New Mexico Man Charged With Poaching Spree

[noharleyyet]

http://www.huntthewest.com/2011/NMp...tm_campaign=Feed:+HuntTheWest+(Hunt+the+West)

A Taos man with a history of wildlife crimes has been charged with 39 counts of poaching in connection with the illegal killing and possession of 29 deer, five bears, one cougar and four elk through August 2010.

Ray Cortez, 25, also is accused of outfitting without a license and throwing the carcasses of several deer and elk off the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. He pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear for a pre-trial hearing April 19 before Taos Magistrate Betty J. Martinez.

Cortez previously was convicted of hunting cougars in a closed area, hunting cougars without a license, hunting turkeys during a closed season, and violating the Valle Vidal summer closure.

The current charges against Cortez were filed Jan. 21 following an investigation by Department of Game and Fish officers that included three search warrants that turned up evidence alleging that Cortez possessed numerous game animal parts but no licenses or carcass tags to show legal ownership. A charge of tampering with evidence was filed after officers rappelled into the Rio Grande Gorge and recovered heads and carcasses of 12 deer and five elk.

Because of his earlier convictions, Cortez could face substantial enhanced criminal penalties. Many of the confiscated deer were trophy size, which subject him to possible enhanced civil penalties to reimburse the state for the loss of valuable game animals.

 

[shoots-straight]

I guess it's not just a Montana issue. I never really did. It seemed that more poaching was up here than the other states. I'm glad that they caught him.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

The only problem is that a guy like that will keep on doing it unless he's sentenced to life in the pokey and that won't happen!!!

 

[ringer]

Agree. The guy is a habitual poacher so he could care less if they pull his license. They need to take his truck and guns and sentence him to some serious time or he will be back at it.

 

[MuddyBull]

I would bet this guy will try to poach something, somehow ,as long as he lives.

 

[tarheel]

Just poke his damned eyes out!

 

[mdunc8]

Here's our latest one in Montana.

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_e34ad716-6fa1-11e0-a246-001cc4c03286.html

 

[174in]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT84PF_CeQo&feature=player_detailpage