State seeks info on poaching incident

Officials of Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks are looking for information on the illegal killing of five deer near Fish Creek last month.

“I’m hoping that someone has some information that they can pass on,” said FWP Game Warden Mike Fegely.

Fegely said he got a call from a bear hunter Monday, April 28, about five dead deer that appeared to be shot in close proximity to one another about 12 miles up Fish Creek close to the road.

He said that when he arrived, he found two does, each with a fawn from last year, and a yearling buck that looked to have been shot and left to die.

“It looks to me like someone had a killing spree,” Fegely said.

The warden said the dear were all found within 50 yards of each other and there had been no meat taken from the bodies.

“I can’t think of too many things more disgusting than shooting animals and leaving them to lay and die on the ground,” Fegely said.

He added that while he could not tell exactly when it had happened, he was pretty sure the incident took place sometime that weekend and possibly at night.

“I need someone to call that knows something about it. Whoever did this, it’s not likely, especially if they were using a spotlight, that they were doing it alone,” Fegely said, who added that in many of these cases they get a break when someone brags about what they have done.

“Really what it’s going to take is a tip from somebody who knows about it,” Fegely said.

According to Fegely, anyone with a tip regarding the crime should call 1-800-TIP-MONT. Callers can remain anonymous and are eligible for up to $1,000 in reward money for information.

“This person knew exactly what they did, and it’s obviously someone we need to get out of the woods because they obviously don’t have very good judgment,” Fegely said. “If they were willing to do that to five, how many more are they willing to shoot?”

Deer season does not begin until Sept. 6 for bow hunters, Oct. 19 for backcountry hunters and Oct. 26 for the general season. The hunting season for deer ends Nov. 30.

“They’re taking away animals from other people that would have been legal harvest for someone this fall,” Fegely said.

The game warden said penalties for poaching are determined by restitution and because of the amount of deer killed in this instance, the offender could be facing felony charges.

“It’s a pretty disgusting thing to do in general and I would really like to get a break on this one,” Fegely said.