Lewistown man faces 20 animal poaching charges


GREAT FALLS - A 24-year-old Lewistown man accused of poaching an array of animals last year has been charged with two felonies and 18 misdemeanors.

Craig Henry Metcalf Jr. is accused of poaching seven deer, two antelope, a black bear and a wild turkey in an area stretching from the Moccasin Mountains north of Lewistown to the state fish hatchery south of the town.

An investigation by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks department says Metcalf was seen in late October shooting animals illegally in the Lewistown area, as well as wasting game and hunting without a license.

The felonies include possessing unlawfully taken wildlife and illegally selling game animals.

The charges were filed in Fergus County District Court. No trial date has been set.

LANDER - Although the violator claimed he launched the arrow accidentally on Sept. 5, 2009, the mature bull moose was still killed south of Lander and the contended accident had nothing to do with all the meat being wasted.

But the actions - and lack of actions - of the violator and his hunting partner have everything to do with the stiff sentences they are dealing with for their roles in the crime.

Gilbert A. Mascarenaz of Pavillion pleaded guilty to knowingly taking an antlered moose without a proper license and was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Robert Denhardt in Lander. Mascarenaz, 37, was fined $7,530, ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution and sentenced to five days in jail. He also had his hunting privileges revoked for 10 years and was placed on one year unsupervised probation.

Devon D. Scherf of Riverton pleaded guilty to waste of big game (allowing game animal to intentionally or needlessly go to waste) and transporting game animal parts without an interstate game tag, was fined $1,560 and given a 60-day suspended jail sentence. Scherf, 26, also had his hunting license privileges revoked for three years and was placed on one year unsupervised probation and ordered to complete a hunter education course by December 2012.

The investigation started Sept. 10, 2009 when an archery elk hunter reported finding an ungutted bull moose carcass. The carcass, which had its antlers removed, was reported to be located near Blue Ridge about 20 miles south of Lander in the Shoshone National Forest.

Finding no evidence at the scene that pointed to any suspects, Lander Game Warden Brad Hovinga and Investigator Scott Browning contacted the five hunters who were fortunate to draw a moose license in hunt area 2 in 2009 and possible archery elk and deer hunters who may have been in the area that Labor Day weekend.

On Oct. 8, the officers asked the public for information about the crime through the local media and received some tips. That response combined with details gleaned from some of the interviews directed the officers towards the defendants.

Browning contacted Scherf at his Riverton home Oct. 8 and received a full confession about his role in the crime. Both officers interviewed Mascarenaz at his home Oct. 9. He admitted killing the moose, but contended he thought it was an elk when he shot. He said he was hunting near dusk and the long antler points he could see in the timber convinced him the animal was an elk. He did take the officers to where he stashed the moose antlers sporting a 38-inch-spread in willows near his home.

On Oct. 12, the officers got a unique response from the media request. Eric Manasco of Lander offered a series of photos - taken less than two hours before the crime occurred - of two bull moose just east of the crime scene. "It was easy to see, the moose in the photo with the wide palms and long points was the same moose that was illegally killed," Browning said.

The officers interviewed Mascarenaz again on Nov. 2 and the suspect admitted he knew the animal was a moose when he shot and collaborated most of Scherf's statement. But he contended he nocked and fully drew the arrow on his recurve bow just to get a "sight picture" on the mature bull and the arrow was released inadvertently when he accidentally hit the trigger release.

From the collaborating interviews with the suspects, both unemployed oil field workers during the investigation, the officers reconstructed the crime: Around noon Sept. 5, the archery elk hunters were returning to camp on an ATV from the back side of Blue Ridge when Mascarenaz spotted two bull moose a short distance from the two track road. He approached the moose raising and drawing his bow twice and one animal trotted off. He drew again on the remaining bull and released the arrow. The men followed up on the shot discovering the dead moose and returned to camp. Later that day, they hiked back to the moose from camp, removed some meat, but left it at the scene. The next night, Scherf returned to the scene and retrieved the antlers by sawing the skull plate off the moose and Mascarenaz later picked up the antlers at Scherf's house.

"This crime was just such a waste of the resource in several ways," Browning said. "All the meat - upwards of 250 pounds - was wasted and so was the chance for a long-suffering moose hunter to legally harvest this dandy bull, which is the nicest moose I've ever seen in the Lander area. Plus, moose populations have been depressed in western Wyoming and the Game and Fish works hard to tightly manage this species."

