07-15-2008, 11:10 AM
A phone call from a fisherman led to the recent sentencing of Mark H. Hansen of Draper, Utah, for poaching a deer near North Fork in the Salmon Region.
<br>The incident happened on November 13, 2006. The angler had taken a day off from work to enjoy fishing for steelhead on the Salmon River. Deer season was closed and he might have expected a quiet day. Instead, his casting was interrupted by two rifle shots on the hill above him.<br>
<br>He looked up in time to see a deer tumbling down the hillside. A pickup truck was parked below the deer.<br>
<br>That evening the angler called his local conservation officer to describe the incident and the truck. Officers found the un-gutted deer carcass with only the head and cape removed.<br>
<br>The fisherman's phone call led to a 16 month investigation that included visits to 26 taxidermy businesses in Salt Lake City as well as an interview with the suspect. The evidence resulted in a warrant being issued for Hansen's arrest.<br>
<br>Because the poaching incident was a misdemeanor Hansen couldn't be arrested in Utah. Idaho conservation officers had to wait until he crossed the state line. On May 20, 2008, officers located Hansen in Pocatello and made the arrest.<br>
<br>Hansen was sentenced on June 3, by Judge Stephen Clark in Salmon. Clark fined Hansen the maximum $1,000 and assessed a civil penalty of $400 for the deer.<br>
<br>Hansen's hunting and fishing privileges were revoked for three years in Idaho and Utah.<br>
<br>The Idaho Department of Fish and Game encourages the public to "make the call." Call the Idaho Citizens Against Poaching Hotline at 1-800-632-5999 any time, night or day.<br>
<br>Tony Latham is the senior conservation officer in the Salmon Region.
<br>The incident happened on November 13, 2006. The angler had taken a day off from work to enjoy fishing for steelhead on the Salmon River. Deer season was closed and he might have expected a quiet day. Instead, his casting was interrupted by two rifle shots on the hill above him.<br>
<br>He looked up in time to see a deer tumbling down the hillside. A pickup truck was parked below the deer.<br>
<br>That evening the angler called his local conservation officer to describe the incident and the truck. Officers found the un-gutted deer carcass with only the head and cape removed.<br>
<br>The fisherman's phone call led to a 16 month investigation that included visits to 26 taxidermy businesses in Salt Lake City as well as an interview with the suspect. The evidence resulted in a warrant being issued for Hansen's arrest.<br>
<br>Because the poaching incident was a misdemeanor Hansen couldn't be arrested in Utah. Idaho conservation officers had to wait until he crossed the state line. On May 20, 2008, officers located Hansen in Pocatello and made the arrest.<br>
<br>Hansen was sentenced on June 3, by Judge Stephen Clark in Salmon. Clark fined Hansen the maximum $1,000 and assessed a civil penalty of $400 for the deer.<br>
<br>Hansen's hunting and fishing privileges were revoked for three years in Idaho and Utah.<br>
<br>The Idaho Department of Fish and Game encourages the public to "make the call." Call the Idaho Citizens Against Poaching Hotline at 1-800-632-5999 any time, night or day.<br>
<br>Tony Latham is the senior conservation officer in the Salmon Region.