies help patrol it. With 67 counties, this equates to, on average, 3 full-time officers and 6 deputies per county.

Wildlife Conservation officer duties include: enforcing hunting and trapping laws to protect wildlife; investigating hunting accidents; conducting wildlife surveys; assisting in wildlife research projects; and providing educational programs. officers are uniformed and have received extensive law enforcement and wildlife management training. An-nual trainings encompass foul-weather/dim-light shoot, legal updates, defensive tactics, Haz-mat, verbal skills, and day-light qualification/stress course.

all full-time officers are graduates of the renowned Game Commission’s Ross Leffler School of Conservation, america’s first game protector or warden school.

By DWCO Marshall Nych

wildlife. Born in 1895, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has managed the Commonwealth’s wildlife resources for all Pennsylvanians for greater than a century.

With the help of more than 700 full-time employees and thousands of part-timers and volunteers, the agency provides a host of benefits to wildlife, state residents and visitors.

Its mission, to manage Pennsylvania’s wild birds, wild mammals, and their habitats for current and future genera-tions, has been at the forefront since its creation.

PGC focuses clearly on its vision to be the leader among wildlife agencies, and champion of all wildlife resources and Pennsylvania’s hunting and trapping heritage.

Uncommon to the majority of states who depend on one agency for all wildlife, Pennsylvania has separate agencies. The Pennsylvania game Commission is responsible for mammals and birds, while the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission’s duties pertain to fish, reptiles, and amphibians.

PENNSyLvANiAGame Commission


AGENCyPROFiLE

More than 500 officers have graduated from the school since its establishment in 1936.

Wildlife Conservation officers are empowered to enforce the game and Wildlife Code, Fish and Boat Code, For-estry Laws and Pennsylvania’s Crimes Code; they also frequently assist local and state police, particularly in rural areas. our officers have been involved in missing person searches, guiding police in remote wilderness areas and drug eradication programs. officers also provide assistance in emergency responses to accidents and disasters.

The Commission’s badge protects all 480 of Pennsylvania’s wild birds (414) and mammals (66). Wildlife Management and conservation are used to manage game and other wildlife populations, and include: monitor-ing populations; establishing laws and regulations; setting seasons and bag limits; making habitat improve-ments; providing outright protection; informing and educating the public; and assessing public expectations and satisfaction.

Wildlife ManageMent

The Commonwealth’s white-tailed deer, black bear, and wild turkey pop-ulations serve as shining samples of successful wildlife management. Although each species is hunted, today they inhabit the state in record numbers as a result of Commission programs involving trap-and-transfer work, habitat improve-ment, research and regu-lated seasons and bag limits. Pennsylvania currently is home to more deer, bear and turkeys than when colonists first arrived.

One of the agency’s more visible examples of wildlife management is spe-cies reintroductions. The Commission successfully has reintroduced beavers, river otters, elk, bald eagles, fishers, ospreys and peregrine falcons. Most were extirpated at one time or


AGENCyPROFiLE

Unique Qualities of the Pennsylvania game CommissionState gaMe landS (Sgl)

A public gem of the Keystone State is its State game Lands, the model is one-of-a-kind in its setup and success. To ensure wild animals always have food and shelter, the agency, since 1920, has been purchasing lands for inclusion in its State Game Lands system. Cur-rently, PGC has amassed more than 300 separate tracts comprising a grand total of more than 1.5 million acres. A spe-cialized, individual management plan is custom designed for each SgL. Hunt-ers, anglers, hikers, birdwatchers and other wildlife enthusiasts are welcome on State game Lands.

More hunting opportunities abound with the agency’s trio of cooperative public access programs. Through agreements, about 4.5 million acres of private property are open to public hunting and trapping. The Farm game, Forest game and Safety Zone programs offer outstanding hunting and trapping opportunities. Landowners participat-ing in these programs receive pheasant stockings, habitat improvements, seed-lings, and other benefits.

fundingThe Pennsylvania Game Commission

does not receive state general Fund appropriations. The Commission is almost entirely supported by hunters and trappers, or assets that have been

another during the Commonwealth’s history. Recent field studies have cen-tered on endangered Indiana bats and the prolific white-tail deer. In fact, some of the wildlife research being conducted by the Game Commission is garnering national attention in the field of wildlife management.

The wildlife diversity we enjoy today is largely due to the agency’s progres-sive, scientifically-based wildlife man-agement programs and support from countless Pennsylvanians and outdoors organizations. It’s a partnership that has accomplished much for wildlife since the turn of the century, and no doubt will continue.

Pennsylvanians also are indebted to Legislators and governors, both past and present, who have had the courage to enact critically important laws that set the stage for the state’s wildlife recovery, as well as the creation of the “State game Lands system.” They worked closely with the Game Commis-sion to develop wildlife-friendly legisla-tion that became the envy of the nation and the glue that held the Common-wealth’s then-fragile wildlife restoration effort together.

inforMation & educationanother facet of a PGC wildlife con-

servation officer is I &E. Recognizing an informed and educated public better understands wildlife and the basic con-cepts of wildlife management, education has always been a critical component of the Commission’s operations. a recent survey showed half of Pennsylvanians are looking for more information about

wildlife. officers, along with staff and volunteers, annually log tens of thou-sands of hours leading wildlife programs at schools, fairs, outdoors shows and banquets.

Current, relevant information is only a click away on the PGC state-of-the-art website (www.pgc.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx). To compliment this trove of infor-mation, the PGC publishes a monthly Pennsylvania game News. A dedicated state and national readership look most forward to the infamous Field Notes. Here officers share funny tales of woe afield. Some even get a cartoon illustra-tion. In addition to these mediums are a variety of books and brochures, and produces top-quality videos. To boot, the Commission annually publishes scores of news releases and handles thousands of media inquiries concerning wildlife - often providing photographs and video footage to outdoor writers, newspaper editors and television news reporters. The agency also provides an e-mail news release service to individuals interested in receiving wildlife news as soon as it breaks.

In all, Pennsylvania Game Com-mission’s Hunter-Trapper Education Program, with the help of 3,000 devoted volunteer instructors, annually trains about 40,000 students. The Commission is actively involved in programs that acquaint young people with outdoors activities or provide them a chance to do something constructive for wildlife. Of-ficers and staff spend considerable time speaking at or helping to coordinate youth field days and conservation camps and seminars.

PENNsyLvANIA Game Commission


procured with license dollars. The PGC is funded primarily by hunting and fur-taker license sales; State game Lands’ timber, mineral and oil/gas revenues; and a federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition. More than half its annual revenue comes from license sales, a relatively fixed income source. License fees cannot be increased with-out approval of the general Assembly, and fee increases have historically come only about every 10 years.

Wild elk PoPulationMagnificent bull elk lead healthy

harems across 6 counties in the central part of the state. Numbering over 1,000, the elk population is larger now than any time in the past 150 years. Its suc-cess has been a direct result of modern wildlife management. The Commission and its officers maintain and manage the Winslow Hill elk viewing area with a pavilion/amphitheater in Benezette Township, Elk County. antlered and antlerless tags are awarded in a special lottery system. Tens of thousands of hunters put in for the opportunity to punch one of these coveted tags. Trophy bulls and their massive headgear have topped 400 inches.

Black BearThe Keystone State

has become one of the premiere bear hunting destinations. Bear populations have boomed to more than 20,000 in recent years.

The prior decade has enjoyed annual harvests hovering around 4,000. To put it in perspective, many residents are heard declaring, “These are the good ole’ days of bear hunting in Pennsylvania.”

k-9 unitS Over the course of

the last few hunting seasons, the Pennsyl-vania Game Commis-sion has launched a highly successful K-9 Unit. Three highly trained pairs, each with a K-9 and WCo partner, are strategical-ly placed throughout the state in western, central, and eastern locations. The K-9 units have solved numerous wildlife cases in their short tenure. The dogs are all labs selected from a renowned breeder in Maine. Man’s best friend has proven to

also be a superb officer.

tracking teaM A 15-man team of highly motivated,

specially trained officers has been as-sembled by the agency. The team is comprised of individuals with expertise

in tracking and finding people and evidence. The squad trained

with the Scott-Donelan Tracking School, found-

ed by David Scott-Donelan, who served in the now-defunct Rhodesian Army during the Cold War, where he tracked

enemies through the African wilderness.The PGC Tracking

Team, in addition to being issued camouflage uniforms and

other tactical equipment, learned to identify “spoor,” the signs of a passing animal or human. All spoor tell a story to those willing to listen, including kicked up dust, a bent twig, a footprint. The PGC Tracking Team applied their

unique skill set to the high profile Frein case,

where a woods-savvy man murdered a state trooper than fled into the woods for weeks. The tracking team uncovered helpful evidence.


WardenS then and noWone of the Commission’s pioneers

was the intellectual Dr. Joseph Kalbfus. Kalbfus, a dentist, was the agency’s first executive secretary and first chief game protector. Since the job paid nothing in its early stages, Kalbfus practiced dentistry during the day.

Due to the frequent violent confronta-tions awaiting early game protectors at the turn of the century, officers had to be ready to handle ruffians.

one of the most celebrated PGC officers, Joe Berrier, was up to the task. Kalbfus worked with muscular, six foot “Big Joe” and observed Berrier was, “as strong as two or three ordinary men.” Berrier once made five arrests prior to a Luzerne County game season. Four were met with armed resistance. Big Joe had to use extreme force for three of the arrests, shooting the hat off the head of one of the men.

Berrier would wade through mobs of

ghost that is Chronic Wasting Disease. Meanwhile, the ruffed grouse, our state bird, is being decimated from the West Nile Virus.

Be it success or failure, one certainty exists - matters will be handled by Wildlife Conservation officers with courage, consistency, and integrity. Forged as strong as Keystone steel and as deep as an Allegheny coal mine runs a thin green line. In these parts, such a line is known as the Pennsylvania game Commission.

referenceS:Pennsylvania Game Commission

official Website: www.pgc.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx

The Pennsylvania Game Commission from 1895 – 1995: 100 Years of Wildlife Conservation By Joe Kosack

Pennsylvania Game News - March 2016Conservation officer of Pennsylvania

official Website: www.pawco.org/a

angry people and go anywhere to get his man.

More recently, our agency endured one of its worst tragedies. Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conserva-tion officer David L. Grove was shot and killed in the line of duty while on patrol on November 11, 2010 in Adams County. Grove was investigating re-ports of ongoing night-time shooting and possible poaching activity in the area. To that point, the last time a PGC officer was killed in the line of duty had been nearly a century ago.

concluSionMirroring Her grand mountains,

steep peaks and deep valleys, so too will Pennsylvania and its wildlife agency experience highs and lows. A pair of depressing depths currently place two of our beloved state animals in their crosshairs. Our state animal, the white-tailed deer, is presently haunted by the

AGENCyPROFiLE PENNsyLvANIA Game Commission



Like most hunting trips, this one started with plans plotted

about a month in advance. Sharptail grouse hunting in north central Montana to be enjoyed by recently retired Washington Game Warden Jeff Lee, current WA Game Warden Dave Jones, and me. It was my turn to drive, but I had planned to meet some friends in Spokane on the way back to western WA. Hence, Dave ob-tained permission from his lovely wife Paulie to borrow her Chevy Suburban. His Labrador Beau, my Boykin Rebel and the three of us. We were worried about the drought and land closures, but Jeff and I aren’t getting any younger. What could possibly go wrong?

