CSI…Wyoming?

by
posted on February 21, 2012
lessons_ah2015_fs.jpg (3)

As most of you know, I love my rather bucolic state of residence. A lot of folks like to characterize us as backward and unsophisticated. But as if it were a scene from the CSI television series, some Wyoming game wardens were able to determine that a 185-inch 4x5 mule deer buck was taken in an area closed to hunting in 2010 because of the contents of the buck’s stomach.

Shenae Blakemore, 29, Cody Gilligan, 23 and Colton Lapp, 19, were convicted of poaching the trophy buck. Several wardens were investigating an unrelated incident and found the carcass in a shed near Worland. Lapp told wardens that Blakemore had killed the deer in an open area of the Black Hills area north of Sundance. The wardens were skeptical of the story. A sample of the stomach contents of the buck was sent to a lab for analysis, and the results showed that the buck had been eating cottonwood leaves indigenous only to the Greybull River area in Big Horn and Park counties, some 200-plus miles away from the alleged kill site. The Narrow-Leaf cottonwood grows only in the gravelly soils of the Greybull River as opposed to the heavier soils that are home to Plains cottonwood trees.

Wardens also were able to obtain text messages between the trio that indicated Blakemore had killed the buck. Blakemore received two years probation and agreed to pay a $3,000 restitution fine, as well as forfeiting her hunting privileges for two years. Gilligan and Lapp were charged as accessories to the crime and ordered to pay $5,040 each.

Don’t mess with our game wardens!

Latest

Savage KLYM Rifles Lead
Savage KLYM Rifles Lead

First Look: Savage Arms KLYM Rifles

Designed for the modern hunter, Savage’s new KLYM rifles feature exclusive partnerships with PROOF Research and Fine Ballistic Tools to deliver lightweight rigs that are accurate and durable.

#SundayGunday: Mossberg Patriot LRT

Get a closer look at the Mossberg Patriot LRT, the latest addition to our #SundayGunday series.

Crossing Back Into Bowhunting

A bowhunt with any bow is still a hunt, same as it was many years ago. An inability to pull back a vertical bow will teach you that.

5 Black Friday Sales for Hunters

Its about that time of year again. Christmas is around the corner, and many shoppers are poised to get a jump on their holiday purchases this upcoming Friday. If you have a hunter on your list, here are five sales to consider from across the hunting marketplace.

Field Care for Good Venison

Mike Roux shares his tips and tricks for caring for venison from field to table.

First Look: HEVI-Shot HEVI-Hammer Waterfowl Ammo

HEVI-Shot adds a new load to its HEVI-Hammer Waterfowl shotshell lineup. 

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.