This punk needs beaten!

Arrest made in blatant antelope killing
By The Associated Press

CHEYENNE - The photos showed mangled and bloody antelope carcasses, a man giving a thumbs-up next to the blood-splattered grille of a pickup truck and "HA HA!!!" written over the image of a severed antelope head.

"We sped up. Most of the herd got out of the way," someone wrote in a posting on an off-roading Internet discussion board that included the grisly photos.

Now authorities say they have arrested a 23-year-old gas field worker from Rock Springs after tracing the license plate of the truck in the photo.

"Anyone who has any regard for wildlife in this case would absolutely be shocked," said Scott Talbott, a wildlife specialist with the state Game and Fish Department. The gas field worker, Jonathan Hefner, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of wanton destruction of big game, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine for each count. A telephone message left for his attorney, Harold Moneyhun, was not immediately returned Thursday.

State authorities began investigating after receiving an anonymous tip on the state's "Stop Poaching" Web site.

Talbott said wildlife investigators recognized the area from the photos, dated Dec. 7, and had no trouble finding where the antelope were killed. DNA samples were taken from antelope parts found along the dirt road.

Talbott said investigators determined Hefner worked for National Oilwell Varco and was driving a company truck when he deliberately drove into the herd of about 20 antelope on a remote stretch near Farson, about 150 miles northeast of Salt Lake City.

A person who answered the phone at the National Oilwell Varco office in Rock Springs said Hefner no longer worked there. A message left for a company spokeswoman in Houston was not immediately returned.

The posting, dated Saturday, was taken down by Thursday. Copies of the posting were provided to The Associated Press by the governor's office.

In the posting, someone named "BigRed350x" described what happened: "So here we are cruising down the road, jon (bonbon) driving and me sleeping in the passenger seat when jon wakes me. ... I look ahead and there's a herd of about 20 antelope just standing in the road. ... we sped up. Most of the herd got out of the way, but two ... dumber ones turned back for the greener grass on the other side of the road. LOL Well, they didn't make it."

Although Hefner was the only person arrested, Sweetwater County Attorney Brett Johnson said others may still be charged.

"Wyoming takes its big game seriously, and our office certainly takes this case seriously," Johnson said.

Let the punishment fit the crime. See how fast they can dodge a pick up.

Why are things like this not a felony???

Where were the parents when this schmuck was groing up? Nothing like a total absence of humility.

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DNA samples were taken from antelope parts found along the dirt road.

CSI Rock Springs?

That kind of crap happens all the time and it makes me sick. I know of one rancher that high fenced his property, alfalfa fields, all the deer and antelope that were inside were doomed, he killed every one and I'm not talking about a couple of dozen. I talked with the local warden but nothing happened. The eagles were every where feeding on the carcasses!! Drive by shootings of deer, goats and domestic stock happen daily around here, mostly out of state workers!!

I remember a post several months ago when those of us from the west predicted this type of thing was going to happen when all the roughnecks started showing up for the mass drilling that is scheduled.

Lots of these roughnecks are trouble waiting to happen. They drift from rig to rig and have no respect for either the land, the locals or the wildlife. In my state of Colorado, every game warden I've talked to has said the poaching is rampant where the rigs are. And the companies that employ these derelicts do very little to police them.

Stand by folks, you'll hear a lot more of this occurring as the west gets plundered for natural gas and oil.

Mac

It already is a regularly occuring. Most can't pass drug tests, if you take a road that travels near any of the rigs, you can find dead antelope and dead deer.

Yep, My Ant works for the P.D. in Grand Junktion Co. They have major problems with the oil workers that have come to the area.

These guys probably did wrong, but I wasn't there.....after the fact BSing doesn't turn running over an antelope into a crime, nor does hitting a deer with your car become one, whether you sped up or not.

As for all of you who think oil field workers are the scum of the earth, you should certainly back up your feelings with actions and turn off your electricity while selling any petroleum powered vehicles that you own. Eventually you'll put them out of a job, that'll show'em.

Gatogordo,

Guess you didn't read the same article I read. Their actions were completely illegal. They admitted seeing the animals, they admitted increasing their speed, they admitted they did not try to avoid the animals, and they admitted intentionally hitting the animals. They made no attempt to salvage the carcasses, which is legal to do on road kills. And then they joked about their activity.

In other words, these clowns admitted to intentionally participating in the wanton destruction of big game animals and that is illegal just about everywhere I know of. And they used a company vehicle to do it. In the Rocky Mountain States, it is legal for the state to confiscate everything used in the intentional illegal killing of wildlife. They have previously confiscated vehicles, firearms, houses and businesses. I'd like to see them confiscate whatever drilling rig these idiots worked on. The companies doing the drilling do not even try to exercise any control over their workers and if they knew a company vehicle had been used in the commission of a crime and did not report it, they become accomplices.

You do not need a gun or bow to be a poacher. This was not a case of a simple animal/car collision which happens hundreds of thousands of times annually. This was an intentional act, and therefore is was poaching and waste of game meat.

And I don't believe any body has stated all oil rig workers are scum of the earth, but many of them have absolutely no respect for the states they are working for. Want to make a bet that the idiots in question are not from Wyoming? Almost all of the roughnecks I've seen are from Louisianna, Oklahoma or Texas. They tend not to be locals and they tend to get out of control when they are away from home. I guess you could call it a lack of adequate adult supervision.

This type of activity happens way too much and somebody needs to be held accountable. Who are we going to hold accountable, the store keeper in town, or the clowns going nuts and killing the game? You can try to condone it all you wnat, but those of us that live where this is going on know just how far the scope of damage is being done.

These idiots are criminals, they are poachers, and they need to be in jail. Would you let somebody run through your fields in a pickup and run over your Texas whitetails, boast about it and not try to prosecute? Nope, you would want to hang them from the nearest tree. Well, those of us from the states with elk, antelope and mulies feel the same way about our game.

Mac

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They made no attempt to salvage the carcasses, which is legal to do on road kills.

Legal in Colorado - ILLEGAL in Wyoming! The law is that way to help cut down on "accidental" poaching.

It is illegal to salvage them for your own use, but it is not illegal to properly care for the carcasses and let the state take them. Lots of roadkills end up in soup kitchens. Leaving them to rot is immoral.

Mac

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As for all of you who think oil field workers are the scum of the earth, you should certainly back up your feelings with actions and turn off your electricity

I have no idea where your electricity comes from,but mine comes from coal and hydro. No oil or gas! Very very very little in this part of the country is generated from natural gas. You and I could not afford it! What this young man did, and puposely, is not excusible. Still trash whether he is a hunter or not or whether I hunt or not, thrill killing is all it is!

Most of the wells, where this occured are gas wells. Most oil pumped in Wyoming is used for other products than gasoline. Low grade crude oil is the majority.

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As for all of you who think oil field workers are the scum of the earth, you should certainly back up your feelings with actions and turn off your electricity

Just for your info, at my place in Colorado, the electricity for the entire town is provided by wind generaters. Drilling rigs have nothing to do with my electricity.

I live in the little town of Peetz, Colorado which is located 16 miles north of Sterling, Colorado and 16 miles south of Sidney, Nebraska. There are 40 wind turbine generaters on the Peetz Plateau which provide the town with all it's electricity. They built a transformer station and route the power directly into the grid.

So, I really don't care if all the oil fired plants and the natural gas fired plants all close up.

Mac