We were a little cramped on space in the Suburban, so I just brought a small dog bed for Rebel. He rode like a prince on top of all the gear boxes. The trip there was uneventful. This year we managed to not hit a deer north of Lincoln, MT! We arrived on a Monday evening and made plans for hunting Tuesday. Rebel was to sleep in the motel room on his dog bed. Again, what could possibly go wrong?

I woke up at 02:30 and let the dog out, all was well. I woke up again at 05:30, swung my legs out of bed and onto the floor. My left heel hit something liquid and soft. I thought to myself, “I hope this is dog puke.” Nope. Seems like Rebel came down with a case of “the runs” overnight and left three deposits on the motel room floor! As I was sitting there trying to decide how to kill my dog, Rebel came over and put his front paws upon the bed sheet (naturally after stepping in his own handiwork!) The time is now 05:30. I have dog crap on my foot, the sheets, the dog’s paws, and who knows what else. I tossed Rebel outside and spent the next half hour on my knees, trying to clean up the “gifts” on the floor. Dave and I were sharing a room, but the arrangement did not include the pile on the floor right next to his head! I gagged through the next hour, the smell was pretty ferocious! As daylight finally arrived, I confessed Rebel’s sins, leave a note for the house cleaner, and go hunting.

We worked a Block Management Unit and, by some miracle, I managed to find and kill a grouse. When we returned to the Suburban, Rebel and I crossed the road to check out a small patch of tall grass. Rebel

was down in the grass when I saw him raise his head and jump forward. Simultaneously, I saw a black object just in front of the dog. Too late! He lunged at the skunk and took a full blast right in the face! Did I tell you we were driving a Suburban? Where does one put a dog with the runs that is now fragrant with everyone’s favorite outdoor odor? We stumbled on the next logical step, purchas-ing a bottle of French Hooker perfume and liberally dousing Rebel. He now smelled like a Cajun house of ill-repute taken over by the skunk version of “The Dirty Dozen”! Such irreversible smells wafted throughout the Suburban. About this time I panicked at the reality of how Dave’s beautiful and under-standing wife was going to kill us!

During the episode, I called my dog groomer and asked advice. She suggested a bath of Dawn soap, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. The groomer also advised, while I was at it, I should give the dog a bath too. What a delightful way to spend an evening.

Hunting was good all day, we killed a few birds, gagged a bunch, and Rebel hunted hard when he wasn’t answering nature’s call. That night, Rebel was relegated to the dog box in the vehicle, while the Lab slept on the dog bed in the room. Other than waking up every two hours to check on the dog and let him out, the night was uneventful.

Truth be told, the magic bath cut the stench by about 90%. It did nothing for the diarrhea, but you can’t have everything! Following hunting the next day, we took an excursion to the vet. I was lucky to get slide into a cancellation just as we arrived. The vet poked and prodded then asked a battery of questions. Finally, the verdict was delivered. Rebel the “Wonder Dog” had a

case of gastritis and colitis induced by the stress of riding to Montana on his bed rather than the dog box. I paid the bill and returned to explain the issue to my partners. They were as about as sympathetic as one might expect. Between the hysterical laughter and name calling, my hunting buddies decided to re-diagnose Rebel as having a case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome! I still haven’t heard the rear end of it.

We hunted one more day and killed a few

more birds, including a couple of Hungar-ian Partridge. At the end of the day, Dave found a partially filled stock pond. His dog Beau, a Lab thru and thru, spent several glorious minutes frolicking in the semi-toxic mire of the pond. Beau, as happy as only a Labrador can be, emerged covered in a foul-smelling sludge.

Fast forward to the motel come nightfall – we enjoyed nice dinners, drinks, and were packed. Rebel was feeling better with the stink a slight degree of manageable. Again, Rebel slumbers in the Suburban’s dog box, while Beau bedded in the room. At 05:30, I swing my legs out of bed and onto the floor. My left heel squishes into a soft mass. I thought, “THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING AGAIN!” It was. Beau finally reacted to the toxic stuff lapped up. The aftermath was scattered all over the room! Dave quickly tossed the dog out, but the damage had already been done. Once again, I am clean-ing unmentionables off my foot! Beau leaked all over the floor as he was ushered outside. We cleaned it up to the best of our ability and shamefully departed.

Our homecoming was without incident. Once to my house, we decided to wash and clean the Suburban and pray Dave’s wife forgave us. During the prayer we managed to lock the keys in the car!

Similar to the humble fashion I called the vet, we now dialed a locksmith. Being after hours, our next course of action was a tow

truck. Following a patient one and a half hour wait, the driver had the door open in 5 minutes. Dave was finally on his way home. I have no idea how exactly he explained the series of events to his wife. On the other hand, we experienced a great hunt and some memories that will last a lifetime!

Retired Game Warden Sgt. Rich Phillips (Left) with Rebel. Retired Warden Jeff Lee (Right)



Using Technology in conservaTion law enforcemenT

constant ping data reporting back criti-cal location information.

ZETX doesn’t just provide system information. The company shares a vast library of information on cell providers and automatic templates for warrant and company requests. Subscribers have a strong support structure from ZETX and their support staff have intimate knowledge of law enforcement. The site ZETX.com has online resource tools for officers and agencies looking to maximize their technical advantage over the offenders. To top off all these features, the cost is a single price, blanketing the entire agency. No more having to share passwords and logins!

To get started, of-ficers simply request a digital file from the cell phone carrier, obtained by procuring a search warrant. Next, they log into the ZETX system. From there the officer generates a file which moves the cell tower technical information into an animated read-able Google Earth file. This file extrapolates the cell tower infor-mation and places it into an easy-to-read timeline and location animation. Each loca-tion is recorded and the duration is displayed. officers can then use this data to secure additional information from offender locations by researching business cameras, possible wit-nesses and also explore dump locations and evidence sites. Know-ing where the offenders

were before and after the event can expose critical data in solving a wildlife case.

ZETX goes one step further in exploring unknown offender data information. If a remote area has been used for a viola-tion, cell tower dump information can be obtained and show device data present in the area at the time of the offense. ZETX uses algorithms to exploit anomalies in the cell phone traffic. These tools can isolate a device for further investigation to determine its owner.

They offer a free trial and Sy Ray, the CEo, offers local training and expertise i WAS FORtUNAtE enough to not

only meet the ZETX staff, but also privy to attend the ZETX training at this year’s NAWEOA conference. I found that most of the people in the room shared the same sediment; ZETX is a one-stop shop for cell phone warrant interpretation and presentation. The presenter, Sy Ray, was enveloped with information on the way ZETX applies blocks of technical data to an end user presentation a grade schooler could understand. So what exactly does ZETX do? Offenders today often have their cell phones with them, and those cell phones constantly communicate with cell tow-ers and other devices. officers have traditionally seized cell phones and searched their contents, failing to real-ize, that even if the content on the phone is limited or erased, the cell provider still has vast amounts of data available. In addition to retaining text messages and phone call records, phone providers host the important location data.

With many of the rural environments conservation police officers work, ZETX takes cell phone tower dump informa-tion and animates it to show the prog-ress, time and location of your offender. The ZETX website allows officers to export their cell tower data, obtained from a search warrant, and pipe it into the ZETX system. This opens up several analytical tools for data comparison. The cell tower data becomes a virtual tracking beacon on the device, showing

Cell Phone Warrant Interpretati on & Presentation


Using Technology in conservaTion law enforcemenT

both online and via phone. As a technical enforcement officer, I was really impressed with ZETX tech-nology and look forward to making better cases in my jurisdiction.

Check out some of these amazing case files online.Video Example 1 –

Multiple Phone with surveil-lance video embedded https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/zetx-videos/Pinal+County/Video_Titles_Removed.mp4

Video Example 2 – google locates, cell towers, text message content https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/zetx-videos/nBC/nBC1.mp4

Video Example 3 – Powering events, cell towers, google, text content https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/zetx-videos/nBC/nBC2.mp4

Video Example 4 – Devices coming together https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/zetx-videos/nBC/nBC3.mp4

Video Example 5 – Highlighting call direction, powering events, google move-ment, street view

Please fill out the form, attach check, and mail to: International Game Warden Magazine Attention: Subscriptions P.O. Box 462, Shokan, New York 12481 NOTE: Remit in U.S. funds only

Credit Card orders are also accepted on our website: www.igwmagazine.comFor more information, please contact: Marion Hoffman, Subscriptions Manager International Game Warden Magazine [email protected] Phone: 845-399-7207 Cell: 845-399-7207

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/zetx-videos/nBC/nBC4.mp4

Walmart robbery https://zetx-videos.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Pinal+County/animation.mp4

nevada Game and Fish Case PowerPoint Downloadable Link https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/zetx-videos/nelos+F%26G+Case.pptx

Tons of cool features for the technically inclined and the courtroom presentation is a simple way to show jurors exactly where your suspects were when the crime took place. I have not found any other companies with the ZETX advantage, so please do your research before pursuing a product for your agency. ZETX is currently working with 15 DNR agencies, as well as many other traditional law enforcement groups.

By Steve Beltran, Illinois Conservation Police Officer, serving since 2000, experience in technical law enforcement and the outdoors.

DiD yOU KNOW?Although NAWEOA membership is open only to game wardens and conservation officers, anyone may subscribe to IGW magazine or purchase NAWEOA merchandise. Please contact IGW Business Manager Marion Hoffman for more information.

international game Warden Magazine is now available in an electronic format. to subscribe

to igW electronically, go to: www.igwmagazine.com then click on

“Digital Subscribers”.

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Cell Phone Warrant Interpretati on & Presentation

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Hi everyone. Here’s your chance to sign up for the world’s leading magazine for conservation law enforcement!Learn new tricks of the trade in our #1 selling trade magazine for game wardens. Support your profession by subscribing to IGW, a magazine written by you, about you, and for you.

If your association is a member of NAWEOA, a special group discount rate for employees and/or members is available. Please contact Marion and she can help you out. Here’s another great idea. Send a gift subscription to one of your buddies.

