Hunting Violations Wrap-Up

SEELEY LAKE - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Game Warden Bill Koppen has been enforcing the fish and wildlife laws in Seeley Lake for the past 21 years. During the 2014 and 2015 seasons he wrote 54 citations, 15 of which were to hunters who took illegal shots at a decoy, gave 32 verbal warnings and eight written warnings. While he feels the decoy program is an effective deterrent, he is working towards harsher penalties, including weapon forfeiture, for hunters who are caught violating the laws.

Koppen has noticed the hunting trends over the past several years have changed. Saturdays are the busiest hunting days, followed closely by Sunday. He said the weekdays are pretty quiet.

"Compared to 20 years ago, the first three weeks were slamming and then it slowed down," said Koppen.

Koppen said he thinks some of the hunting tradition is being lost because parents are not taking the time to pass this down to their children. Children are also more indoors than outdoors and they have to be "connected."

"They don't want to take a day of hunting because they are going to miss that call or that text," said Koppen.

It also frustrates Koppen for parents to not be taking the time to teach their children proper gun safety, how to hunt legally and ethically and enjoy the hunt, not just the kill.

"I've walked up on five vehicles in my career as a game warden where the guns have gone off in the vehicle," said Koppen. "I just shake my head. Ninety percent of the people point guns up in the vehicle instead of down. I would rather shoot my transmission that my kid. Everyone is so confident in their gun safety and gun handling and it is just atrocious in Montana. "

Koppen said that in the last two years he's written five citations for father-son hunting. In one instance, the son was moving to a place where he could legally shoot the decoy and his father took an illegal shot from the vehicle. The father told Koppen that he didn't think his son was going to have enough time to get the animal so he shot it "since he was trying to get his son his first deer." The father lost privileges to hunt, fish and trap for two years and paid a $185 fine for shooting out of the vehicle.

Two cases included shooting from the vehicle and shooting from the road right of way. Koppen cited the father in both cases with the $185 fine and gave the children warnings.

"That's not a lot of money for shooting out of vehicle," said Koppen. "In other states the fine would be $1,000, they could lose the weapon and could lose the vehicle."

Koppen continued, "It's important for parents to be a good example and obey the laws. We are selling out our wildlife [if the laws are not followed and the focus is just on the kill]. Montana is called the Treasure State because of our wildlife."

US Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Tyler Robinson added that from his experience talking with hunters, if they get out of the vehicle and hunt, they are seeing game. This includes taking their children for a hike.

"It's the ones who road hunt that aren't seeing anything and come to Bill and I and complain," said Robinson. "If you get out and put something into it, you will see the reward."

A few of the other cases still on the books from the past two years include a pending baiting case that happened east of Seeley Lake in July 2014. There were grizzly and black bears found on the bait, which was a barrel chained to a tree.

Another pending case is someone was caught shooting out of the vehicle at the decoy. As it turned out, they were a suspect in another case unrelated to a game violation.

"As the officer I can recommend any loss of privileges," said Koppen. "If I present multiple violations, the judge will consider that."

Robinson said that by working with Koppen in the decoy program, he has the opportunity to catch those with a felony that are in possession of a firearm, a federal offense.

Law enforcement officers can issue verbal or written warnings or citations. They can also recommend a loss of privileges. For any violation, the hunter can post bond, mail in the ticket or they always have the right to go see the judge.

Koppen has worked on four large cases in the past 20 years where hunters have lost their privileges for life and weapons have been held. Koppen would like to see the Montana state legislature take the next step in enforcement. He has been given the approval to pursue a forfeiture of weapons for game violations including: spotlighting at night, shooting from a vehicle, filling other people's tags, non-residents shooting game with a resident's license and gross over limits. If someone turned himself or herself in, they would receive the commission rule regulation fine of $135 but Koppen would not seek a loss of privileges or weapon.

"It should be automatic [for these five violations]," said Koppen. "It would cut down the violations in half if we had just the start of the forfeiture." Koppen explained that weapons often have a lot of sentimental value to hunters because they are passed down or have memories attached to them. The thought of losing a rifle that was, for example, their grandfather's rifle is not worth the risk of getting caught.

Koppen continued, "It's frustrating to me to see that we haven't progressed further. There is no reason for some of these violations. The way they treat wildlife is with no respect. They don't take the time and they don't put the effort into it and they won't go back to the traditional way of hunting. Hunting is a privilege not a right. You can lose it."

Koppen was clear that this is not about gun rights. He said, "It is about ethics, protecting people and weapons safety. It is irresponsible actions with weapons while hunting big game that I'm after."

"We are out there to enforce the rules and laws and educate the public," said Koppen. "Once it gets into the court system, the judge has the final say."

Other citations Koppen has turned into convictions in the past two years included:

• Unlawful use of vehicle and failure to get landowner permission - $470 fine and lost privileges to hunt, fish and trap (privileges) for two years.

• Over limit of elk and wasted game - $1,870 fine, lost the first elk which was a spike, lost privileges for two years.

• Failed to obtain landowner permission and unlawful hunting from a vehicle - $305 fine and 24 months of loss of privileges.

• Failed to obtain landowner permission and shot an over limit on Paws Up Ranch - $170 fine

• Two offences for shooting from the public roadway. One at a decoy and the other caught shooting at live game - $135 fine each.

• Length of stay exceeded – $135 fine. On the Lolo National Forest there is a 16-day stay limit in one place within 31 days. The camp must be moved more than five air miles. The overall length of stay is 45 accumulated days on the same ranger district within the same calendar year. "It gives people just an unfair advantage during the hunting season," said Koppen.

• Shot a doe near Placid Lake in a buck-only area - $135 fine and loss of animal.

• Unlawful shooting from a public right of way, decoy shot - $185 fine.

• Shot five ruff grouse before the season opened near Lake Elsina - $135 fine for each perpetrator, three total.

• Shot calf elk from the highway during a shoulder season.

• Too many lines in the water when ice fishing.

• Two spike elk taken in 2015 and one spike elk taken in 2014. All turned themselves in - $135 fine each, no loss of privileges.

• Feeding wildlife - $535 fine for the second offense

• Supplemental feeding on Montana Department of National Resources and Conservation (DNRC) state lease land - $135 fine

• Criminal trespass on the game range prior to May 15. The perpetrator took two sets of 5X6 antlers, two single 5X5, one set of 5X5, total of one five point and multiple deer antlers - $585 fine.

• Unlawful fire during burn bans - $325 fine on federal lands

• Unlawful possession for moving baby wildlife - $535

• Length of stay exceeded, food storage violation, used someone else's tag and took four elk near Ovando in 2014 – More than $2,000 in fines and loss of privileges for four years.

• Shot from vehicle at 6X6 bull elk decoy at night - $870 fine and loss of privileges

• Off road behind a gate with a side-by-side four wheeler

• Tagging violations

Koppen said it's not the game wardens that can catch illegal activities. The public can also police the woods. He encourages anyone who sees illegal behavior to report it to 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668). He recommends collecting as much information as possible without getting in trouble. This includes: a description of the perpetrators and vehicle; their license plate; when the incident happened; where it occurred and what they were doing. This gives him the information to begin his investigation and find the individuals involved.