Bear River had his hunting and fishing license suspended for five years for killing an elk in a protected area.
A Bear River man was convicted and his hunting and fishing license suspended in Box Elder County’s First District Court for attempted wanton destruction of protected wildlife and hunting on a Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit without a valid CWMU permit.
DWR conservation officers received a tip from witnesses who reported seeing a man shoot a trophy bull elk on the North Peaks CWMU on Sept. 18, 2019. The witnesses said the man shot the elk from the road, and they didn’t believe he had the proper permit to hunt on the CWMU. The officer visited the area and noticed 16 posted CWMU signs along the roadway. Upon further investigation, DWR officers found that the man had driven a vehicle onto the private CWMU property to retrieve the elk.
Officers interviewed the man the next day, and he confirmed that he’d killed the trophy elk. However, he’d believed that he was outside the CWMU boundary and that he’d killed the elk on Bureau of Land Management property with his valid limited-entry bull elk tag.
Due to the man’s cooperation during the investigation and his lack of prior wildlife offenses, the hearing officer ruled that the case warrants a five-year suspension — rather than a doubled 10-year suspension due to the elk’s trophy status — of big game hunting privileges for the man, beginning Jan. 13, 2020.
Three other men in the state were also convicted and lost their hunting and fishing privileges for five years.
A Heber City man who was convicted in Wasatch County’s 4th District Court of wanton destruction of protected wildlife.
A Vernal man who was convicted in Uintah County Justice Court of wanton destruction of protected wildlife, allowing protected wildlife to waste or spoil and trespassing during a wildlife-related activity.
A Murray man who was convicted in Wasatch County Justice Court of wanton destruction of protected wildlife.
DWR did not provide names of those convicted of wildlife offenses.
Individuals may appeal their license suspensions to the Utah Wildlife Board within 30 days of the date any suspension order is issued. All appeals must be in writing.