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Night Hunting Patrols for SPot LigHterS iN tHe Duck Mountain District of

SaskatchewanWritten by Saskatchewan Conservation Officer Shawn Riabko

NiGHt HUNtiNG has been illegal for well over a hundred years in Sas-katchewan. Throughout this time, penalties have always reflected that this is a serious, dangerous offence. In 1948/49 the penalty for night

shooting or jacklighting was increased to $200 minimum with a $500 maximum penalty. That was a pretty steep penalty for the late 1940’s. a few years later in 1953/54, legislation made it manda-tory that all persons found guilty of night hunting or jacklighting serve a jail sentence. The next year, in 1954/55, 14 night hunters were apprehended in the province and in addition to paying heavy fines, their jail sentences ranged from 7 to 20 days.

Fast forward to the current day. Spotlighting is still a problem Saskatchewan’s conserva-tion officers deal with every year. In the Duck Mountain district alone, we have charged seven different people for spotlighting in the last two years (2014, 2015) and as I write this late 2016, we have more this year in 2016 to add to the statistics. The scary part is, those are just the ones we caught.

So with the possibility of steep fines, and an obvious danger to the general public, why do people spotlight? What is the attraction to this activity that makes people take the risks and shoot animals with the use of lights?

Different people have different motivations for why they would go out and spotlight, but none of those should justify the risk and danger they create to the general public. The obvious reasons are that animals are more active at night and when you shine a bright light on an animal in the dark, they typically “freeze” in blindness allowing the hunter to shoot the animal before it runs off. Active wildlife combined with the unsporting “freezing” of an animal in the light makes for an easy and incredibly unsporting kill.

In some communities, great bragging rights go along with the harvest of wildlife. Harvesting a moose for example, can increase a person’s image or status and the desire to achieve that makes people put their own desires over that of the safety of the general public. For some, they feel the government’s laws don’t apply to them or they want to spite the government, so they go

North American game wardens call it many different things - spotlighting, jack lighting, lamping, pit lamping, shining. in Saskatchewan, the regulations call it “hunting with a search light” and it continues to be a problem for many areas of the province, including the conservation officers of Duck Mountain.



out poaching but this reason is rare. More commonly, hunters get involved in the “big buck” and trophy competitions and that desire of winning or at least having a respectable entry is enough to risk the penalties of spotlighting. Again, it is a status symbol among their organization or local group of friends.

Finally, for a select few, financial gain may be the motivator. Trafficking large antlers is big business on the black mar-ket and if you want your poaching to go undetected, it only seems logical that you would do it at night where there are much fewer people to detect what you are up to and reduces the chance of alerting anyone to your actions.

That’s one of the reasons a lot of night hunting and spotlight-ing activity remains undetected. In the wee hours of the morning, there aren’t a lot of people awake to detect the activity, especially when the poachers are in remote areas. If they are driving the countryside and don’t know where they are and accidently light up a yard or a field in view of someone’s residence, that person may call the violation into the TIP line, but in remote fields however, with no residences around, unless it is during busy agriculture seasons such as harvest, there is usually no one around to realize what is going on.

Even when an animal is shot and the loud sound of gunfire rings out into the night, by the time someone realizes what happened, calls it in and conservation officer responds, many times these poach-ers are long gone. They are well practiced

in getting in and out of there quickly, sometimes only taking the time to cut off and load the hind quarters or the antlers, leaving the rest of the animal to waste and rot.

Waste of game is very common in my area. When local residents wake up the next day and see ravens and coyotes out in their field and they go investigate and find a wasted animal, they are usually disgusted. Why do people shoot and leave the wildlife to waste? Occasionally, it may be because the poachers just like the thrill

of the kill and aren’t out there hunting to harvest antlers or meat, but instead are there solely for the adrenaline rush of killing. This is a reality and it happens, however, I believe more commonly the shooters intend to take the whole animal,

but change their mind…or have it changed for them by circumstance.

Talking to suspects who have been caught committing this offence, you hear a variety of reasons why. Some shoot first before thinking. They are out looking for a deer and when they see a moose, they are so excited that they have an opportunity to harvest a moose, they shoot it, only to later realize that they can’t load such a large animal themselves. Maybe they chop off the hind quarters and go, maybe they go home to try and find a truck, or find friends willing to help them load it, but are unsuc-cessful.

Other times, they intend to take everything, but see headlights coming and abandon the whole animal to avoid getting caught poaching. Losing the meat



of an animal is a much smaller loss than facing the penalties of being caught unlawfully hunt-ing or spotlighting. The headlights approaching may be the conservation officers, may be a local farmer who heard the shot, or may be someone driving home that has no incline of what is going on….but the poachers vacate regard-less, as they can’t risk it.

So what exactly is at risk? Well, there is no longer mandatory jail time like there was 60 years ago, however, penalties remain steep. The penalty for hunting with a searchlight in Saskatchewan is up to the judge, as there is a mandatory court appearance for anyone caught spotlight-ing. The legislation allows the judge to hand down a sentence anywhere from $1000 to $100,000. In addition to monetary fine, all articles seized in the investigation, except vehicles, are all automatically forfeited upon conviction, which means the hunters don’t get their guns and spotlights back. This can also be pretty significant, considering that it isn’t uncommon for a nice gun and scope to be worth over the $1000 mark. Vehicles can also be forfeited if the presiding judge orders it, but that is not automatic. Lastly, the poacher receives a three year hunting licence ban and of course, doesn’t get to keep the animal they shot, if they did indeed kill something.

Commonly, spotlighters are also

hunting out of season or on private land they don’t have permission to hunt on. Unlawfully hunting will land you an additional ticket with a $1400 fine, $2800 if you kill something like a moose, elk, or trophy deer and wasting that big game animal will add an-other ticket to the list, this time with a $1960 price to it. It is common to be out six or seven thousand dollars in fines and loss of hunting equipment when all is said and done. It is baffling why people would

risk such high penalties spotlighting but makes perfect sense why they would consider leaving an animal to waste in a field, for fear of being caught.

However, these penalties have to be high to try and deter people from this dangerous activity. It is not only the fact this type of activity is very unsporting and provides the hunter a significantly unfair advantage over the wildlife, spotlighting is truly is unsafe. This fact really hit home for me last fall in October of 2015. Just before midnight, my partner and I were conducting a night hunting patrol. We saw headlights coming down a gravel road and decided to park in a field to sit back and observe what the vehicle was up to. As it turns out, the occupants of the vehicle were indeed night hunting with spotlights. They shone the field next to us and then shone their light right at our patrol vehicle in the field we were sitting in. We conducted a vehicle stop, seized the

firearm and spotlight, and laid multiple charges. It wasn’t until we returned to the spot in the day time that we realized there was an occupied farm yard in the first field the poacher was spotlighting in. His beam of light lit up the field and the edge of a bush halfway into the quarter section.

However, just beyond that, inside that bush, was an occupied house. That night, the owner and his family of three were home sleeping. They have no yard light and if the poacher did indeed see an animal in that field and fired a bullet in his beam of light towards the house, the result could have been very serious. Neither us, nor the offender, realized the house was there. That situation for me really emphasized the dangerous nature of spotlighting. You really can’t see beyond the beam of your light and the basic rule of firearm safety “be sure of your target and beyond” isn’t possible to follow.

The night hunting we see isn’t people sitting stationary in a treestand spotlighting over bait, instead it is always from vehicles driving up and down the rural roads, shining field after field, looking for animals. Sometimes the hunters know where they are, sometimes they lose track. Sometimes they realize there is a house, barn, bin or tractor in the field, sometimes they don’t. Also, it seems they never have permission to hunt on the land they are hunting on, as they are just driving around road hunting field after field.

Being mobile all the time makes spot-lighters very hard to catch, so officers employ a variety of tools and techniques to give them the best advantage possible

We are dealing with

those who make a conscious

decision to go out and hunt dangerously for their own personal gain



of detecting and apprehending spotlighters. More often than not, from the time an officer sees a spotlight working in a field, to the time of the vehicle stop being completed is only a few minutes, however there is frequently a great amount of time spent plan-ning the patrol to realize those ten minutes or so of action during the takedown.

uSe of decoyS

Most people know that officers occasionally set up decoys of moose, elk and deer to apprehend poachers. What people may not know is the amount of planning and preparation that goes into setting up a decoy.

A disadvantage of this type of method is that officers will only catch those who drive down that particular road on that particular night and shoot at the decoy. If night hunt-ers in the area

cruise through the area and drive by a mile over on the next gravel road and don’t see the decoy, all that work is for naught.

aircraftUsing an airplane is another tool

officers use to detect spotlighters. un-like the decoy operation, a plane will see hunters using lights for miles and miles in each direction over the huge circuit they fly. It is probably the best tool possible to detect jacklighters, however, it is very expensive. Our budgets don’t allow many flights in a year, so again, officers hope they pick the right night and the plane is in the right place at the right time to observe spotlights working a field. This type of operation also takes lots of staffing to implement. Twenty or more officers are frequently used on an aircraft patrol. The plane has the pilot and officers trained to be observers for spotlighting patrols. on the ground, offi-cers strategically spread out their patrol trucks along the flight path. When the plane observes lamping activity, they contact the nearest enforcement units to move in and conduct a vehicle stop. The use of aircraft is undoubtedly the most effective way to observe and apprehend poachers night hunting with lights and again, it requires a lot of planning. The flight path is chosen based on files and previous illegal hunting activity and each officer vehicle participating is assigned a strategic spot on the map. These spots ensure officers will have a good response time to all areas of the flight path and are in a good location to observe hunting activity on their own where they are.

“flooding” an areagetting many patrol units together

in an area is also effective without an aircraft. Having officers located all



around a problem area greatly increases the chances of some officer “being at the right place at the right time” to observe people hunting with searchlights. The patrol units are assigned a specific spot or area and are either stationary or mobile. When one unit observes a light working in a field, they contact adjacent units to come and assist in the appre-hension of the perpetrators.

Single unit PatrolSAll this talk about planes, decoys, and

multi-vehicle patrols is fine and dandy and is great when it happens, but more often than not spotlighting patrols are done by two district officers in a single vehicle. The officers patrol their district’s hot spots and hope to observe some illegal action. officers greatly rely on help from the public to know which areas are currently being hunted at night. T.I.P. calls are very important as officers want to put themselves in the best position to have an encounter with a violator. When members of the public call in the illegal activity they see, officers observe trends and patterns and they can concentrate in the problem areas.

Some people believe that calling in the mobile spotlighters they see has no value because by the time officers arrive on scene, the suspects will be long gone. This may be true in most cases, but if the hunters happen to shoot an animal, they may stay in the area for a good amount of time, gutting and loading an animal. Also, these T.I.P. calls are extremely important and helpful because, if noth-ing else, they show officers which areas are currently being hunted at night and officers can concentrate their patrols in that specific area the next day, or the weekend. Also, these types of observa-tions by the public serve as grounds to conduct decoy operations, when officers discover multiple serious violations are occurring in a specific area.

