Fat-Assed ATV Riders Poach Griz in Idaho Panhandle

[Ten Bears]

MATT, the remoteness of being able to use ATV's in a closed area was the key. They were able to access vast areas of roaded (but closed to motorized travel) areas, and there was no one to stop/see/report them. Please also note the use of silencers, night stalking, out of season, lack of tags....., but of course the way you see it, without ATV's they wouldn't have been able to accomplish any of it, right? Please justify your "fact" either through documented study or self admission.

 

[BuzzH]

Ten beers, the only reason the Ruths were able to pull all that poaching off was because of the roads, much of it was done on roads that were open year round.

How do you suppose they ran their spotlights? I doubt they packed car batteries for their spotlights.

They poached off the roads, just like a VAST majority of poachers do. It amazes me that such simple facts elude you.

 

[noharleyyet]

There was a story on Colorado's Division of Wildlife's web site about a group of poachers they caught after years of investigation. They were buying over the counter tags in game units adjacent to trophy class draw only units. Seems they packed in, arrowed some pretty good bulls and packed them back surreptitiously. Wardens actually discovered kill/quarter sites and dna'd the evidence. Guess my point is: the hard working poachers take higher quality game and are harder to apprehend than the lazy ones.

 

[Nemont]

the hard working poachers take higher quality game and are harder to apprehend than the lazy ones.

Do you think that there are more "hard working" poacher or more lazy ones? I bet there are more lazy ones and if you limited roads you would eliminate most of those idiots.

Nemont

 

[noharleyyet]

Nemont...lazy by a landslide. I'm fine with foot or hoof access although can run into plenty of traffic in the trees with all the other guys who have sense enough to go deep.

 

[Ten Bears]

BUZZ, do you recall how htey were caught?

 

[MattK]

They were being watched by the FWP because of possible problems with out of state hunters. (helping people obtain illegal licenses). They were also being watched because of illegal outfitting.

 

[old-boss-hen]

Here about 15 years or more ago we had a conservation agent that was caught poaching deer, turkey you name it. He did this for about 3 years before he got caught from what I heard. I don't know how true it is but as soon as he lost his job with the conservation dept he and his daughter moved to another state and he became a conservation agent in that state. I don't know what state they were supposed to have moved to either. The dumbest part about it is this man always went a caught other poachers for poaching but never did he turn on the ones he poached with. We called the conservation dept one time because they were spooking our horses and low and behold that certain conservation agent came to our house about 10 minutes after we called it in and then we found out after he got caught that he was telling his frineds the best places to hunt where people would not call it in. Well that SOB got fooled we always called and reported them.

 

[Ten Bears]

I may be mistatken, but they were turned in for being in a closed area by other (local)ATVers that were also riding in the closed area, and kept finding headless and wasted animals. The group that reported finding the animals had to turn themselves in in order to get these dirt bags caught. That is were I was informed the "investigation" started.

 

[Ten Bears]

3. SEELEY LAKE COUPLE CHARGED WITH MULTIPLE FELONIES

On January 27, 2003, Dean and Renita Ruth of Seeley Lake, Montana, were charged with 12 felony and numerous misdemeanor counts involving big game poaching near their home. The couple, whose land abuts state and Plum Creek Timber Company property, maintains their innocence despite the strong case state wildlife officials have against them.

Dean Ruth was first caught seven years ago by Fish, Wildlife & Parks' game warden Bill Koppen while spotlighting (i.e. hunting at night with lamps, which is illegal) in the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area. The Management Area is a state wildlife sanctuary that acts as a corridor for migrating elk and deer each winter. The animals, who are traveling from their summer to winter range, have historically been abundant in this area. In the last several years, however, they have been scarce--a scarcity many attribute to the Ruths' illegal night hunting, accessing non-motorized backcountry with motorized vehicles, using alfalfa as game bait, and taking more animals than permissible with their permits.

While many, including authorities, have been aware of the illegal nature of their activities, they have never been caught in the act. Four-wheel tracks, however, have been found behind locked gates prior to hunting season in areas closed off to vehicles. Neighbor Bob Skiles saw Dean on his four-wheeler approximately six miles into the closed area. After a thorough search of the defendants' property and much evidence found supporting their poaching, law officials are anxious to, according to Koppen, "stop the killing."
http://www.wildlandscpr.org/newsletters/Skid_Marks/skidmarks63.htm

 

[MattK]

"Dean Ruth was first caught seven years ago by Fish, Wildlife & Parks' game warden Bill Koppen while spotlighting (i.e. hunting at night with lamps, which is illegal) in the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area."

I guess they were being watched because of this also. The area they are talking about is legal to drive and has a lot of roads! The other reason they were caught...

