A call to Idaho Fish and Game about trespassing in the Pahsimeroi Valley during hunting season in 2021 led to five men being charged with more than 50 crimes, according to a press release posted Tuesday by Idaho Fish and Game.
When police responded to the initial trespassing call in 2021, tracks through an alfalfa field led them to a pool of blood and hair, according to the press release. The landowner reportedly had not permitted pronghorn hunting on the property at the time. Two days later, Officer Chad Wippermann was called over an alleged vandalism incident wherein someone threw a pronghorn onto the hood of a vehicle.
What started as a simple phone call to Idaho Fish and Game about trespassing in the Pahsimeroi Valley during the 2021 pronghorn archery season, led to an extensive investigation with over 50 wildlife charges filed against five southwest Idaho men. https://t.co/xB4wxKbKdH
— Idaho Fish and Game (@idfg) October 11, 2022
Through a subsequent investigation, Wippermann and other officers found evidence of pronghorn, which are related to goats and antelope, being chased and shot from vehicles, the press release noted. The officers also reportedly discovered suspects had been hunting waterfowl and upland game birds out of season and killing protected species, among other violations.
“The investigation revealed a shocking number of fish and game violations,” Wippermann said, according to the press release.
More charges would have been filed, but there is a short statute of limitations on fish and game violations other than big game, the release stated.
Todd Phillips, Darin Phillips, Braeden Phillips, Jacob Phillips and Jeff Mosso were all charged in relation to the crimes, according to the press release. The men were issued a combined $21,975 in fines, 15 years’ worth of hunting license revocations, 34 years of probation, 330 hours of community service and they were forced to surrender 4 pronghorns. (RELATED: Man Receives Lifetime Hunting Ban For Poaching Across Multiple Colorado Counties)
Idaho is a member of the Wildlife Violator Compact, which means if a person’s hunting license is revoked in any of the 50 states, they are not allowed to hunt anywhere, the press release states. As such, the men are banned from hunting across the country for the same period of time as they are in Idaho.