OPERATION GAME THIEF

RECEIVES MONEY FROM FINES IN FEDERAL COURT 

By Sergeant Edwin Broussard

 

Two subjects from New Iberia and one from Lafayette entered guilty pleas to serious waterfowl violations before U.S. Magistrate Mildred Methvin on June 26 in Lafayette. Louisiana's Operation Game Thief Program received a large percentage of the fine money.

Wildlife Enforcement Agents and Federal Agents conducted aerial surveillance of an area after receiving a complaint that it might be baited.  The area was located behind some camps near the Warren Canal south of Gueydan in Vermilion Parish.  Agents went to the area where they photographed and collected bait samples of a bush hogged (manipulated) milo field. The following Saturday morning, the agents returned to the location and observed hunters in five blinds hunting ducks and geese.

Two hunters were hunting geese over the baited field after being dropped off by a third hunter.  Agents contacted the three hunters and after a short investigation cited two of them for hunting migratory game birds (geese) over a baited area and the third one for aiding and abetting others in hunting migratory game birds (geese) with the aid of bait. The one White -fronted Goose (Speckle Belly) killed by the two hunters was seized and donated to charity.

Wildlife Enforcement Agents involved in the case were Sergeants Edwin Broussard, Robert Buatt, Senior Agents Kirby Henry, Jimmie Meaux, Jr., Aaron Monceaux, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agents Philip Siragusa, Bob Oliverie, S.A. Pilot Bill Mellor and Biologist/ pilot Fred Roetker.

In a separate case, Federal Agents conducted aerial surveillance of the marsh west of Pecan Island.and observed what appeared to be a baited pond with a blind on it on January 9, 2001.  Wildlife Enforcement Agents and a federal agent returned to the area at night on January

11, took photographs and collected bait samples of rice, oats, and milo within five (5) yards of a duck blind.  State and Federal Agents returned to the baited area and observed three adults and one juvenile hunt ducks over the bait.  Agents made contact with the hunters and other wildlife agents were called into the area.  Agents checked and interviewed one subject, who admitted to putting the bait in the pond. He was cited for hunting migratory game birds (ducks) over a baited area and aiding and abetting others in hunting migratory game birds (ducks) with the aid of bait. Two other subjects were interviewed and cited for hunting migratory game birds (duck) over a baited area. The five ducks killed by the cited hunters were seized and donated to charity.

 Wildlife Enforcement Lieutenant Glenn Angelle, Sergeant Edwin Broussard, Senior Agents Ivan Vaughn, Jr., Gene Viator and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Philip Siragusa and special agent/pilot Bill Mellor were involved in the case.