"Four-wheel tracks, however, have been found behind locked gates prior to hunting season in areas closed off to vehicles. Neighbor Bob Skiles saw Dean on his four-wheeler approximately six miles into the closed area."

It doesn't say Bob Skiles was on a 4 wheeler when he saw them. Also, the fact there were a lot of tracks behind closed gates gave them a good idea they were in the wrong! A lot easier to catch that way.

 

[Ten Bears]

I'm not denying that poaching DOES occur in roaded areas. It is you (MATT) nad BUZZ that keep saying it DOESN"T happen in unroaded areas. I disagree, I believe it happens more in unroaded/limited access areas then either of you care to realize or acknowledge. I have reported a guy that was spotlighting on an open ridge used by some big muleys fro a bedding area with a spotlight (you know the kind use for predator hunting) attached to his rifle. He was atleast a half mile from the road. So don't tell me all spotlighting occurs in roaded areas only.

Increase in cases



Poaching is hardly a new phenomenon to Montana, and most cases still involve individuals illegally killing animals. The most common citations remain hunting or fishing without a license or hunting on private property without permission.



But wildlife officials say that over the past decade, they have seen an increasing number of cases of what they call "illegal commercialization" of wildlife, in which money — sometimes thousands of dollars — is exchanged to arrange illegal hunts.



"People are willing to pay large amounts of money to kill a trophy animal and don't care if it's illegal or not," said Jim Kropp, chief of law enforcement for the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. "They get comfortable hunting behind locked gates and shooting what they see..... http://espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/s/c_news_poach_on-rise_MT.html

"Four-wheel tracks, however, have been found behind locked gates prior to hunting season in areas closed off to vehicles. Neighbor Bob Skiles saw Dean on his four-wheeler approximately six miles into the closed area."

I doubt Ruth was there for a recreational ride. An ATV for him is just another tool of poaching. I think in another article Skiles (or maybe another person) admitted to have been in the area on an ATV, and having found Ruths kills and trails, and then reported it all.

 

[MattK]

TB- It's a simple equation: More access=More people=More Violations.

 

[BuzzH]

Ten beers, you are one clueless individual. A vast majority of poaching occurs near roads. Poachers are lazy, they dont want to work for their critters. If they worked hard enough to hunt legally, they wouldnt poach.

The people that take hunting serious and hike in, scout, do their homework are committed enough and care enough to not only be successful, but also care enough about the sport and the wildlife to closely observe game laws. These same people are the VERY ones that have legislated a bulk of the game laws.

Why do you suppose the F&G agencies set up the deer/elk/bear decoys near roads? HMMMMM? I wonder.

As for your implication of me poaching, you can stick it up your ass. If you want to accuse me of poaching I suggest we meet and discuss it...you may not like the out-come, but we'll get it ironed out. You can give me all the crap you want on my beliefs, opinions, etc. but you're crossing the line by making unfounded claims like that. I dont invest the time, effort, and money into the sport to degrade it by spot-lighting, killing animals on winter range, etc. I dont hunt remote to avoid detection, I hunt remote to hunt large, old animals and for the quality experience and to get away from low-life scum sucking atv road hunters.

I strongly suggest you back the *uck off on your unfounded accusations before you get yourself in trouble...

 

[cjcj]

Holy Smokes,,,,and i thought i had a short fuse,,,,Buzz i see maybe an infered implication.. but arn`t you overeacting just a little bit?

 

[BuzzH]

cjcj, I dont know...why dont you tell me.

If you took hunting as serious as I do, I doubt you'd like some stupid #ocksucker from Idaho accusing you of about the worse thing you can possibly do as a hunter.

Ten beers, if you think I poach why dont you call the 1-800 numbers provided by the MT, AZ, ID, or WY game and fish. Tell them to come pay me a visit...I'd like to show them my garage full of antlers and my house full of trophies...then I could show them every freaking used deer/elk/sheep/goat/moose/antelope/bear/lion tag I've kept since I was
12 years old.

Right after they pay me a visit, then I'll come up and pay YOU a visit...

Anytime you want to meet and talk about it...I'll make the trip.

 

[cjcj]

Buzz i do take my hunting a serious as you [you get to hunt more] ... But anyone here at Hunttalk knows damn well you would never ever poach, there is no doubt in my mind that you follow all of the rules and have good ethics....as far as how you hunt its up to you and we have had our differences on how to hunt etc....But i would bet anything that Ten Bears does not think of you or Matt as poachers...I don`t see how he could/would think that...but i will let him speak for himself.....Just that i`m not used to you calling someone out for an asswhipping. [never heard you get this angry before]

 

[Delw]

There better not be anyone in SI accussing ANYONE of poaching,


Delw

 

[cjcj]

Can we still cuss?

 

[Delw]

LMAO


Delw