Charges filed in connection with killing of record bighorn | Great Falls Tribune
August 31, 2009
By MICHAEL BABCOCK • Tribune Outdoor Editor • August 29, 2009
State investigators filed felony and misdemeanor charges against a Whitehall taxidermist and two other men this week in connection with the shooting of a record bighorn sheep in the Missouri Breaks last fall.
An undercover Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks agent shot the sheep after purposely missing it a number of times over the course of a couple days, according to court documents.
Since last fall, the killing of the ram, which reportedly measured 204 inches on the Boone and Crockett scale, has been a hot topic on the Internet, with chat-room rumor mills churning out all kinds of speculation and accusations regarding the death of the bighorn ram and the actions of the undercover agent.
On Monday, the state filed charges in Chouteau County District Court against John E. Lewton of Whitehall, accusing him of felony unlawful possession of a game animal, two misdemeanor counts of hunting without landowner permission and a misdemeanor count of outfitting without a license.
On Wednesday, the state filed charges against Lewton in Jefferson County District Court, accusing him of felony unlawful sale of a game animal.
Also charged were Blake Trangmoe of Glendive and James Reed of Rexberg, Idaho. Each of those two men faces two misdemeanor charges of hunting without landowner permission, a misdemeanor count of outfitting without a license and one felony count of unlawful possession of a game animal.
In documents filed by the state, the Attorney General’s Office alleges that Lewton claimed to have accompanied a number of bighorn sheep tag holders while they hunted in Montana during the last 10 to 15 years.
FWP undercover agents began investigating Lewton in 2005.
When the undercover agent approached Lewton last year and told him he had a sheep tag, Lewton told the agent he took the last nine holders of the “governor’s sheep tag,” which is auctioned off by the state every year, hunting for their sheep. Click Link Below For Full Story!
Bighorn sheep tag sells for $245,000 | greatfallstribune.com | Great Falls Tribune
February 11, 2009
Bighorn sheep tag sells for $245,000
By MICHAEL BABCOCK • Tribune Outdoor Editor • February 11, 2009
The owner of a chain of sandwich shops in Champaign, Ill., paid $245,000 for a Montana bighorn sheep hunting tag last weekend at the Wild Sheep Foundation Convention in Salt Lake City.
The Wild Sheep Foundation, headquartered in Cody, Wyo., would not release the winner’s name, but they said the tag brought in $50,000 more than last year.
The highest price ever paid for a Montana wild sheep tag was $310,000 in 1994.
“Yes, the bidding was spirited,” said Terry Ziehl of the Sheep Foundation.
A Whitefish hunter paid $10,000 for a Montana mountain goat tag sold at the same show.
Also at the auction, the Mule Deer Foundation sold a Montana mule deer tag for $8,500.
In all, Montana’s 2009 big game auction licenses drew a total of $263,500.
The special tags allow the holder to hunt in any hunting district where there is a season for that species.
The show was the 32nd Annual Wild Sheep Foundation Convention and the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo. Next year’s show, called The Sheep Show, will be held in Reno, Nev., on Feb. 3-6 Click link below for full story
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