Common theme

[mtmiller]

The more you know the more interesting it gets.

HAVRE, Mont. – A Billings man who won the coveted bighorn sheep permit in the state’s 2008 SuperTag Lottery, trespassed to take an animal, and then misrepresented where he shot a trophy ram has been sentenced on related criminal charges.

Shawn Hall, 33, pleaded guilty in Havre’s Hill County Justice Court to a misdemeanor count of making a false statement to authorities for lying about where he killed the ram in the fall of 2008. Hall also posted bond on an additional misdemeanor charge of hunting without landowner permission that was filed in connection with the case in Chouteau County’s Hunting District 680.

Hill County Justice of the Peace Terry Stoppa fined Hall $585 on the false statement charge, and Chouteau County Justice of the Peace Susan Spencer fined him $135 on the charge of hunting without landowner permission. Hall was sentenced to 180 days in jail with all but one day suspended with credit for time served and forfeited his privileges to hunt, fish and trap in Montana for two years. In addition, Hall lost the privilege to apply for any special hunting permits and must obey all other laws.

The annual SuperTag Lottery allows hunters to purchase unlimited $5 chances to win special licenses to hunt moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, antelope, elk, deer, bison, and mountain lion in any legal hunting district in Montana—including the state’s legendary trophy districts. Revenue from the sales is used to enhance hunting access and boost enforcement efforts by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).

FWP Region 6 Warden Sgt. Shane Reno said Shawn Hall and his party were hunting in the Missouri River Breaks when the illegal activities occurred on Oct. 2, 2008. Hall and the other members of his party had located a large, 9-1/2 year-old ram in an area not accessible to hunting without landowner permission. With the help of members of his hunting party, Hall killed the ram.

After Hall’s ram was killed, Reno said the group packed the animal out to their all-terrain vehicles across the private land, again without permission, and left for Havre to report Hall’s bighorn harvest to state authorities, as is required.

Reno and then-FWP Biologist Al Rosgaard checked the sheep when the group arrived in Havre. During the process, Reno said Hall gave them a false harvest location that was in an area seven miles from the true location of the kill. An ensuing investigation revealed the exact place where the ram was killed.

“It’s very unfortunate that this ram was taken this way,” Reno said. “There are excellent opportunities for permit holders to harvest a once-in-a-lifetime bighorn sheep in the Missouri River Breaks and be totally within the scope of the law when doing so. For those who take the time to make a few arrangements with private landowners and contact public land agencies and area wildlife officials, taking a bighorn sheep legally and ethically is well within the grasp of any hunter who is fortunate enough to get a permit.”

 

[Buschy]

mtmiller,

I promise not to do that on my sheep hunt in the Breaks this fall. I am already packed and am just waiting for the tag!

 

[The Hedgehog]

Is that the ram that was draped over the ATV that was being emailed around in photos 2 seasons back?

 

[Drake4]

I'm pretty sure this is the ram..

 

[mtmiller]

....Shawn Hall and his party were hunting in the Missouri River Breaks when the illegal activities occurred on Oct. 2, 2008. Hall and the other members of his party had located a large, 9-1/2 year-old ram in an area not accessible to hunting without landowner permission. With the help of members of his hunting party, Hall killed the ram.

Anyone want to take a stab on the name of one of the guys in the "party"/

 

[Drake4]

I would guess Mr. Lewton..but I would think he would be front and center in the picture if he was involved.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Are any of the names of the hunting party the same names that have been involved in another recent trial?

If so I think I might be changing my perspective on a few things.

 

[Big Fin]

Thanks for posting that Miller. I am so tired of this crap. The part that amazes me is how many people hold these kind of guys on a high pedestal and refuse to believe that anything could have been done wrong. And if you bring out facts, the crowd comes after the person relaying the facts as being jealous, or inept, or have a vendetta, or .............

