A man who didn’t say “no” to either drugs or illegal hunting found himself crossways with both a game warden and sheriff’s deputy, according to Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports.
Wheatland Game Warden Nate Holst responded to a report of hunters trespassing on private land near Glendo Reservoir in September 2021, according to the Game and Fish annual law enforcement summary.
Trespassing Was First Mistake
Holst found two people field dressing a freshly killed 5-by-6 bull elk on private property where they didn’t have permission to hunt.
The man who had shot the elk wasn’t wearing any florescent orange or pink clothing – which also is required of big game rifle hunters in Wyoming. The Game and Fish report doesn’t identify the suspects.
The landowners didn’t want the suspects on their property, so Holst offered to give the man who shot the elk a ride back to his vehicle. During the ride, the man told Holst he had forgotten his “favorite hunting knife” at the kill site, the summary said.
Holst told the man that he wouldn’t be allowed back at the kill site, but that Holst would go back to retrieve the bull elk’s head as evidence. He told the man he would look for his knife.
Umm … That’s Not Empty Rifle Brass
After dropping the man off at his vehicle, Holst heard a “clinking sound” coming from the passenger seat where the man had just been.
“Warden Holst, figuring it was empty brass, reached down and picked up what he quickly discovered to be a meth pipe and lighter,” the report said.
At Least He Got His Knife Back
Holst called the Platte County Sheriff’s office. A deputy responded and cited the man with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
He also was cited by Holst for hunting on private land without permission and issued a warning for failing to wear florescent clothing while hunting.
The Game and Fish citation resulted in a $700 fine and a forfeiter of the elk carcass.
“Warden Holst found the suspect’s knife and returned it to him later,” the report said.