Sometimes there is some confusion as to what is and isn’t legal, especially when it involves night hunting and hunters with a Treaty right to hunt and hunting at night. A hunter who holds no Treaty hunting rights cannot hunt from one half hour after sunset to one half hour before sunrise. They cannot hunt

at night and of course, cannot use any type of spotlight, search light or night vision device for hunting.

A Treaty hunter hunting off-reserve can hunt at night, but again, they can-not use any type of spotlight, search light or night vision device for hunting in Saskatchewan. Also, Treaty hunters are limited to hunting crown land and cannot hunt a farmer’s field without first obtaining permission from the landowner to do so.

toolS of the tradeThe biggest challenge for officers is

catching the violators in the act. The officer must encounter a vehicle hunting and observe them using a spotlight, as simply the possession of a spotlight isn’t unlawful.

To do this, officers frequently must maneuver their vehicles around without the use of headlights. While this was a pretty dangerous task in the past, recent technology with night vision goggles has made this task extremely safe. A good pair of night vision goggles combined with infrared headlights isn’t much different than driving with regular headlights, however, it is undetectable to others in the area. Strict protocols are in place to regulate officers driving without headlights not only to protect the officers, but the public, and the violators as well.

Occasionally, perpetrators decide that it is a good idea to try and run from

officers who try to stop them while night hunting. To combat this, officers in Saskatchewan are trained to use, and carry, spike belts or stop sticks to flatten the tires of those who run. These tools are particularly effective when multiple units are in close proximity to each other in the same area. With a little radio com-munication, officers can position them-selves to intercept the fleeing vehicle and deploy a spike belt as an alternative to a vehicle pursuit.

Night hunting with searchlights is serious business and is dangerous for everyone. It is dangerous for the general public as spotlighting greatly increases the chance of a hunting accident. Sometimes the victims are unsuspecting people or property that have nothing to do with hunting or the hunting com-munity and who’s only fault is living in a rural area.

It is dangerous to the hunters, not only because of the chance of a serious hunting accident, but also because when they are close to being apprehended, sometimes they make bad decisions trying to avoid prosecution.

Finally it is dangerous for officers. To be out night hunting with spotlights, one immediately demonstrates very little or no consideration for the safety of oneself or the surrounding public. If a person is that motivated to go out and hunt with lights, an officer must face the possibil-ity the subject is motivated enough to try and get away, try to assault an officer, or maybe even worse. as officers, we aren’t dealing with the hunter who made a bad decision trying to get away with something small, or misread the regulations, or didn’t take the time to educate himself on the regulations. In spot lighting situations, we are dealing with those who make a conscious deci-sion to go out and hunt dangerously for their own personal gain, with no regard for the safety of the people around them. officers must be on guard dealing with night hunters ... after all, you know they have a gun.

Author: Shawn Riabko. Shawn is a member of the Saskatchewan Association of Conservation Officers.



Hosting more unknowns than encounters with wildlife and greater adventures than any

patrol detail, I was about to enter the paranormal world of parent-hood. Specifically, my half of the arrangement was father-hood. Nervously pacing back and forth in the delivery room, everything in life up to that point seemed trivial in comparison to the arrival of my daughter and, a few years later, my son.

As a father, I now under-stand and fear how quickly first steps will turn to full-fledged walking down the aisle. One moment kids are saying first words, the next they’ll be asking for the car keys. I can only guess the answer to a million questions. What will her smile look like? Will he like sports? Will she prefer sunrises or sunsets? What kind of a friend will he be? What favorite flavor of ice cream will dribble down the cone and onto their lap? Along life’s wonderful journey, both children will make many decisions, shaping character and future.

Just as people predicted, the day I became a father was arguably the best day of my life. Perhaps this was because the birthing experience was not too far removed from my average fishing trip. People fired the exact same questions.

“How much did she weigh?” “How long was he?” “What time did ‘ya catch her?”“Did he put up a good fight?” I couldn’t help but revert back to my

old fishing and hunting ways. I began exaggerating events and stretching the truth pertaining birth sizes. I then applied fishing equations. For weight, I multiplied by 2 then subtracted 8 ounc-es. I determined length by adding 2 new inches for every 10 actual inches to the overall figure. When relaying details of the fight, I simply inserted a few jumps here and a couple of headshakes there.

Hearing about the world’s largest baby, fellow officers fully expected to

two-way radio, where one has to endure orders. This one-way radio system ensures the partner receives commands and instructions via a

one-way street. An added bonus, the device is built to withstand drool and constant crying into speaker (from child or fellow officer.)Binky: Ever line up at a firearm training or qualifica-tion and realize you forgot hearing protection? A binky doubles as an excellent plug. I even use mine when work-ing with loud machinery or patrolling with a rambling partner. The splash shield hermetically seals the entire cavity. Proper sanitation may be desired before giving binky back to baby.Crib & Blankets: These items not only make capturing and relocating a wide variety of nuisance species easier, they can create a concealed hide-away. Reminiscent to the forts of childhood, the poacher will not expect anything harmful

to emerge from a crib, especially the local game warden. This ambush lulls perpetrators into a false sense of security.

Stroller: How often has moving a road-kill or mistake kill hurt your back? This is precisely why man invented Tylenol and wheels. Employing the latter, I can think of no better game carrier than a stroller. Most models even include cup holders and conve-nient storage compartments. There is even a series of handy straps and buckles to secure game.

lights: Be it on sneakers, toys or night lights, many of my children’s posses-sions boast flashing red & blue lights. In a pinch, these would substitute perfectly for emergency lights. Imagine a vehicle stop where the officer is hold-ing a blinking toy out of the window.

Bottle: This versatile piece of equip-ment offers many applications for offi-cers. One obvious use would be to feed and rehabilitate wildlife. A second, more desperate measure would be to

see a four-foot infant who was ready for the 2nd grade and a pie eating contest. Family couldn’t believe the doctor actually let me use a landing net. Be it

outdoors or fathering, all could agree the end result was strikingly similar…a proud man getting his photograph taken while holding the love of his life.

Another decision plaguing parenthood is, “How will this influence my line of work? Will becoming a parent influence patrol?” The answer, as it should be, is a resounding yes. Infants and toddlers, so long as they are willing to share, can actually help.

A little imagination and ingenuity can transform infant gear into officer Daddy’s infantry. Few game wardens realize the trove of treasures hidden within a toddler’s toy box or a baby’s nursery.Baby Monitor System: The ultimate

in wildlife officer communica-tion. Better than the traditional

Parenting ~ & ~

patrolling



feed and rehabilitate officers with a cylindrical back-up canteen.

Diapers: I have never experienced the degree of personal change as the day I learned how to change dia-pers. This catalyst has some perks. These little outdoor wonders hold a superabsorbent polymer known as sodium polyacrylate. The chemical battles unwanted leaking, which in my limited experience is all leaking. Since drips plague patrol boats, I need only gently apply a diaper to my boat’s bottom and let them work their magic. The same sponge-like capabilities can be summoned while patrolling in the rain or hung from the rearview mirror as a dehumidifier. Changing a diaper has never been such an honor. Cau-tion: expect strange looks for diapers in the patrol bag.

art: I am still trying to figure out wheth-er or not my children are brilliant or

messy. Paint smears many surfaces of our home. The work that actually hits paper can be used for psycho-logical evaluation and interrogation techniques. Similar to the Rorschach inkblot test, one can show suspects the elementary art and inquire as to what they see. The subject will likely answer, “Is that suppose to be a hand turkey?” This sounds like something one who was guilty would say.

Books: Quality children’s literature, complete with ample pictures, makes the most visible, colorful targets. To qualify officers must hit 8 out of 10 shots within the unicorn.

car Seat: Who needs steel separating front from back when there is a car seat? There exists no perch more humiliating. The stool in the corner of the class with a dunce cap has got nothing on this one. Make the bad guy sit in the baby chair. Strap him in

and let the good times and embarrass-ment roll. No repeat offender here.

Stuffed animals/rubber ducky: If your kids are anything like mine, they have amassed a menagerie of animals. These plush or plastic forms of entertainment, if properly selected, lead to patrol fun for Daddy too. Many models of tub toy mimic waterfowl. The arrangement of stuffed animals can be employed as decoys. Unlawful road hunting within your jurisdiction will cease at once. Be sure to remove any birdshot or feathers before returning to bath night.

Heed the aforementioned advice and you too will find your infant infantry as well stocked as mine.

Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer Marshall B. Nych Pennsylvania Game Commission, Mercer County

Saskatchewan Association of Conservation Officer Cookbook Recipes

2 mallards 1.5 cups of waterBacon strips Salt and pepper (to taste)1 cup of raisins Garlic powder (to taste)5 medium apples cut into chunks Onion powder (to taste)

Season ducks with spices inside and out. Place apple chunks and raisins in each body cavity. Put remaining apple chunks and raisins around ducks in roaster. Place bacon strips on each duck. Add water to roaster. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes per pound. Baste often.



tHE NExt tiME you are having a bad day, I recommend you take a moment to consider the following true story:

Southern New England is no stranger to high temperatures and higher humidity. On this particular day late last century, say maybe ’96 or ’97, the temperature was well into the high 90’s (that’s around 37-38 degrees Celsius for our Canadian brothers and sisters) with humidity levels over 70%. In other words, this day was nasty hot. Definitely not one you’re chomping at the bit to get out and walk around. In this weather, breath-ing is a chore.

Since the turn of the century, our officers here in Rhode Island have received help recovering road-kill deer in the form of seasonal civilian employees. But back in the late 90’s, the job fell squarely on the shoulders of the officers to locate and remove road-kill deer from the highways and byways of our beloved small state. This never made much sense to me, seeing as how in other states (Pennsylvania, for example) there are so many road-kills on the side of the highway that you could use them for mile-markers. Not here in Rhode Island. Our citizens get all uptight if they see Bambi or scattered Bam-bits lying on the side of the road.

Enter our heroine, officer Jennifer Ogren. On this fateful day, she got the radio call for a dead deer on the side of Interstate 95 South. Full disclosure, I had been partnered with a senior officer earlier in the week when I had observed this very same deer in the same spot. as we flew by it I asked the senior officer if he saw it, and, if so, do we want to swing around and grab it? After several choice words that shouldn’t be printed, he impressed upon me the following facts:1: We were in day #4 of high 90 degree

temperatures. getting out of the truck for anything less than a felony was NOT an option.

2: The deer itself was 25 feet off the

roadway, peacefully resting in high grass, not really bothering anyone.

3: Due to the heat and the 2 or 3 weeks the deer had been lying there, the deer was no longer the size of an average deer, it was now the size of a hippopotamus, and definitely shouldn’t be moved until it deflated a bit.

4: Besides... nobody has called it in yet. Let it stay there and let D.O.T. deal with it when they get around to mowing the grass. Poor officer ogren drew the short

straw and got the fateful call. Being the good officer she is, ogren diligent-ly responded and began to attempt to remove the dead buckopotamus.

