CODY - An Arkansas hunter has been fined more than $18,000 and lost his hunting privileges for 10 years for falsifying his residency status in order to purchase resident hunting licenses in Wyoming.

Charles E. Gerhardt, 60, was found guilty of two counts of false swearing to obtain resident deer and elk licenses in hard-to-draw limited quota elk and deer areas in the Cody region this past hunting season.

According to Jim Olson, Meeteetse game warden for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, a concerned citizen provided enough information to initiate an investigation, which later revealed that Gerhardt had been applying for and receiving resident licenses for many years.

"Gerhardt had set up an elaborate scheme to cheat the system, but in reality, he was cheating the resident hunter," Olson said.

Wildlife investigator Kathy Crofts, who assisted with the case said, "By making false statements and applying for resident licenses, Gerhardt increased his odds of drawing a license from 27 to 63 percent in these hard to draw deer and elk areas."

"For every fraudulent license issued, one less license is available to legal hunters - this is reality," Olson added.

The investigation uncovered information that since May 2005, Gerhardt applied for 62 Wyoming resident hunting and fishing licenses.
Since that time, he was issued 47 resident licenses but had never met Wyoming's residency requirement.

To qualify for any resident hunting or fis hing license, a person must be domiciled and physically reside in Wyoming for one full year (365 consecutive days) immediately preceding the date the person applies for or purchases a license. In addition, a person cannot claim residency elsewhere for any other purpose for that one year period.

"Once residency is established, a person must be physically present in the state for 180 days out of the year," Crofts said.

Over the course of several years, Gerhardt used various addresses and improper local telephone numbers to obtain a post office box, Wyoming driver's license and Park County voter registration. Olson also discovered that Gerhardt had purchased 20 acres in a Meeteetse subdivision, moved a small trailer upon it, but never spent more than four months there each year.

"He generally came out two to four times each year in the summer and during the hunting season," Olson said.

Crofts added that Gerhardt befriended local citizens and then had them pick up his mail and sometimes tend to his local business affairs.

"We also enlisted the assistance of Lt. Brian McKenzie, wildlife officer for the Arkansas Game and Fish Department to help us ferret out addresses and licenses that Gerhardt used in his home state," Olson said.

Information obtained from Arkansas revealed that in March, 2004, Gerhardt procured an Arkansas lifetime hunting license while in possession of a valid Kansas driver's license. According to McKenzie, Arkansas requires one-year residency prior to procuring a lifetime license.

Wyoming records revealed that 19 days after purchasing the Arkansas lifetime license, Gerhardt registered to vote in Park County, Wyoming claiming to be a bona fide resident of Wyoming since October 2003.

"Wildlife violations are taken seriously by game wardens but also by judges and prosecuting attorneys," Olson said. "Although Gerhardt was only cited for two violations of the many he committed, the fines and license revocation fit the crime."

Olson added that Gerhardt will also be penalized under the Wildlife Violator Compact. Any person whose license privileges are suspended in Wyoming would also be suspended in the other 33 member states of Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Anyone witnessing a wildlife violation can call the Stop Poaching hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP. Tips are most helpful with specific information such as the date, time, location and specific details about the suspected violation. It also helps to include a physical description of the suspected violator as well as a license plate number and description of any vehicles involved in the incident.

Stop Poaching tips can also be reported on the department's web site at:
http://gf.state.wy.us/wildlife...ching/submitTip.aspx.

Tips may result in a reward and informants can choose to remain anonymous.

Sometimes the villan gets his just punishment !

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
Sometimes the villan gets his just punishment !

A BIG AMEN!!
$18,000 will get the guy's attention, and that is Just Punishment, plus the loss of hunting priviledges.
That guy wasn't a casual poacher, but a serial crook. Look at the number of years he's been pulling that stuff..

Had a couple guys busted for that in Iowa last year. They were both Sheriff deputies in the state they were from. Just a side effect of too high license prices.

quote:

Originally posted by 375hnh:
Had a couple guys busted for that in Iowa last year. They were both Sheriff deputies in the state they were from. Just a side effect of too high license prices.

You think that was a side effect of licenses too high?
I think it maybe the "above the law cuz I am the law" attitude exhibited by some LEO's.
I don't make much money but am not about to lie cheat and steal to hunt in another state.

need to go 1 step farther and gather all the deer,elk and antelope heads this guy has.
better keep a close eye on this guy,he had no respect for game laws before and he won't have any respect for them in the future

i saw the title and thought it said "Accurate Reloading Man Caught Falsifying Residency!" i wondered which one of us it was... glad it wasn't, and VERY glad they hammered this guy!