I don't agree with the boondoggle of what went down with FWP shooting a huge ram to try convict Lewton, but if crap like this was not happening, and happening with such great regularity, I suspect the agencies would not feel pressured to try nab some of them.

But I am sure this group will say that FWP was picking on them because they shot a big ram. Or some other BS story.

I thought MT had a rule about illegal take of "trophy animals" that carried much stiffer penalties than what this guy received. Maybe this did not qualify as illegal take, as it was mostly related to tresspassing and false reporting.

 

[mtmiller]

I just shake my head to see that Lewton was present on both of these hunts within a two week period.

I also have to laugh when I see Mr. Hall defending Lewton on Bowsite.

Lewton told me numerous times throughout my hunt that he wished he would have saved that ram for me because of how appreciative I was and just my basic character, not to mention being a lifetime resident of MT. Lewton helped me with my Super Tag hunt a week and a half later and as soon as i checked my ram in havre they were all over me as well. I have nothing more than assumptions put on me, not for lack of trying though, but it still is a matter of what happened throughout the 2008 680 sheep season.

Either way, where has ethical hunting gone?

680 is a great unit with some great sheep. Strong possibility the bad rep starts with a few land owners and carried out by an individual in FWP. It happened to the 07 supertag holder and again last year, the common thread is lewton. There is a huge hardon for lewton up there but hopefully it will be done and over with soon. Some people are just jealous of what others can do.

I also have some emails between Hall and myself, but it would be inappropriate to share those comments here. Let's just say there is a pile of hypocricy.

 

[Moe]

Can anyone post some legal info/link with Lewton being involved in this incedent too?

Please do so.

I'm begging you!

I know another uh... forum (or two) where a few guys need to be put in their place for defending this Lewton guy, proclaiming to innocently: 'playing devils advocate'; while slamming everything MT/FWP to get thier agenda across to the masses.

Moe

 

[Big Fin]

Moe - On Bowsite, a guy named Shawn Hall, who posts as ST08, stated that Lewton was with him on his hunt. If you read the posts of ST08, he was blaming all of Lewton's problems on some aggressive landowners who don't like Lewton. I asked a similar question on the MT Bowsite forum, but so far, no one is willing to answer a question similar to what you have asked.

Seems like everyone is afraid to question Lewton, or his friends, for fear they will give the appearance of supporting FWP and the fiasco of that event.

I suspect it is the same guy, unless some other dude named Shawn Hall, has the same name as ST08 does over on Bowsite, and they both had a chance to hunt sheep on the north side of the Breaks, in the same year.

Those are an awful lot of coincidences that have to happen for it not to be the same guy, but........just sayin'.

 

[Big Slick]

This is not just unfortunate for the MT resident hunters but also for the other states that raffle these type of tags. Just gives everyone a black eye. As was mentioned above every time someone harvest a good animal they get scrutinized by our fellow hunters because of these type of people. The whole trust factor is erased and the questions begin. Are we sure Chuck Adams wasn't there?

 

[Moe]

I'm guessing ST08 stands for Super Tag 2008?

Yeah, I think its safe to say its the same guy.

Moe

 

[Moe]

Let the back peddaling begin....

...................

On your recomendation BigFin I looked at BOWSITE and as you probably knew already some 'drama' apparently unfolded on the thread itself around Aug. 15th where someone going by BHBMT apparently even witnessed and 'called out' this ST08 dude for committing the exact thing he's now admitted too in court (albeit without elaborating on the forum).

...Whatever BHBMT knew and saw was enough to make the ST08 about chit his pants and you can tell. He even went so far as to publicly 'apologize online', but not quite enough to appease the witness and I'm glad for that.

................

The dead record-animal aside/ lets focus on some issues with Game Violations and whether they matter to MT hunters or not in this situation??

- First lets go back and say 'there had to be at least one valid-tresspassing charge to have had FWP take on the sting to begin with' (and I'm betting there were at least two for it to be so in-depth as to risk reputation of FWP rigging the Drawing).

