Wyoming game managers catch antler poachers in Jackson Hole
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says it caught several people illegally collecting antlers in the Jackson Hole region this spring.
Under Wyoming law, people are prohibited from collecting antlers from Jan. 1 through April 30 in the western part of the state.
South Jackson Game Warden Kyle Lash caught a handful of antler poachers, including one 44-year-old Robert Halligan of Bliss, Idaho who was caught twice in March.
Halligan was sentenced to 10 days in jail, fined $420 and lost his hunting and fishing privileges in Wyoming and 48 other states for one year. Halligan had also been busted for 17 wildlife-related violations in the state of Idaho over the past year.
A second case occurred in the same area a couple of weeks later on the night of April 11 when an individual dropped off two guys who wanted to get a jump on other antler hunters. Danny Durante of Thayne pled guilty and was sentenced to $1720 in fines and loss of hunting and fishing privileges for two years. James “Stu” Rollman, of Alpine, had to pay $805 in fines and lost his hunting and fishing privileges for one year. The driver of the car also received a $435 fine for their part in the antler poaching spree.
“I would like to thank the judge and the prosecuting attorneys for all their help,” said Warden Lash to the Jackson Hole Daily newspaper. “Having heavy fines with stiff penalties like the loss of hunting and fishing privileges — and even jail time for folks that have had priors — hopefully that will deter people from poaching shed antlers.”
Warden Lash currently has a third case pending a court appearance that had to be postponed until June 27. The individual has been cited for violation of the antler hunting regulation and the seasonal closure on the South Park Wildlife Habitat Managment Area south of Jackson.
