Poacher Sentenced

Wildlife enforcement

A judge in Salmon, Idaho, wants a 16-year-old Elk Bend boy to learn early about the price of poaching.

Lemhi County Magistrate Jerry Meyers has joined the ranks of his counterparts in the 7th District Court cracking down on game violations.

The teen was sentenced Wednesday after “party hunting” last November. He shot five elk; he and the adults involved conspired to tag four for themselves.

When the general hunting season opens Oct. 15, the teen won’t go hunting. He’ll be in for a five-day stint at a juvenile detention facility.

Over the next four years, he must pay $3,000 in fines, $500 in civil fines, $175 for meat processing, and $7 to Salmon Search and Rescue.

As the number of dead elk increased to four, so did the seriousness of the crime, Meyers said.

Each opening day of elk hunting season until 2001, the teen must report for detention or jail. If he fails, he could serve up to 360 days.

In addition, Meyers ordered the boy to attend every hunter’s safety class held in Lemhi and Custer counties until the year 2001. At each class, he has to tell the students what he did and what the consequences were.

The youth also lost his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges until the year 2001.