Now, some of you out there know exactly how labor-intensive moving a dead animal can be. In this instance, officer ogren’s cruiser was equipped with a metal deer rack, one of the ones sliding into the trailer hitch. This puts the rack around knee level for most people. The best way to maneu-ver Bambi onto the rack is to grab the rear legs and drag the rear up and over the rack, in a sort of lift and pull motion. Depending on the size of the deer, it may take more than one lift and pull. You get the picture.

on this day, officer ogren executed a textbook lift and pull, followed by the drop onto the rack. Had there been a report written about the inci-dent, it would have read something like this:

“As Officer Ogren dropped the deer onto the rack, a hot, thick stream of greenish-red anal ejecta exploded

from the anus and struck Officer Ogren in the face and chest area. Said ejecta struck Officer Ogren in the mouth and entered her oral cavity. She became somewhat agitated and she subsequently cleared the scene in order to seek treatment for the +/- half pint of ejecta that remained in her mouth.”However, no report was filed. Be-

cause, really, how in the world do you write that one? Considering the geom-etry, fluid mechanics and atmospheric factors involved, it really was quite the thing. Kinda’ can’t explain it. And, for those of you who actually know officer Ogren personally, you know that she has some of the straightest, whitest teeth east of the Appalachians. Insult to injury right there.

The story does not end there.With a mouth full of absolute gross-

ness, officer ogren then proceeded to drive 4.3 miles (that’s 6.92 kilometers for the rest of the world) without swallowing. That’s pretty impressive seeing as how swallowing is basically something we only think about when we are choking (or, as in this case, when you have a mouth full of liquid dead thing). When she arrived at the Arcadia Forestry Headquarters, the majority of the staff there was having lunch, so there was a fair number of people in the room when the door burst open and in comes officer ogren look-ing like she just walked off the set of The Walking Dead. She had gore all over her face and uniform shirt, which caused the first people to see her to think that she had been shot multiple times.

Chairs fell over as people rushed to help her (and also as some people were hell-bent on getting away from the crazed, screaming, uniformed gore-bag who had just burst through the door). officer ogren did not want to swallow the ejecta in her mouth (for a wide variety of reasons), thus she was left with impaired speech and the only sounds she was able to get out were: “ASH” and “YOOSH”.

ASHYOOSH


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Over and over again she repeated “ASH YOOSH!”, but nobody at that point could understand her. The conver-sation went something like this:Q. Are you ok? What the hell happened

to you?A. Ash yoosh.Q. What??A. ASH yoosh.Q. Wha…..???A. ASH YOOSH ASSH YOOOSH

ASSSH YOOOOOOSH!!!

One of the Forest Rangers called for an Epi-pen because he thought she was having some sort of allergic reaction, while other personnel began getting ready to take her down thinking she was Patient Zero in the zombiepocalypse.

One person apparently knew exactly what had happened. In the middle of the craziness, a laborer named Donna stepped forth and announced:

“The hell is the matter with you people? Can’t you see she’s got the ass juice? What, do I have to

do everything around here?”And with that she stepped up to Of-

ficer ogren and proceeded to pull a full roll of Wintergreen Lifesavers from her pocket. In one smooth motion she stripped of all the wrapping and jammed the entire roll into the officer’s mouth like she was ramming a shotgun shell into the tube.

officer ogren chewed and chewed until the wintergreen flavor overcame the ass-juice flavor, whereupon she spit an enormous glob of wintergreen gore into a nearby garbage can. Arguably the grossest loogie ever, but hey, problem solved. 10-8.

We’ve had a few officers get skunked since officer ogren’s episode, and one Sergeant apparently tastes good to foxes because she’s been bitten by them mul-tiple times. But we haven’t had anyone else ass-juiced, and we hope your agency hasn’t had a member suffer the same fate. Donna has since retired, but to this day we still can’t figure out:a) How she instantly knew that officer

Ogren got ass-juiced. B) How she knew that Wintergreen

Lifesavers are a sure-fire remedy for said illness.

C) What are the odds she had a full roll on her person at the time officer Ogren got ass-juiced? Did she carry them “just in case” she got ass-juiced, or for a situation just like officer Ogren’s seemingly random ass-juicing?

We doubt these questions will ever be answered. To be honest with you, I am not sure I want to know the answers. Who’d have ever guessed at the wisdom that would emanate from all four feet, ten inches of the Hope Valley Sage?

And from this experience we all know that Wintergreen Lifesavers are the go-to remedy for those times you get ass-juiced in the face. Thanks, Jenn, for taking one for the team!

Sergeant Thomas M. SilviaRhode Island Department of Environmental Management


“if you had just taken an hour more…”Written by: Idaho Game Warden Chad Wipperman

it was just another Septem-ber to the farmers as they moved their cows to a new

location. By happenstance, they stumbled onto an odd sight. A large 6x7 bull elk lay dead in the sage brush, baking in the sunlight. As they looked closer they noticed a small circular bullet hole in the elk. It was archery season for elk in Unit 29. They could tell the elk had been killed earlier that morning. They also noticed the elk had been shot right behind the shoulder. Some would say it was a perfect shot. The elk wasn’t gutted either, and appeared to have been left to waste. Not knowing what exactly had happened, they made the call to the Salmon Fish and Game Office to report the poached bull elk.

SCO Zac Sedlmayr and I were in the area and responded immediately. The farmer led us to the elk, where we found boot prints in the dirt. It had rained the night before, so we knew the tracks were from that morning. After checking what boots the farmer was wearing that morn-ing, we knew what kind of boots we were looking for.

SCO Sedlmayr and I knew the importance of finding our suspect, but our first priority was to salvage the meat of the elk so it could be used by the community. To speed up the process, we called Regional Investigator Andy Smith and SCO Matt Sheppard to assist us with the case. While we worked on gutting the elk, and getting it to the meat processer, SCO Sheppard and RI Smith started knocking on doors. The elk had been killed in close proximity to private property, so we believed the suspect may live close by.

Shortly after, checking with some of the landowners in the area, RI Smith and SCO Shep-pard found themselves at James Wagner’s house in Baker, Idaho. Mr. Wagner lived less than a mile from where the elk was killed, and admitted to hunting elk that morning . Wagner denied shooting an elk that morning, but did say he heard a gun-shot. The officers checked Wagner’s boots, which had different tread than

the boot tracks left at the crime scene. Wagner claimed he never changed his boots.

Investigator Smith and SCO Sheppard weren’t buying Wagner’s story. They could tell he was leaving some things out, and shortly after a few more questions, Mr. Wagner admitted to killing the bull elk. He stated he was shooting at a cow, but had killed the bull. Ironically, his mistake happened to be a massive 6x7 elk. He admitted he was planning on going back and getting it.

One comment Wagner made that stood out to officers was, “If you guys had just taken an hour more…” Had that been the case, Wagner likely would have had the elk back to his house and hidden.

When SCO Sedlmayer, Sheppard, and I met with

Wagner later that day, Wagner claimed he would show us the spot where he shot from, however when we arrived near the location he conveniently forgot where he had shot

from, and couldn’t show us the location. It seemed like Wagner wasn’t going to cooperate with us anymore. When confronted with changing his boots, Wagner eventually admitted he “might have” changed his boots. We recovered a pair of Wagner’s boots that matched the boot tracks at kill site.

Wagner was charged with tak-ing a bull elk with a rifle during the archery season and possession of an unlawfully taken elk. Wagner pleaded not guilty to both charges, and a jury trial was held over a year later. The Lemhi County prosecutor did an excellent job during the trial, becoming familiar with the case, and presenting it to the jury. After a two-day jury trial, the jury found James Wagner guilty on both counts.

Wagner was sentenced by Judge Clark to: $630 in fines, plus court costs, $1000 in restitu-tion, and lost his hunting license for two years.

The farmer was given a reward from Citizens Against Poaching for turning in the viola-tion. This case would have gone undetected if it weren’t for good people willing to make the call.


INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST •INTERNATIONAL DIGEST •

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INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST •INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST • INTERNATIONAL DIGEST •INTERNATIONAL DIGEST •

ALBERtA

Two men have pleaded guilty to offences involving the poaching of a grizzly bear in May 2016. Biologists at fRI Research notified alberta Fish and Wildlife officers that a GPS tracking collar on the grizzly bear had stopped reporting.

An investigation determined that the bear had been shot by Ronald Raymond Motkoski on his property near Edson. A resident of his property alerted him to the presence of the grizzly bear on the morning of May 25. Motkoski then took his rifle and drove his aTV down his driveway, where he saw the bear walk-ing towards buildings on his property. Motkoski shot the bear and disposed of the collar. John Peter grant skinned it and tacked the hide to a wood board so that it could be preserved. The bear was three to four years old and weighed approximately 200 pounds.

On September 12, 2017, Edson Provincial Court assessed Motkoski a penalty of fines totaling $12,702.76. On February 7, 2017, Edson Provincial Court assessed Grant a penalty of fines totaling $6,000. Both individuals were suspended from hunting for five years. The fines include restitution to fRI Research for the cost of the collar as well as funding for alberta’s BearSmart program.

On recommendation from the Endan-gered Species Conservation Committee, grizzly bears were listed as Threatened in Alberta in 2010.

ALABAMA

AlABAMA GAMe BReeDeR fiNeD $750,000 fOR illeGAllY iMPORTiNG DeeR

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Birmingham have charged two Northport, Ala., men with knowingly transporting and receiving white-tailed deer into the state – a violation of state law and the federal Lacey Act, which prohibits trade in wildlife, fish and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.

In november 2016, Conservation Enforcement officers with the alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Divi-sion (WFF) arrested deer breeder Lewis

H. “Sonny” Skinner and his associate Franklin Banks Loden for knowingly importing six live white-tailed deer into Alabama from a farm in Indiana. Federal and state charges against the men were announced in Birmingham on Monday, October 2, 2017.

As part of a plea agreement an-nounced Monday, Skinner’s privilege to possess an alabama Game Breeder License or be associated with a game breeder operation has been revoked. Skinner has also agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to the federal Lacey act Reward Fund, and $650,000 in fines and restitution to the State of Alabama, which will be used to further WFF Law Enforcement activities and continue disease testing on wild deer within the state.

According to the plea agreement, Skinner owned and controlled all ac-tivities occurring on Skinner Farms, a private deer breeding business located in Sumter County, ala. Skinner had obtained a game breeder license from the state of Alabama and knew it is a “closed border” state that prohibits the importation of deer.

In November 2016, Skinner arranged for Loden to covertly move the deer from Indiana to Skinner Farms in Alabama. Loden was stopped by WFF Enforce-ment officers in Tuscaloosa, at which time the deer were seized. The seized deer and all captive deer held in Skin-ner’s facility will be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

Comparable to mad cow disease, CWD is a fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of deer. The disease attacks the brain of an infected animal causing it to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior, lose bodily func-tions and die. once CWD is introduced into the environment, it is impossible to eradicate.

