Hunter brags about illegal kill on social media, Wyoming officials say. He’s sentenced

Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman

RAWLINS, Wyoming (Idaho Statesman) — An accused poacher’s effort to screen up his forbidden elk termination backfired erstwhile his motortruck sewage stuck successful nan confederate Wyoming wilderness — and bragging astir his termination connected societal media didn’t thief his case, crippled wardens said.

Investigators pinch nan Wyoming Game & Fish Department started investigating erstwhile they realized cardinal elements of nan man’s communicative didn’t adhd up, nan section said successful a June 18 news release.

It stemmed from a study of a missing elk huntsman southbound of Rawlins connected Oct. 31, 2023, officials said successful nan release.

A group of hunters had reported to Carbon County Search and Rescue that their motortruck had surgery down and 1 of them had tried to locomotion northbound to Rawlins, officials said. Rescuers picked up nan group but couldn’t find nan personification who had walked off.

Local crippled wardens successful Rawlins and Baggs were notified of nan hunt and rescue cognition and nan hunter’s motortruck stuck adjacent Littlefield Creek, officials said.

Search and rescue passed accusation they had learned while searching for nan missing elk huntsman connected to nan wardens — but it didn’t adhd up pinch what they would soon find astatine nan scene, officials said.

Wardens started investigating an forbidden bull elk termination successful Elk Hunt Area 108, a constricted quota hunt area, officials said.

They located a gut heap from a bull elk wrong 100 yards of nan hunter’s stuck motortruck — but nan carcass, caput and antlers had been removed earlier they arrived, officials said.

The truck’s owner, Corey Cruz, told nan rescue unit he had killed a bull elk successful nan wide elk hunt area 21 — 2 miles distant from wherever his motortruck sewage stuck, officials said.

Cruz had only a wide elk license, meaning he did not person nan due constricted quota elk licence for Elk Hunt Area 108, officials said.

Eventually, personification passed photos of Cruz posing pinch his bull elk termination connected societal media to a warden, officials said. Wardens utilized those photos and interviews pinch his hunting group to find Cruz had illegally killed nan bull elk successful nan constricted quota Wyoming Elk Hunt Area 108, not nan wide Elk Hunt Area 21 arsenic he had said, officials said.

Officials charged Cruz pinch intentionally taking an antlered elk without a due licence connected Feb. 5. He pleaded blameworthy connected May 15, 2024 and was fined $1,570 and sentenced to 90 days successful jail. He received in installments for 8 days spent successful nan Carbon County Detention Center.

Cruz’s hunting and sportfishing privileges were suspended for 5 years successful Wyoming and 47 states that participate successful nan Wildlife Violator Compact.

Reports revenge by “concerned citizens” helped lick nan case, officials said.

“We are grateful that a telephone was made erstwhile things didn’t adhd up,” said Kim Olson, nan section Baggs crippled warden. “Often, each it takes is 1 personification to do nan correct thing, beryllium courageous and beryllium nan sound for wildlife.”