In 2009, it took 14 years of accruing preference points for a resident and 10 years for a nonresident to draw a license in moose area 2. In the random draw, residents had a one-in-241-chance of drawing the one license available.

In addition to the hunting license suspensions delivered, Judge Denhardt also ordered that Mascarenaz cannot be in possession of a firearm, or be in the company of someone in possession of a firearm while in the field, during any hunting season during his license suspension. The same order also applies to Scherf - with the exception that Scherf can accompany his wife on her hunts. In addition, if Scherf is cited for any Game and Fish violation during his three-year license suspension, the suspension is extended for an additional three years.

"The judge did not take this crime lightly and also viewed it as a needless waste," Browning said. "He actually gave Devon Scherf a harsher sentence than Brad and I recommended. It's clear that the judge takes wildlife violations very seriously."

Glad to hear they got them. Sounds like the "community tips" is what put them on the right track. When the citizens are outraged - good things often result.

hooray for the game animals have a Judge on their side
I wonder though the slobbering poacher said he accidentally hit the trigger on his release aid but don't it seem odd that when shooting a traditional bow like a recurve those type of devices are not used
at any rate a good day in Wyoming

Sick little f*ckers!

3 Cody teens face wildlife charges in deer deaths.
CODY -- Three Cody teenagers face misdemeanor charges from what game wardens say was the illegal killing of five deer in western Park County last December.

The three teenagers pleaded not guilty to various wildlife charges in circuit court in Powell on Tuesday.

Game and Fish officials say the deer were shot at night. Officials say one wounded deer was beaten to death with a truck muffler.

Circuit Court Judge Bruce Waters set a tentative July 8 trial date for the teens. He released them on their own recognizance, but specified that they may not hunt, trap or fish.

You all must not have any Indians where you call home. Here in Alaska, most the Indians hunt whenever they see a moose, 24/7. They kinda figure if there's a problem with moose populations, must be caused by White Man being here for the last 100 years, no joke. The govt can't stop them either, or maybe doesn't want to stir them up too much; so game violations are considered very low priority item for law enforcement. I've given up trying to convince them to stop shooting cows. So there's a 30-40 mile circle around every village I have ever been in completely devoid of moose in comparison to the rest of Alaska.

Indians kinda see game management as immoral or sacriligous as it's not man's domain to get too involved with wildlife; it belongs to nature or the creator; supposed to let nature takes it's course. We are suppose to respect nature if we expect to not starve. They really believe the old moose knows his place in the scheme of things and allows the hunter to kill him to feed his family. It just all breaks down when man doesn't respect the land and such. Probably seems funny, but telling them to not practice this would be the same as by law boarding up all the churches across America.

My wife and I have taught in a few Indian Villages (ya we were the only Whites there, now that reverse racism will really wake one up, ha). During the village interview when we were hired, the main question was about poaching. They told us they'd run us out if we ever complained about it, ha. You see poaching is called living off what the land & river provides to Indians; not a word ever spoken.

This entire mindset came about from so many Whites moving into the country. We have a summer road to our community so we get hordes of hunters from Anch, Fairbanks, and wherever. They actually have a much larger impact on moose populations than Indians hunting all year long ever do. The land just can't support it along with feeding all the wolves 6 moose/year each. One thing for sure, you want to see upset people, just start an ariel wolf control program; it brings out all the "I wanna kiss the Wolves Types" from all over, ha.

The Indians in our village are related to all the Indians upriver in Dawson, Canada. Our chief's great grand father was chief up in moosehide village when gold rush (klondike) was on. He went to the govt people and told them the White meat hunters were shooting all his moose & caribou and populations were collpasing. THis Chief Issac told the govt maybe they would like the Indians shooting all the White man's horses and cows, ha. Kinda how they saw it.

So I don't get too upset nowadays about people living off the land. That's a tough way to live anyway you look at it in this hungry country. Just another perspective.

Those kids in Cody were thill killing, not shooting to eat. I hope the judge hammers them. I know the community will black ball them.

jungle drums told me they poached on a big ranch one of the kids dads worked on and dad
has lost his job as a result. OUCH!!

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:
jungle drums told me they poached on a big ranch one of the kids dads worked on and dad
has lost his job as a result. OUCH!!

Good, glad to hear it.