“Over the last 15 years, we have watched this disease insidiously spread across the country,” said Capt. Carter Hendrix with the WFF Law Enforce-ment Section. “In fact, it has spread much faster than it naturally should have. This is due largely to human transportation across state lines of infected, harvested animal parts or live animals.”

In 2016, Alabama enacted a ban on the import of deer carcasses from states where CWD has been confirmed. CWD has been found in captive and/or wild deer in 24 states, two Canadian provinc-es, Norway, and South Korea. It is not known to be transmissible to humans or domestic livestock. For a map of CWD states, visit www.outdooralabama.com/map-cwd-north-america.

additionally, CWD has devastating economic effects on deer hunting. The deer hunting industry results in $1.8 billion in annual revenues for the State of alabama. States where CWD oc-curs have experienced a 10-40 percent decrease in license sales. Those states also experience a decrease in hunting opportunities through the loss of access to public and/or leased land if they fall within a CWD management zone.

“Not only is deer hunting in Alabama a $1 billion industry, more importantly it is an integral part of the lifestyle and heritage of many residents and non-residents who enjoy our abundant natural resources,” said Chris Blanken-ship, Commissioner of the alabama Department of Conservation and natu-ral Resources.

There have been no known cases of CWD in alabama.

Currently, alabama has 231 licensed game breeders, which primarily raise white-tailed deer for sale to hunting-enclosure operators throughout the state.

“The arrests and prosecutions of Skinner and Loden are examples of an approach to the enforcement of statutes already in place to protect the resource,” said Michael Weathers, WFF Chief of Law Enforcement. “The most effective way to keep alabama CWD-free was to prohibit the importation of members of the deer family that are known to be susceptible to the disease.”

The importation of deer from other states to Alabama has been prohibited by regulation since 1973. Violations of this regulation are actively investigated by WFF Law Enforcement.

“We’ve focused on preventing the spread of CWD by introducing regula-tions that place restrictions on certain activities within the commercial indus-try, of which Skinner was a member,”



Arizona game and Fish Department. “The department has received many complaints about McReynolds’ hunting activities over the years. Thanks to those individuals who came forward and the diligence of our investigators, we have the evidence to pursue criminal charges for McReynolds’ actions.”

If convicted, the violations carry possi-ble jail time and court fines. In addition, the arizona Game and Fish Commission has authority to seek civil restitution for the loss of wildlife to the state and suspend or revoke McReynolds’ hunting privileges.

CALiFORNiA

CiTY ATTORNeY Mike feueR fileS lAND-MARK CRIMINAL CASES AGAINST THREE AlleGeD iVORY SelleRS; PROSeCuTiONS ARE FIRST IN CALIFORNIA UNDER NEW LAW PROhiBiTiNG All iVORY SAleS

September 6, 2017LoS anGELES – City attorney Mike

Feuer today announced that his office’s Environmental Justice unit has filed three criminal cases against alleged online and storefront sellers of all ivory merchandise following a collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The prosecutions are the first in California under a new law prohibiting any sale of ivory products in California.

“The ivory trade is barbaric. It jeopar-dizes many animals that are at risk or on the verge of extinction,” said Feuer. “My office will vigorously prosecute

Weathers said. “The illegal transport of deer from outside the state by a licensed deer breeder, who is motivated solely by profit, places our entire white-tailed deer herd at risk of this fatal disease.”

The traceability of animals in the breeder industry is vastly important to protection of a state’s wildlife popula-tions. The spread of CWD in Texas in 2015, which was discovered in a captive herd, was mitigated by utilizing a deer breeder electronic database that had been in place since 2009.

“Implementing an electronic database to track animals transported by breed-ers within Alabama would allow an ani-mal’s location history to be immediately determined,” Weathers said. “It would reduce the number of animals and loca-tions put at risk by an infected animal. It would also allow game breeders not linked to a breeding facility affected by CWD to continue business as usual.”

ARiZONA

FIVE MULE DEER TROPHIES RECOVERED DURING SEARCH OF flAGSTAff ReSiDeNT’S hOMe

Following a multi-year investigation by the Arizona game and Fish Depart-ment into the hunting activities of Loren McReynolds, several state and federal agencies served a search warrant at his Flagstaff residence.

During the search of McReynolds’ home, investigators recovered five mule deer trophies that law enforce-ment suspects were unlawfully taken, including notable, non-typical mule deer antlers alleged to be from a deer killed within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. The trophy buck was believed to be a well-known resident deer that lived within the park and was very identifiable.

McReynolds has a previous history of alleged wildlife violations, and was arrested in January 2017 for weapons violations and for killing federally protected burros north of Williams, Arizona.

“We have been working on this case for several years and all of the hard work finally paid off with the service of this search warrant,” said gene Elms, Law Enforcement Branch chief for the

cases alleging ivory sales, because we must protect these rare animals, who are killed so cruelly for the sake of greed.”

“aB 96 banned the ivory trade, but prohibition is meaningless without investigation and enforce-ment,” said State Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). “Thanks to the Depart-ment of Fish and Wildlife and City attorney Feuer and his team, criminals who are perpetuating the horrific slaughter of elephants, narwhals and

other animals are now being prosecuted and a message is being sent to others who would profit from the heartless killing of these creatures: You will be brought to justice.”

“These cases exemplify the mission of our Wildlife Trafficking unit and dem-onstrate that black market trafficking of wildlife in California will not be toler-ated. We stand beside our City attorney partners to take these poachers and traffickers out of business,” said, David Bess, Fish and Wildlife, Chief of Law Enforcement.

“Undercover investigations revealed that, for years, legal markets in Califor-nia provided cover for the illegal ivory market,” said Zak Smith, Director of the natural Resources Defense Council’s (nRDC) Wildlife Trade Initiative. “Thanks to California’s new law, we can crack down on this illicit activity - which is contributing to the death of thousands of elephants. Today’s action should send a strong message to poachers and the cartels behind them that California is closed for business when it comes to ivory.”

“The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) applauds the Los Ange-les City attorney’s office and the Cali-fornia Department of Fish and Wildlife for enforcing aB 96 and bringing ivory traffickers to justice. This conviction is a testament that states can play an integral role in protecting elephants by clamping down on ivory traffick-ing and complementing federal and international enforcement efforts,” said




ment on October 17, 2017 in Depart-ment 47 of the Los angeles County Superior Court.

all ivory pieces identified in the cases by Fish and Wildlife officers were con-fiscated and taken into custody by the department.

Deputy City attorneys Ella Fernan-dez and Nick Karno both with Feuer’s Environmental Justice Unit, are pros-ecuting the cases.

CONNECtiCUt

ENCON POLICE ARREST TWO FOR KILLING BLACK BEAR

On September 16, 2017 the Depart-ment of Energy and Environmental Protection Emergency Dispatch Centers received an anonymous report that an archery hunter had illegally shot and killed two black bears on private prop-erty in Wilton.

officers from DEEP’s Environmental Conservation Police responded to the area. Antonio Lio, age 28, of Wilton was observed exiting the woods alleg-edly carrying a bear skin, head and paws stored in his backpack with Daniel Moran, age 33, of Norwalk. Lio allegedly stated that he shot the first bear as it was walking under his tree stand. Lio further admitted that, while checking on the deceased bear, a second bear approached him. Lio stated he then shot and killed the second bear. Lio stated he texted Moran to assist in retrieving the bears from their location. Upon arrival Moran and Lio allegedly skinned the first bear, cutting off its paws and head, for a trophy mount. Lio did not have a valid 2017 hunting license or archery permit.

After the initial investigation both individuals were arrested. Lio was charged with violation of C.G.S. 26-80a Illegal taking of black bear (2 counts) and violation of C.G.S 53a-217a(e)(1) Negligent Hunting 4th degree and was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond. Moran was charged with violation of C.G.S. 53a-48 / 26-80a Conspiracy to Commit Illegal taking of black bear and was released on a $3,000 non-surety bond. Both Lio and Moran are scheduled to appear in gA 20 Norwalk Superior Court on September 28th.

Jennifer Fearing, HSUS’ legislative advocate in Sacramento. “California’s humane leadership boosts the growing momentum to outlaw the ivory trade worldwide.” HSUS sponsored Assembly Bill 96.

In July 2016, aB96 (Atkins) went into law prohibiting the purchase or sale of products con-taining ivory, derived from animals including the elephant tusks, hippopotamus teeth, mammoth tusks, mastodon tusks, wal-rus tusks, warthog tusks, whale tusks, or narwhal and rhinoceros horns. Each of the alleged ivory violations carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and $40,000 in penalties.

antonio’s Bella Casa and its owner anthony James Buccola, were each charged with two criminal counts for the possession and sale of ivory products. In January, Fish and Wildlife received information that Bella Casa, an antique store located on La Cienega Boulevard, was allegedly offering for sale in its showroom ivory tusks measuring ap-proximately 79 inches from a narwhal, a medium sized whale found in the waters

outside Canada and greenland. The tusks were being sold for ap-proximately $35,000 each. Narwhals are rare mammals considered “near threatened” with a total worldwide popu-lation of only 50,000 with many countries adopting strict quotas or bans on importation of tusks.

oleg n. Chakov, was charged with two criminal counts for the illegal sale of ivory products following an undercover investiga-tion by Fish and Wild-life in April into ivory figurines being offered for sale online over craigslist. officers ar-ranged a buy with the

defendant at a public library on Sunset Boulevard, where he allegedly was found in possession of nine small ivory sculptures worth more than $3,000.

Antiquarian Traders, Inc. and its owner Mark Slotkin, were each charged with seven criminal counts, including possession and offering for sale ivory products as well as possession of various species of mounted birds and a mountain

lion, also illegal for sale in California. a report commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council on elephant ivory trafficking in California tipped off the Department of Fish and Wildlife that illegal ivory products were being sold in Beverly Hills and other shops in Los Angeles. In February under-cover officers were directed by the store employees to a larger 50,000 square foot warehouse used by the business to house similar goods. A subsequent search warrant allegedly discovered 10 ivory art deco pieces and mounted animals being offered for prices ranging from $4,500 to $30,000.

All cases are scheduled for arraign-



5 individuals will face the revocation of their hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges.

