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If you're gonna poach on private, why shoot a raghorn?
Just something to think about.
An Oklahoma man who pleaded guilty to three counts of failure to dress wildlife, three counts of illegal wildlife possession and two charges of hunting without a license-big game, received fines totaling $19,126.50. According to Rob Ruybalid, a wildlife manager and officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the man identified as Dakota M. Epperly “ ... plead guilty to hunting on private property without permission, multiple counts of illegal possession of wildlife, multiple counts of waste of edible portions of wildlife, multiple counts of hunting elk withouta proper and valid hunting license with fines and surcharges exceeding $19,000.” “You know,it’sprobably a majority of people out there [hunting] are just trying to recreate ... they’re doing things correctly,” Ruybalid said in an interview with The SUN. In that majority, there is a small percentage of what are defined as poachers, Ruybalid said. “They’re intentional violators of the law, that are out there for personal gain,” Ruybalid told The SUN. There is a clear distinction between a hunter, even one making a mistake with the laws, and poachers, Ruybalid explained to The SUN. According to a case summary by Ruybalid, the case began when he received a report from the ranch manager for the Rancho del Oso Pardo. The ranch is located in Archuleta County near the New Mexico border, north of Chama, the summary states. Ruybalid told The SUN that there is currently another case, separate from this one, which is still in court about involving the Rancho del Oso Pardo property. “The ranch manager reported that he and his employees found three dead bull elk on ranch property,” the summary reads. Upon further investigation, the report states, it was discovered that one bull elk was shot with an arrow, killing the elk. “The head, antlers, and some of the meat were removed and taken,” the summary states. A second bull elk, Ruybalid explained in the summary, had been shot and killed by an arrow “and left to rot.” The summary further reads that with the second bull elk: • “The only meat taken from this elk was the back straps (choice meat). • “This elk was covered with tree branches in an attempt to conceal the carcass. • “One antler was cut and broken off, which was found at the first elk kill site. The other antler remained on the elk. • “The elk was a smaller bull with antlers that had 4 points on each side.” A third bull elk carcass was found, the summary notes, in which only the head, cape and antlers were removed. “The meat was left to rot,” the summary reads on the third bull elk. Ruybalid told The SUN that nothing could be done with the meat and carcasses of the elk found dead on the ranch. Sometimes, the CPW takes meat samples off the carcasses for DNA testing to try to match them to other parts of the animal, Ruybalid explained. But in this case, no samples were taken because the testing process was not used, Ruybalid explained. “But, as far as the remainder of the carcasses, they already smelt so bad, and they were starting to decompose with flies and maggots ... and [the ranch] just letting the scavengers finishing off the carcasses,” Ruybalid said. In other cases, where the meat and parts of an animal are salvageable, CPW will document evidence and donate the remaining parts to “someone in the community who would benefit from that meat,” Ruybalid explained. Three carcasses were found, according to the summary, but complications on location arose. “There was a valid archery elk season going on in Colorado however, the Rancho del Oso Pardo did not have anyone hunting or give permission to anyone to be hunting on ranch property at the time,” the summary states. Ruybalid said in the interview, “If we were to look across the state, [violations of hunting on private property without permission], it’s a frequent violation.” Ruybalid told The SUN that this was an issue dealt with nearly every hunting season. However, the ranch boundary is fenced and well signed to assist lawful hunters in identifying and respecting private property, even though this is not required by law, the summary notes. The ranch manager reported that two individuals had been spotted trespassing a few days before the incident, but had run into the woods, according to the report. “At that time, ranch employees documented vehicles and license plates parked at possible access points to the ranch from the neighboring Rio Grande National Forest,” the summary states. Next, using the collected information from the license plates, it was discovered that one of the vehicles belonged to Epperly, according to the summary. Colorado wildlife officers and ranch employees viewed social media pages belonging to Epperly, the report reads, and “discovered that Epperly had been archery elk hunting in Colorado and he had posted photos of himself posing with a 5x6 bull elk that he killed in Colorado.” Epperly posted other photos of bull elk that were killed in Colorado, according to the summary. Itwas then discovered that Epperly was accompanied byanother man while “hunting,” the report reads. “That man still has charges pending for violations in this case,” the summary states. “These guys, I think, they werenot lawful hunters, they were poachers. They were trying to find loopholes in the law and violate those and get away with it,” Ruybalid told The SUN. The background of the photos of Epperly posing with “two different 5x6 bull elk” matched the location of the kill sites of the elk discovered on Rancho del Oso Pardo property, the summary states. “Evidence collected provided cause to allow for search warrants to be obtained for phone and social media records for Epperly,” the summary reads. Search warrants were obtained and served on Epperly by wardens from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the summary continues. “Hunting equipment believed to be used in the commission of the crimes was seized as evidence and returned to Colorado, as well as the heads and antlers from the two bull elk,” the summary reads. Arrest warrants were issued, and Oklahoma game wardens arrested one of the subjects and he was extradited back to Colorado, according to the summary. “This prompted Epperly to drive to Colorado and turn himself in,” Ruybalid wrote in the summary. Epperly pleaded guilty, according to the report, of hunting on private property without permission, multiple counts of waste of edible portions of wildlife, and multiple counts of hunting elk without a proper and valid hunting license. According to Ruybalid’ssummary, Epperly faces a suspension hearing where he “is at risk of losing his hunting and fishing privileges for life.” “Any suspension will be reciprocated in Oklahoma and 46 other states, as participating members of the Wildlife Violator Compact Agreement,” the summary reads. “Epperly’s actions weregross acts of poaching by killing elk for their parts of value (head and antlers) and for ‘bragging rights’ (reflected in his social media posts),” Ruybalid wrote in his summary. These acts do not represent lawful hunters, according to the summary, who respect private property, care or use the meat from the animals they take and stay within their limits. “This case is a great example where Colorado Parks and Wildlife Officers worked together with landowners and other wildlife agencies to catch and prosecute violators of wildlife law,” Ruybalid wrote in his summary. The head and antlers of the elk were recovered and returned to Colorado, Ruybalid explained to The SUN. Further, Ruybalid explained to The SUN, the CPW protects wildlife and it is important to the people who live in and visit Colorado, as well as to the state government. “We take it pretty seriously,”Ruybalid said. Ruybalid explained that if people chose to violate the law there could be consequences that could be significant. The summary states that Epperly chose to “take advantage of and waste” wildlife and landowner’s rights in Colorado. “We may not catch you every time or the first time, but we do catch up with people,” Ruybalid said to The SUN. The summary notes that employees of Rancho del Oso Pardo made “great witnesses” and reported the violations “promptly.” This, in turn, according to the summary, helped CPW work with the District Attorney’s Office to successfully prosecute the case. “This allowed CPW to recover the monetary value (set in State Statute) of the wildlife illegally taken, on behalf of the people of Colorado, while assisting in protecting private property rights in Colorado,” the summary reads. The man who accompanied Epperly in his poaching is scheduled to appear in district court on July 18.