A Montana man, who plead guilty to three poaching-related charges, received a lifetime ban on hunting and trapping, according to the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department.
Shiloh Berry, 41, was sentenced this month to crimes he admitted to in late 2019. He pled guilty to hunting without a valid license, unlawful possession of a game animal, and waste of a game animal.
Game wardens, acting on a tip back in November of 2019, discovered a moose carcass east of Townsend, Mont., with its head cut off but none of its meat taken. The wardens also found tire tracks and boot prints nearby.
After another tip in April of 2020 informing them that Berry might be in possession of a set of antlers he claimed to have found in that area, wardens secured a warrant and found a set of antlers, plus a pair of boots and a set of tires with Berry that matched the tracks and prints left near the carcass.
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When the wardens interviewed Berry, he confessed to poaching the moose. The 56-inch set of antlers had Boone and Crockett gross score of 167 and a net score of 145, they said.
In addition to his lifetime hunting and trapping suspension, Berry’s sentencing includes a three-year fishing suspension, over $12,000 in fines and restitution, and a suspended five-year prison sentence.
Montana game wardens say they rely on tips to track down and charge poachers and other criminals. They post cash rewards for eligible tips up to $1,000.