Daniel Gutierrez was fined and plead no Contest to using a License Issued to another, Criminal Trespass, and unlawful Possession of Big Game. He was fined a total of $500 dollars on these 3 counts and paid $229 in court costs. Daniel gutierrez was required by the courts to forfeit his Custom Tikka 7mm Long Range rifle and scope to the nM Dept. of Game and Fish. The Barbary sheep killed in December 2015 had a horn length measurement of 28 5/8 and the Barbary sheep killed in February 2016 had a horn length measurement of 27 0/8. These Barbary sheep are considered valuable trophies and were given a value of $4000 each by NM State regulations. The NM Dept. of game and Fish is subsequently pursuing $8,000

NEW MExiCO

On February 13th, 2016, NM Dept. of Game and Fish Conservation officer Zach Chavez initiated an investiga-tion into 6 individuals reported to be trespassing on private property where one of them had killed a Barbary sheep. When officer Chavez arrived on scene, he witnessed the 6 individuals walking on posted Rio Hondo private property. An individual named Daniel Gutierrez had killed a Barbary sheep on the Rio Hondo private property, which was posted against criminal trespass. officer Chavez checked Dan-iel Gutierrez’s Barbary sheep hunting li-cense and noticed he was using a license belonging to Pat Luna. Daniel had signed Pat Luna’s license and punched a hole in it, which is a required step in the tagging process. officer Chavez seized Daniel Guti-errez’s Custom Tikka 7 MM Long Range rifle and scope. officer Chavez also seized the illegally killed Barbary sheep and the license issued to Pat Luna. The other 5 trespassers were identi-fied as Mark Quintana, Martin Sanchez, Donavin Sanchez, Jared Sanchez, and Patrick ganaway. Donavin Sanchez had a bench warrant and was arrested.

nM Dept. of Game and Fish officer Tyson Sanders, who assisted with the investigation, immediately recognized Daniel from Facebook pictures of him posing with another Barbary sheep he killed during the same license year in December. officer Sanders later located an eyewitness who saw Daniel gutier-rez kill the Barbary sheep in December.

On February 16th, 2016, NM Dept. of Game and Fish Conservation officer John Martsh located a Barbary sheep hide brought into Majestic Monarchs taxidermy shop between 11/24/15 and 1/4/16. The shop owner Denis Otero said Daniel called him the night before to give him a license number so he could be in legal possession of the Barbary sheep hide. The license number was 1067805, which belonged to a different

individual who drew the license on the same draw application as Daniel gutier-rez. The individual was contacted and said he had not killed a Barbary sheep this license year and was planning on going hunting the next weekend. He said he had not brought any Barbary sheep into any taxidermy shops this license year. He said he had spoken to Daniel recently and did not give him his license number, but Daniel did have access to his account and login informa-tion. Daniel later voluntarily gave up the Barbary sheep head belonging to the Barbary sheep he killed in December.

Mark Quintana, Martin Sanchez, Donavin Sanchez, Jared Sanchez, and Patrick Ganaway all plead no Contest to one count of Criminal Trespass and paid court costs of $123. Criminal Trespass when in connection with hunt activities, is a revocable offence and all




in enhanced civil penalties based on the nature of the violations and the Safari Club International horn length mea-surements. From this case, Daniel guti-errez has accrued 50 points toward the revocation of his hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges. The Department only requires an accrual of 20 points to revoke an individual’s privileges and will be pursuing the revocation of Daniel gutierrez’s privileges for this egregious violation.

ONtARiO

$10,000 iN fiNeS fOR OVeR-liMiT Of WAlleYe fROM lAke eRie

September 20 2017Two men have been fined a total of

$10,000 for possessing an over-limit of walleye caught in Lake Erie.

Johan Enns of Drayton and Isaac Enns of St. Clements both pleaded guilty and were each fined $5,000 for possessing more than the allowable number of walleye caught in Lake Erie. In addition to the fines, four fishing rods, two tackle boxes, two coolers and 50 walleye were forfeited to the Crown.

Court heard that on July 29, 2017, conservation officers with the Southern Marine Enforcement Unit in Wheatley were conducting inspections of anglers at the Leamington Municipal Marina. The officers contacted the two men in the parking lot, where they indicated they had just returned from fishing on

Lake Erie and were preparing to leave. Upon inspecting their two vehicles and boat, the officers found 50 walleye in two coolers. This is 38 walleye over their possession limit of six walleye each.

Justice of the Peace Elizabeth Neilson heard the case in the ontario Court of Justice, Windsor, on September 18, 2017.

Anglers are reminded that it is illegal to catch and keep an over-limit of fish. An individual may not retain more than the possession limit of that species. Possession includes storing fish at home in freezers or other locations, as well as transporting them, holding them in live wells, coolers or eating them as part of a day’s meal.

For further information on fishing regulations, please consult the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary, avail-able at ontario.ca/fishing.

To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).

WyOMiNG

UTAH MAN LOSES HUNTING AND FISHING PRIVILEGES FOR 3 FALSE OATH CHARGES

A Utah man found out what happens when you claim residency in three states in order to buy resident hunting and

fishing licenses. Wyoming game and Fish Department

Southwest access yes Coordinator andy Countryman contacted Timothy Haws in the fall of 2015, while he was elk hunting on his resident general elk license on Red Dugway Road in Uinta County. Haws stated he lived in Lyman, Wyoming. However, during Country-man’s contact with Haws, several concerns led to a further investigation of residency status. When contacted later the following spring, Mr. Haws was in Washington, Utah with his family. “It was discovered that he had made false statements to procure Wyoming resident hunting/fishing licenses from 2011-2015,” Countryman said. “Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Com-mission verified Mr. Haws purchased resident hunting and fishing licenses in 2011 and Utah Department of Natural Resources confirmed Mr. Haws pur-chased resident fishing licenses in 2012 and 2013. Other evidence collected led to the prosecution of false oath statements from 2011-2015.”

“The case was finalized on December 8th, 2016,” Countryman said. “Haws pled guilty to five counts of false swearing to obtain resident Wyoming hunting and fishing licenses from the years 2011-2015. The uinta County court sentenced Haws to pay $10,880 in fines and restitution and he will have to serve five consecutive days in the uinta County Detention Center. also, he will have all game and Fish license privileges suspended for 10 years and will be entered into the Wildlife Violator Compact agreement of 45 states.”

Wyoming state statute says, “…a person shall be domiciled in Wyoming for not less than one (1) full year im-mediately preceding the date the person applies for the license, preference point, permit or tag and shall not have claimed residency in any other state, territory or country for any purpose during that one (1) year period” to qualify for a resident hunting or fishing license. It also states a person shall lose his residency in Wyoming if he moves to another state, territory, or country and makes it his do-micile, or makes any claim of residency for any purpose to that state, territory, or country.




USFWUS fish and Wildlife Service ‘Crashes’ Down on Suspected rhino Horn trafficking

MORE than 150 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents and refuge officers, with Homeland Security In-vestigations agents, Internal Revenue Service agents and state conservation officers, have arrested 7 people and executed 13 search warrants as part of operation Crash, a nationwide undercover inves-tigation of illegal trafficking in rhinoceros horn.

These members of an alleged organized crime ring trafficking in rhino horn were arrested and charged with conspiracy and viola-tions of the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act for purchasing rhino horns from various suppliers in the U.S. In coordinated raids in five states, agents seized 37 rhinoceros horns and prod-ucts made from horns such as dagger handles and liba-tion cups. Also seized during the course of the operation were approximately $1 mil-lion in cash and another $1 million in gold ingots, as well as diamonds and Rolex watches.

“Trafficking in rhino horn is about greed, pure and simple. People who smuggle rhino horn, regardless of where it comes from, are no better than the poachers in Africa who hack off the horns of living rhinos and leave them to die a horrible death,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “This week’s arrests are only the begin-ning of a coordinated international effort to crack down on rhino horn smug-gling and stop the senseless slaughter of these amazing animals.”

Rising global demand for rhino horn – both for alleged medicinal value and ornamental use – has led to an epidemic of poaching in Africa, as well as theft and illegal trade in rhino horns from

museums and private collections. Illegal trafficking in rhino horn threatens to reverse decades of rhino conservation work in Africa and Asia, driving rhinos to the brink of extinction in the wild. Scientists have found no evidence to support its alleged medicinal power – it is made of the same stuff as fingernails – and many practitioners have stopped using it. But traditional beliefs about its powers as a cure for cancer have driven demand in recent years. Intricately carved rhino horns are also prized by many cultures.

The Endangered Species Act protects four of the five existing rhino species (Black, Sumatran, Javan, and Indian) as endangered, which makes interstate

or international trade of them or their parts illegal in the United States, except with a special permit. The white rhino is partially protected by the ESA, with the northern white rhino subspecies listed while the southern white rhino subspecies is not.

All rhinos are also protected by the Convention on Interna-tional Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), of which the United States is a member. CITES regulates commer-cial trade in rhinos among member countries worldwide. Commercial trade in rhinos, including parts and products, is generally prohibited under CITES.

Wild rhinos can still be found in parts of Asia and africa. But many live in small, fragmented populations that are vulnerable to collapse due to lack of breeding opportuni-ties and risk of random events or disease.

Before 1900, black rhinos occurred throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, but between 1970 and 1992, rhino

populations declined by an astounding 96 percent. Black rhinos went extinct in many range states, and by 1992, only 2,300 individuals survived in 7 countries.

Sumatran rhinos have decreased by 50 percent in the past 18 years, leaving less than 200 surviving, primarily in In-donesia and Malaysia. The Javan rhino, the rarest of the rhino species with between 27 and 44 animals remaining, survives only in Indonesia. With strict protection from Indian and Nepalese wildlife authorities, the greater one-horned rhino of India and Nepal has recovered from fewer than 200 earlier in the 20th century to as many as 2,850 today. However, even with population




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increases, poaching pressure has remained high in both countries.

The southern white rhino is considered one of the world’s great conservation successes. Decimated by hunting, southern white rhinos nearly became extinct, with fewer than 100 surviving in the wild. Decades of strong law enforcement and conservation management enabled the subspecies to rebound to a population of about 20,150 in 2011, making it the most abundant of all rhinos. As with the greater one-horned rhino, the current poaching onslaught threatens to reverse this success and push the white rhino back into decline.

Despite existing protections and anti-poaching efforts, illegal trade on the global black market flourishes and continues to attract poach-ers. Over the past few years, demand for rhino horn and the prices people are willing to pay have sky-rocketed as economic growth in Asia has created new wealth for millions of people. As a result, rhino horn prices have risen to the point that, pound-for-pound, it may be more valuable than gold or cocaine.

The investigations of Operation Crash show that people in the United States can be lured by that value. Unscrupulous operators are buying up rhino horn here and smuggling it to Vietnam and other Asian countries for medicinal use and as status symbols for wealthy elites. And poaching has increased exponentially in Africa and Asia, leading to the deaths of more than 400 rhinos in the past year alone.

“Rhinos are a part of our planet’s conservation heritage, and everyone has a stake in ensuring that they thrive in the wild,” said Ashe. “The fact that our nation is being used as a base and a transshipment point by criminals seek-ing to profit on the deaths of hundreds

of rhinos makes it imperative that we act here and now to shut them down.”

