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G&F: Sheep kill illegal

By LEO WOLFSON leo@codyenterprise.com Feb 1, 2021 Updated 18 hrs ago



An Alabama man with a long history of poaching in Wyoming had his first day in Park County Circuit Court in mid-January for charges relating to an alleged illegal harvesting a bighorn sheep and two related misdemeanors.

Russell Vick, 55, is facing a felony charge for taking a bighorn sheep without the proper license – his third charge for this crime, which carries up to two years in prison and $10,000 in fines. He has 10 separate convictions on his record for illegal hunting of game species.

After being given a $2,500 cash bond on Jan. 21, he is no longer in custody,


Vick is accused of illegally hunting sheep in the South Fork in 2012 along with Oklahoma resident Robert Underwood, who is also facing a felony charge in Park County.

Underwood is facing a charge for serving as an accessory to illegal harvesting of game as well as two other related misdemeanors.

An eventful October trip

Underwood and his son David Underwood, along with Vick, went on a hunting trip in Park County in late October of 2012 and stayed at a North Fork cabin near the Blackwater Fire Memorial. Robert Underwood, who also claimed Wyoming residency from an address in Gillette, was the only one found possessing a bighorn hunting license for Hunt Area 3 at the time.

He had also claimed at a Sheridan Game and Fish check station that he had harvested the group’s only sheep on Oct. 28. He said this sheep was hunted in the North Fork, on the south side of US-14-16-20.

Robert Underwood turned his legally harvested sheep into the check station on Oct. 29 and claimed he had shot it on the 28th, even though photos proved he did on the 27th.

But using photographic analysis, investigators found substantial evidence pointing to at least one sheep hunted by the group near Legg Creek in the South Fork, also in Hunt Area 3.

Vick is accused of killing a sheep on the 28th. Separate pictures were found of both Vick and Robert Underwood posing with this carcass.

Authorities first started investigating the trio of men regarding illegal procurement of resident hunting licenses. During a May 2017 federal warrant search executed at Vick’s home in Alabama and David Underwood’s home in South Dakota, several photographs were obtained of the group possessing multiple bighorn sheep.

Photos of two different harvested bighorns from 2012 were found in the search, one with a timestamp dated to Oct. 27 and the other Oct. 28.

Robert Underwood said he had no knowledge of where the other sheep came from in the photos and that “Vick would just take off” and “disappear for hours at a time and show up later” during hunting trips.

He claimed Vick had only been along to help with the hunt and did not provide any guiding services. Robert Underwood also denied his son was on the hunt, but photographic evidence and testimony from Vick later disproved this. It was determined David Underwood was present for his father’s legal killing of the ram and left shortly after.

Search warrants reveal

During the home search, federal agents found three different taxidermied sheep at Vick’s home, none of which was plugged – a process performed by a wildlife biologist or game warden that involves drilling a hole into the ram’s horn and permanently affixing a metal plug with the year of harvest and number specific to the ram.

Robert Underwood said Vick mounted the North Fork sheep for him and the two later met up for him to deliver the work.

An invoice was found at Vick’s house for tanning services of two different sheep only three months after their Wyoming hunt.

A November 2017 search of Vick’s home revealed he had cleared out many of the previously seen wildlife items from his home.

But a search of Vick’s trailer located at his parents’ house revealed three sheep mounts, other game mounts including a gull, and racks from antelope, deer and elk.

“Through further discussion it was determined that Vick harvested these animals in Wyoming on licenses that he illegally obtained,” the affidavit said.

Vick told authorities he would have Robert Underwood submit hunting licenses and pay the fees, which Vick would then reimburse him for with cash.

Crime and punishment

In June, Vick was sentenced after pleading no contest to eight counts of illegally taking a game animal without a license or during a closed season. He was assessed $72,320 in fines and restitution and 80 days in the Campbell County Detention Center for big game violations occurring from 2003-07.

That month also in Campbell County, Robert Underwood was sentenced to two months in jail and more than $50,000 in fines and restitution for his big game violations dating back to 2003. He pleaded no contest to seven gaming violations and also had his hunting and fishing privileges suspended for life.