Yeah, that's a possibility too. I've just seen more and more of this as tag prices get more and more out of hand. Iowa's NR deer tags are very expensive. And we're certainly not the only ones.

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:

quote:

Originally posted by 375hnh:
Had a couple guys busted for that in Iowa last year. They were both Sheriff deputies in the state they were from. Just a side effect of too high license prices.

You think that was a side effect of licenses too high?
I think it maybe the "above the law cuz I am the law" attitude exhibited by some LEO's.
I don't make much money but am not about to lie cheat and steal to hunt in another state.

The law is the law but I'd just as soon see all the states do away with resident/nonresident licenses. Especially when hunting on federal land. Just a bogus way to generate more income.

CHEYENNE - One of the more common violations of Wyoming Game and Fish laws is the illegal purchase of resident hunting and fishing licenses by persons who are not residents of Wyoming. The motivating factor for these purchases is financial as there is a substantial difference in cost between the two license types.

However, as a Colorado resident recently discovered, that savings quickly evaporates once the illegal purchase comes to light. A University of Wyoming student, who was a resident of Colorado, found out the hard way that the courts are not taking these violations lightly.

As a result of a plea agreement reached in Laramie County Court, the Monument, Colo., resident was fined $2,000 and was suspended from hunting in Wyoming for 2010. Since Wyoming is a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, this suspension also includes the 32 states, including Colorado, that are members of the Compact.

The case involved one charge of false statement to obtain an elk license and one charge of transferring a license from another person. Cheyenne game warden Todd Kittel, who investigated the case, said he became suspicious when the Cheyenne Game and Fish office received a returned license in the mail with a note that the addressee was no longer in Wyoming but was in Colorado. The following day Game and Fish received a phone call, requesting the license and for it to be mailed to a separate Wyoming address. Further investigation revealed that the license was for a deceased relative and the Wyoming student attempting to obtain the license was doing it fraudulently. The investigation also revealed the student had already illegally obtained a resident elk license for himself.

According to Kittel, there was no question the UW student was still a resident of Colorado as he was paying nonresident tuition along with still holding a Colorado driver's license and having his car registered in Colorado. The student had also purchased a resident Colorado elk license the previous year.

Kittel said the Game and Fish regularly investigates license purchases where suspicions are raised. "Numerous cases are made each year for "False Statement" Kittel said. "With consistent cooperation from other states and information becoming more readily available via computers, it is making it easier to investigate these types of violations."

Wyoming residency laws are simple for purchasing hunting and fishing licenses. Wyoming law reads that to be a resident the person must be domiciled in Wyoming for not less than one year and has not claimed residency elsewhere for any purpose during that one year period immediately preceding application for a license. Established residents need to reside in the state for an aggregate of 180 days in a calendar year to maintain residency. Some exemptions exist for military personnel, minor dependents, students and other special situations.

quote:

Originally posted by M16:
The law is the law but I'd just as soon see all the states do away with resident/nonresident licenses. Especially when hunting on federal land. Just a bogus way to generate more income.

The whole concept of resident and non-resident licenses is unfair. As an American, my tax dollars (taxes on hunting and fishing gear) goes to all 50 states. The animals cross state lines at their whim and pleasure. I should pay the same license fee to hunt in S.D. and Ia. as a resident there pays.

I dont mind paying more as a non resident for game I can not kill here.I understand to have a quality program,the money has to come from somewhere.Most of my hunts are DIY so the cost of the tag and hunt still are a cheap vacation.

Shottist,

where are you on paying your state income taxes? Or being restricted to only having a drivers license in one state?

Idaho Dept of Fish & Game has a budget that is just and only what people pay for hunting & fishing licenses and tags. They also depend heavily on volunteers to help with reforestation and watershed projects and other things. Why not consider taking a week or two vacation each year and flying/driving out to help with that?

I am NOT picking on you, but there is a lot of free labor done each year to maintain and enhance our wildife populations for the benefit of Nonres hunters. If IDFG had no volunteers the southern Bighorn Sheep herd would plummet to numbers that did not allow ANY tags to be issued in 5-7 years.
Volunteers donate several millions of dollars in man hours work here each year.

That's why we have the game population the rest of you covet but somehow, don't reestablish in your home state.

Rich
DRSS

pay higher fees helps keep the crowds at bay
if we all paid one license fee and could hunt anywhere we wanted to I think the game animals would suffer because certain higher demand animals would be targeted by most
I am glad he lying fool got busted probably has more money than he could use .....or now it would be HAD !