The Service has a dedicated staff of Law Enforcement agents and inspectors who

enforce national and international wildlife laws, including the interstate and foreign commerce provisions of the Endangered Species Act and Lacey Act. In addition to investigating wildlife crimes that occur on U.S. soil, agents work with other countries on training and monitoring trade activities.

Ashe noted that law enforcement efforts are only a part of the

Fish and Wildlife Service’s coordinated efforts to en-sure the future of rhinos in the wild. Through the Service’s Wildlife With-out Borders Rhinoceros

and Tiger Conservation Fund, the Service provides

grants throughout Africa and Asia to groups and governments

seeking to protect and recover rhino populations.

Funding has supported anti-poaching teams, provided training and equipment for game wardens and investigators, fos-tered reintroductions to habitat where rhinos have gone extinct, and developed conservation education and outreach for people living near the rhino habitats.

And law enforcement operations will continue in the United States and abroad, as the Service works with Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and international law enforce-ment agencies to target and

arrest poachers and smugglers across the globe.

“As these arrests demonstrate, we take wildlife trafficking seriously, and will do everything we can to identify and disrupt smuggling operations and hold the perpetrators to account,” said William C. Woody, Chief of Law Enforcement. “The future of the rhino in the wild depends on a sustained, coordi-nated law enforcement effort.”



This year, over one thousand rangers of Thailand’s national parks gathered in a ceremony today at Khao Yai National Park to mark World Ranger Day. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DnP) host the annual event attended by senior government agency representatives and the conservation NgOs who work with Thailand’s rangers to protect Thailand’s natural heritage. Conservationist Jane goodall is ambassador of the Thin green Line Foundation which this year is supporting the compensa-tion fund for rangers and their families killed in the line of duty.

Today, there are 28,000 rangers deployed across Thailand’s na-tional parks. They are Thailand’s frontline defense of its parks, protected areas and wildlife. They put themselves at daily risk, working in remote and dangerous wilderness, under threat of armed poachers. Many are killed directly by poachers and traffickers, while others are injured in the dangerous environments in which they work. Since 2015 there have been 38 ranger fatalities and 17 serious injuries. This year, compensation and service recogni-tion was presented to 13 rangers and their families.

general Surasak Karnjanarat, the Minister of Natural Resources and Envi-ronment, presided over a Ranger parade at 9 a.m. this morning. Mr. Thanya Netithammakun, the Director general of Department of National Parks, Wild-life and Plant Conservation (DnP) and Mr. Suriya Amornrochworawut, the Vice governor of Prachinburi province were in attendance along with the 1,300 Rangers from three departments from which the rangers are drawn: the DNP (800); the Royal Forest Department (400); and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (100).

“This event aims to foster public appreciation for the rangers and their

tHAiLAND

JANe gooDALL StANDS WitH oNe tHoUSAND rANgerS to MArK WorLD rANger DAY

Above: Ceremony commemorates 13 rangers who lost their lives or suffered serious injury in the line of duty protecting Thailand’s wilderness. (Photo Credit: Freeland);Left: Conservationist Jane Goodall, ambassador of the Thin Green Line Foundation (Photo Credit: The Thin Green Line Foundation).

work protecting biodiversity and wildernesses and to honor the rangers who were injured or lost their lives in the line of duty,” said Mr.Thanya Netithammaku. “Protecting nature is both honorable and dangerous so we must salute the brave people that protect our natural heritage and find ways to support them every way we can.”

Dr. Jane goodall addressed her mes-sage, via video, to the rangers directly, saying: “On this, the 10th World Ranger Day, I’m sending a message to all of you brave rangers and everyone who’s helping you in your so important work. I know that many of you risk your lives almost every day and this is because the fight against the poach-ers is becoming almost like a war. I honor you,

I salute you. I wish you the best of luck in the months and years to come.”

Freeland, the Bangkok based anti-trafficking nGo was a co-host of the event. For 17 years, Freeland’s Surviv-ing Together program has improved front-line protection by providing ranger

training, equipment, wildlife monitoring systems and sup-porting local communities. “The risks faced by rangers are increasing every year”, says Freeland’s Tim Redford. He continued,

“What we are seeing is poachers with war weapons, not some-body trying to feed their kids. Wildlife trafficking is now worth an estimated $20 billion a year and the compounding tragedy is that the value of endangered species rises as their number falls, so international criminal syndicates are intent on plundering Thailand’s natural heritage until they get every last one. Sometimes it does feel like a war but with the right training, the right equip-ment and, critically, with the extraor-

dinary commitment of rangers, it is one we can win.”



OLDtiMERS CORNER: Notes from the Last Century

BEAR AttACKSOLD “BEAR” Moore had been eaten by a grizzly somewhere in the San Mateo Mountains of New Mexico. Well, not exactly eaten, but closely approximating that definition. Later, once he had recu-perated, he established some diggings southwest of there in what is now the gila Wilderness to continue his search for and dreaming about gold, but mainly to hide his ugly, mauled, misshapen face. The manzanita bushes and the pinyon trees didn’t care what Moore looked like. This was in the late 1800’s.

He lived in a cave over on Turkey Creek most of the time. The cabin he built is still there on the West Fork of the gila River, dilapidated and roof long gone. However, part of the walls still stood the last time I passed while on horseback patrol through the area in the 60’s. There were port holes on all sides, holes beveled to allow for shooting from any angle, in case of an Indian attack. He had a garden of pumpkins and corn, which was as civilized as Moore got. Although it is said he wrote a diary in a fine, educated hand. He shunned most people, and just prospected, hunted, and set heavy, intricate, log bear traps all over the country.

In the 1920’s, a government hunter, Albert Pickens, found Moore’s remains over on Brushy Mountain. He had some venison in a tree there and a few beans, and there was a frying pan atop the signs of a campfire. Pickens couldn’t tell if he had been killed by a bear or just partially eaten by one after dying of something else. He buried him there near a big juniper tree and the grave wasn’t discovered for about fifty years. Bear Moore would have liked it better, I suppose, if it had never been found. I rode horseback into where the well-hidden grave was located with a couple of other retired wardens a few years ago. The frying pan was still there wired to a tree.

We didn’t have a single bear attack in New Mexico the ten years I was a

game warden there and, though black bears are plentiful, there hadn’t been a grizzly in the state since the 1930’s. In Alaska, where I moved later in life, bear attacks were a frequent occurrence. Hardly a year goes by when there aren’t at least a few attacks.

And sometimes close to home.

A friend and fellow game warden, Al Thomp-son, was mauled by a grizzly while bow hunt-ing for moose with his wife several years back not far from where we lived on the Kenai Pen-insula. He and Joyce had their gear on their backs, and Al had taken along his .44 magnum revolver for bear protection.

That first evening they set up camp by building a log lean-to, covering the front with a sheet of plastic to ward off the September frost. Their campfire was established nearby and banked with logs to keep it burning most of the night. They had seen fresh bear sign in several places on the trek in, and when they turned in for the night, Al kept the handgun laid out nearby on a yellow paper towel for better visibility.

Late on their third night in camp, Al was awakened by something near the lean-to. He silently awakened Joyce, telling her to lie still, while he fumbled for the revolver. The “something” was a large brown/grizzly bear which came crashing through the plastic on top of them before Al had time to do anything. He repeatedly struck the bear in the muzzle with his fist, which only further enraged the bruin, who wrenched loose and bit Al through the left forearm. He then began to gnaw on Al’s head, trying

to get a grip on the scalp or crush the skull.

The bear then seized Al in its jaws and car-ried him downhill about twenty-five yards, where he dropped him, and started the mauling anew. Al knew he needed to try something else--fighting the bear wasn’t working. So he went limp and played dead. That worked and the bear left.

Al groped his way through the dark back to their camp. The front of his scalp was gone, his left arm hung useless, and his back was man-gled flesh. He and Joyce, who was unharmed, built the fire up, made tea, and waited for daylight,

still another painful three hours away. There was no way out except by foot, and no other hunters nearby to assist. They set out down the trail afoot – seventeen miles to the road. Two local police of-ficers found them sitting by the side of the road and rushed Al to the hospital. Later a helicopter was taken out to the site of the attack and searchers were able to find the missing scalp. They placed it in a saline solution to keep it fresh and headed for town, where it was sewn back on.

The scar on Al’s forehead became a part of his character. He never hesitated to show it to the school kids, along with slides of animals, and his yarns about the outdoors. The kids loved his stories. I remember the little boy who said to me, “We sure like to have Mr. Thompson come and talk his stories...I liked the one where the bear ate him best of all.”

Stephen Reynolds is a retired captain with the Alaska Wildlife Troopers. His books are available on Amazon.com.

“searchers Were able to FInd the

mIssIng scalp”



2016 Look Who’s Reading Winner!Nebraska Conservation Officer Dan evasco is the winner of the 2016 “look Who’s Reading international Game War-den” contest, for submitting a group photo of ten Nebraska Conservation Officers in front of their “Stop Poaching” trailer. The photo was used on the back cover of the winter 2016/17 issue. Dan evasco is entitled to an “early bird” registration to the 2017 NAWeOA conference in Ontario.

yOU COULD BE A WiNNER tOO!Reader feedback shows that officers like getting to know their colleagues across North America and beyond. Just send in a snapshot of an officer - or your whole officer organization - so we can see who’s reading iGW in your part of the world. Please include the following information with your photo …

1. Title, agency and full name of officers2. Location shown in the photo3. how long you’ve been an iGW reader4. Why you read IGW5. How we can contact you ... and submit it to: look Who’s Reading iGW PO Box 1461, Mead, WA 99021 or email: [email protected]

Published byNorth AmericanWildlife EnforcementOfficers AssociationP.O. Box 462, Shokan New York 12481


Printed by The Printers.com, State College PAPrinted by The Printers.com, State College PA

Look Who’s Reading international Game Warden

Today we had a retiree’s Gathering of NYS environmental Conservation Police Officers at the Chat-a-Whyle Restaurant, located on Main Street in Bath, NY. We periodically meet about four times from the spring to the fall to renew old friendships and enjoy the camaraderie of folks we depended on during our years of service. Lots of storytelling and laughter ensues. I have attached hereto a photo for our entry.

Front row L to R, Thomas Flaitz, Charles Winant, William Powell, Alan Mills, Gid Hanggi Rear row L to R, Thomas Stoner, Joseph Creta, John Hill, Dan Ward, Les Wilson, Jud Peck.

That’s me in the front row center holding the commemorative shirt of the NOWeOA 2017 Conference. Should you need further info, you can email me or i reside at 3450 Pole Bridge Road, Geneseo, NY 14454 (h) 585-243-3454. I am a LIFE Member of NOWEOA and read the publication to keep up to date on current events in the field of Conservation law enforcement. i’ve been reading the publication since it first went to print and i retired in 2001 at the rank of Captain after a 35 year career as a Conservation Lawman in NYS.

Best regards, Bill Powell, Ret, Capt.

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