- Second, its obvious to anyone who hunts that Lewton did in fact commit some violations during this hunt he's been charged and cleared of (tresspassing just to name one). I'm going on 'common-sense', not what a jury of nonhunters Without all the FACTS has unfortunately already decided.

- NOW, we have 'this little revelation' about ANOTHER tresspassing violation to take trophy game with Lewton in on the party.

Thats 3 Strikes Folks!...

He's guilty of crimes in the pursuit of our wildlife resources and that by definition is a POACHER. Any suggestion his extensive tresspassing-record is a non-issue is someone on the wrong side of the law themselves I suspect?

While FWP may have "taken away" one of MT's precious trophy's, its obvious this dude 'has been in-on the taking of them for 20 years'; and not always lawfully. It ALSO sadly calls into question EVERY hunt he's ever been on; whether some were taken fair-chase (without tresspassing) or not?
............
Anyone who thinks he doesn't make money on his hunters' success has long been looking at this story with a different set of eyes. The kid who "sat on the ram for 4 days straight till the hunter could kill it" and "ran out of food and water" sure as heck got paid by somebody for doing it; if not I think I'm in lala land Montana for stupid people?

The well worn analogy: "..but what if my brother shows me where one is and I bought him a tank of gas" is ludicrous and someone likely again- whose been found committing game violations in the state and went running with this online to get even.
......................

NOW here's the clicher...What makes this NEW INFO really sad...


The fact that 'ST08 knew all along while he was typing on-and-on about 'poor Mr. Lewton', and that other BS he shared; ..'that if HE had just come clean and maybe even testified to the fact that HE was also guided/was coached/and tresspassed to achieve his trophy during the Super Tag 2008 with Mr. Lewton (only two weeks later) ---OR ---his case and "admition of guilt" had preceded or had been included in this past trial----might "the JURY have heard the whole story" and might we have had a different outcome??
...............................

I think BOWSITE might need a new thread - to get this subject back to-the-top; and someone call this dude out ------ titled:: "Sorry Tresspasser 2008" should do the trick?


Moe

 

[Big Fin]

Moe:

Seems like that is the way those dots get connected, doesn't it. After Miller posted that article, a lot more questions come to mind.

I figure ST08 is in hiding and is not going to come forward and explain all the coincidences between his hunt and the FWP case with Lewton. And is staunch defense of Lewton.

I think ST08 knew he had stepped in it, as some guys who have remained very quite watched the entire thing go down. I suspect those guys were a little pissed, if they had went through the process of acquiring permission, to see some trespassers shoot a ram they might have been following.

Guys who are habitually committing intentional trespass offenses are spineless pukes. If it happened twice in one season, I wonder how many times is happened in previous years, and if that continual trespassing could be the reason that landowners in the area had some hard feelings with the group doing the trespassing.

Let's see, a group habitually trespasses on my property.....am I eventually gonna get mad? Yup.

I wonder what the Lewton fans would think if they were shown the obvious connections. Then again, given that the Shawn Hall guy has lied about a lot of other things, it is completely possible that he is lying that Lewton helped him on the hunt. I doubt it, given how vehemently he defended Lewton as being a victim of some landowner vendetta, but it is possible.

Whatever the mess was with the FWP sting, all these other trespassing pleas seem to indicate that any legal attention attracted by these sheep hunters, may have been well deserved.

 

[Moe]

I wonder what the Lewton fans would think if they were shown the obvious connections. Then again, given that the Shawn Hall guy has lied about a lot of other things, it is completely possible that he is lying that Lewton helped him on the hunt. I doubt it, given how vehemently he defended Lewton as being a victim of some landowner vendetta, but it is possible.

.

I appreciate the quick feedback and apparently we see this mess the same way (from a law abiding-MT hunters' perspective). The thing I need before I can go on another forum and set some dudes straight though, is some form of 'legal link' that states Lewton was in fact on this hunt as well?

