Union Co. hunting operation, its manager fined : News : Evansville Courier Press
March 20, 2009 · Print This Article
Gleaner staff
OWENSBORO — A Union County hunting preserve, Game Trails Lodge, and its manager were sentenced and fined Thursday in U.S. District Court in Owensboro for misdemeanor violations of the Lacey Act.
The punishment was handed down for the crime of taking wildlife in a manner unlawful under Kentucky law, and for making false statements to Kentucky Fish & Wildlife about the takings and transporting of wildlife in interstate commerce, Acting U.S. Attorney Candace G. Hill of the Western District of Kentucky said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Robert Goebel ordered that Game Trails, a limited liability corporation, pay a $35,000 fine and 43-year-old William Dirk McTavish Jr. of Paducah, the site manager of Game Trails Lodge, pay a $15,000 fine. No jail time was imposed upon McTavish.
The defendants pleaded guilty to the charge and were sentenced on the same date. The charges arose out of Game Trails’ practice of the killing of does over limit at its lodge at 7616 State Route 365, near Strugis, between June 1, 2006 and November 30, 2007, and shipping parts of the wildlife between Sturgis and Atlanta.
Game Trails and its agents used the Social Security numbers of hunters at the lodge without their permission to report the deer as having been legally taken to Kentucky Fish & Wildlife’s telecheck program. McTavish was the Lodge Manager at Game Trails Lodge at the time, was aware of and participated in the violations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ream, and it was investigated by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
via Union Co. hunting operation, its manager fined : News : Evansville Courier Press.
This is the first I have heard of this story and I am shocked. I guess that all of this was going down when T/C owned the property. It is no wonder that they got their buck to doe ratio so low. In hindsight I guess they should have considered letting some of the locals in on a controlled doe hunt instead of doing this foolishness. What they did in terms of QDM wasn’t wrong, just how they did it. Think of the goodwill they could have garnered with the locals if they had stuck to a different plan. When hunting becomes a sport for only the rich we will lose the public’s support and our sport will die.
i think this situation at game trails is absurd! ive always wanted to hunt that property,but i refuse to be part of apoaching ring period! the names on that lease should have been prosecuted also!it just shows if you have money like the leasees you can do what u want! might wanna look at some of there kills! probally poached!once a poacher always a poacher!im a bow hunter from ohio and this type of crap is ruining our sport,but if you got money like Ritz AND company you can do what you want! thanks from a ohio bow hunter!
William you will be happy to know that Gametrails has moved to your great state of Ohio. Not sure what county but leased a lot of land that will no longer be available to the average joe.