Dustin Kirsch, an investigator with Wyoming Game and Fish, said Vick “falsely claimed Gillette as his home” and worked with Underwood and his son to “illegally poach animals” and “further his taxidermy business,” according to a Casper Star Tribune article.

Kirsch called their operation one of the most “egregious” he has ever seen.

Vick apologized for his actions during the hearing and blamed his actions on being “young” and “stupid.”

Dirty bastards!
I don't like poachers of any kind but sheep poachers are the worst to me.

Permits are too rare and the hunt should be sacred.

Zeke

blamed it on being young and stupid, now at 55 what is his excuse for trying to hide it all?

older and still stupid?

this guy will do it again, only thing he is sorry about is being caught

Fine up standing citizens
Sounds to me that these boys need to pay dearly. Lose their rights to hunt at the very least. Felonies would be good as well.

https://www.codyenterprise.com...09-13594caaa94d.html

Man receives up to two years prison time for bighorn sheep poaching

By ZAC TAYLOR zac@codyenterprise.com Jun 29, 2022



A man already in prison for multiple poaching violations pleaded guilty and was sentenced recently in Park County District Court to between 20 and 24 months in a state penitentiary to be served following his term in Sheridan County, also on a felony poaching conviction.

He was also assessed $15,000 in restitution and more than $10,000 in fines for harvesting a bighorn sheep without a license in 2012.

Russell Vick, 56, of Alabama, also pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors for assisting another man’s illegal harvest of a bighorn sheep.


Vick illegally hunted sheep in the South Fork in 2012 along with Oklahoma resident, Robert Underwood, who was charged with crimes related to poaching.

Underwood and his son, David Underwood, along with Vick, went on a hunting trip in Park County in late October of 2012 and stayed at a North Fork cabin near the Blackwater Fire Memorial. Robert Underwood, who also claimed Wyoming residency from an address in Gillette, was the only one found possessing a bighorn hunting license for Hunt Area 3 at the time.

He also claimed at a Sheridan Game and Fish check station that he had harvested the group’s only sheep on Oct. 28. He said this sheep was hunted in the North Fork, on the south side of US-14-16-20.

Robert Underwood turned his legally harvested sheep into the check station on Oct. 29 and claimed he had shot it on the 28th, even though photos proved he did on the 27th.

But using photographic analysis, investigators found substantial evidence pointing to at least one sheep hunted by the group near Legg Creek in the South Fork, also in Hunt Area 3.

Vick is accused of killing a sheep on the 28th. Separate pictures were found of both Vick and Robert Underwood posing with this carcass.

Authorities first started investigating the trio of men regarding illegal procurement of resident hunting licenses. During a May 2017 federal warrant search executed at Vick’s home in Alabama and David Underwood’s home in South Dakota, several photographs were obtained of the group possessing multiple bighorn sheep.

As with most poaching fines, the monetary component is still pennies on the dollar compared to paying for a legal hunt for these species. How many people would love to pay $10K, or even $25K, for a bighorn tag?

How can any mount of a dead sheep be worth that much $$$$? Did the perps plan to sell the mounts somewhere?
If so, who would be foolish enough to pay for a sheep head?

Glad to see he's doing time and taking a hit to his wallet.

They Poached these Sheep in 2012, why does it take 10 years to get a conviction, that is ridiculous.
In my opinion as difficult and limited as Sheep tags are to draw the fines are way too minimal.
They knew they were committing crimes when they did it.

A lot of under the table, dirty pool, seems to go on with Sheep Hunting. Most of these poaching post are either sheep or killing deer over license and transporting across state lines.

quote:

Originally posted by Kyler Hamann:
As with most poaching fines, the monetary component is still pennies on the dollar compared to paying for a legal hunt for these species. How many people would love to pay $10K, or even $25K, for a bighorn tag?

Amen!

Zeke

quote:

Originally posted by ZekeShikar:

quote:

Originally posted by Kyler Hamann:
As with most poaching fines, the monetary component is still pennies on the dollar compared to paying for a legal hunt for these species. How many people would love to pay $10K, or even $25K, for a bighorn tag?

Amen!

Zeke

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