I've already broken my own rule about posting without being absolutley 100% certian (obviously not a problem for most) by doing so with my last post on here; but am holding off bumping anything to the top (no matter how tempting); till I'm certain Lewton was in-on this Shawn Hall hunt.

....Once that is shown, move out of the way folks as I am gonna hurt some rednecks' pride all across this country!?

Moe

 

[Big Fin]

And that's exactly why I have been careful to only state that the dots look pretty easy to connect. And I am hesitant to rely on words from some person who has already admitted in court to trespassing and falsifying documents. He says Lewton was on that hunt, but can that word be trusted as it relates to that, or as it relates to anything else?

Until I get the same information you are looking for, it is merely some very interesting coincidences of strange events that involve names of some people who always seem to be operating under the shadow of suspicion.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I'd be interested in knowing who all was involved in that hunting party as well. I've been critical of the way FWP handled the whole Lewton sting operation, not because I'm a fan of Lewton, (I'd never even heard his name before all this) but because it looked a lot like entrapment to me.

The trespass issue is a serious one in my mind because that issue does more to harm landowner/hunter relationships than just about every issue combined.

I'm willing to give the accused the benefit of the doubt when it comes down to overstepping the boundrys/rules that Montana has decided define "fair chase", but when it comes to wanton and flagrant, repeat, trespassing that same person becomes a thief IMO. Not only does he violate the landowner's rights of ownership, he also steals opportunity from ethical hunters when that same landowner denies permission to someone else because he's fed up with trespassing. I see that happening way too often.


I just wish the whole sting deal had gone down differently. I think the sting went south when FWP evidently decided that rather than go for "small time" trespassing charges, they would swing for the fences and nail him on offenses more serious than he had been accused of previously.

 

[mtmiller]

...Whatever BHBMT knew and saw was enough to make the ST08 about chit his pants and you can tell. He even went so far as to publicly 'apologize online', but not quite enough to appease the witness and I'm glad for that.

Moe,

BHBMT is a friend of mine, however I have not talked to him since the summer of 2008 when he was spending some time in the area scouting sheep for a client.

After hearing the shots he found Mr. Hall with the dead sheep. BHBMT was with another guy who took pictures of the ram and Mr. Hall. One of those pictures can be seen in the Eastmans' Sheep issue from last year (the photographer is also credited on the picture).

Not sure how Hall figured he could ever get away with lieing about the kill location. Then to go on Bowsite and make accusations against these same guys seems to not be the smartest strategy. I'm just sayin'.....

 

[Moe]

Moe,

BHBMT is a friend of mine, however I have not talked to him since the summer of 2008 when he was spending some time in the area scouting sheep for a client.

After hearing the shots he found Mr. Hall with the dead sheep. BHBMT was with another guy who took pictures of the ram and Mr. Hall. One of those pictures can be seen in the Eastmans' Sheep issue from last year (the photographer is also credited on the picture).

Not sure how Hall figured he could ever get away with lieing about the kill location. Then to go on Bowsite and make accusations against these same guys seems to not be the smartest strategy. I'm just sayin'.....

Alright, well that gets us a little closer to clearing this thing up?

Is there any way you might contact this BHBMT friend and ask him the most important question of all...

- And that is 'whether in fact Jon Lewton was there as well; in Mr. Hall's hunting party'??
............

Sorry, kinda new on here and missing the inside joke on photo-guy? Also unable to grab an old Eastman magazine off the shelf to see any pics either.
....Are there any pics floating around or videos showing Lewton as being there with Mr. Halls kill? Thats what I'm looking for!
.........Post em if you got em.
..............

My hats off to you for bringing this to our attention on Hunt Talk. If you hadn't I'm not sure hunters would've been able to now see the clear pattern of tresspassing violations that sparked the investigation in the first place.

Good job by to BHBMT and the photographer (?) if they were the ones who helped nab this Mr. Hall. I hope they don’t shy away from coming forward and clearing this mess up about Mr. Lewtons' involvement - if there was any?

Moe