AR-News: (US IN) Montana poaching frustrates officials

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

Associated Press Writer HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Two strangers wandered into the 
Stevensville tavern and the conversation turned to hunting and fishing - not 
unusual in any Montana bar. They asked about one bar regular, a local named Ben 
Ruiz.

Before long, Ruiz approached the pair and said he could not only arrange a 
hunting or fishing trip, but could get one of the men, from Iowa, an illegal 
Montana-resident hunting license - for a price. 
What Ruiz didn't know was the two strangers were undercover state game 
wardens investigating reports that Ruiz, not a licensed outfitter, was arranging 
illegal hunts.

The case of Ruiz, who was later convicted or pleaded guilty to seven 
misdemeanor violations, is just one example of what is considered a troubling trend in 
Montana: people taking cash to help others poach.

Poaching is hardly a new phenomenon in Montana, and the majority of cases 
still involve people illegally killing animals for their own use.

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 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.

Kropp said it's difficult to provide accurate figures on how big an increase 
there has been in illegal hunts. But he said it has been steady enough that 
illegal paid hunts have become a major focus for game wardens.







full story:

http://www.decaturdailydemocrat.com/articles/2004/04/05/news/opinion/editorial
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