A Bozeman, Montana, man who illegally stashed shed antlers on federal lands in Wyoming apparently to boost his dog chew business has been banned from setting foot on federal public land or hunting anywhere in the world for five years.
Joshua Anders Rae, formerly of Jackson, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, according to the U.S. Forest Service. He was banned from hunting anywhere in the world for five years, during which time he also can’t set foot on federal public land anywhere in the United States.
Rae also was sentenced to 90 days of home confinement and five years of supervised felony probation.
Rae was caught trying to rathole shed antlers before the legal May 1 opening day of the 2021 antler hunting season on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, according to the U.S. Forest Service. He was already on federal probation for being caught doing the same thing in 2019.
For the first offense, he was ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and subject to a five year worldwide ban on hunting. He also was ordered to not set foot for five years on the National Elk Refuge Near Jackson or in Teton or Yellowstone parks.
Well-Known Nefarious Tactics
The case was investigated by U.S. Forest Service law enforcement agents, as well as wardens from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Rae’s tactics were well-known to investigators, according to the Forest Service. Illegal shed antler hunters try to hide stashes of antlers ahead of the season opener, then return to retrieve them once the season opens.
There can be big profit in shed antlers, including a robust market for sections of antlers sold online as dog chews. Rae was apparently stashing antlers to boost the profits of his now-defunct “Old West Antlers” online dog chew business, according to the Forest Service.
Violation of 123-Year-Old Law
Rae was charged both times under the federal Lacey Act, which was first signed into law in 1900 by President William McKinley and originally prohibited people from knowingly transporting invasive species.
The Lacey Act was amended in 1981 and 2008 to prohibit such things as the transport or sale of illegally taken wildlife or the parts of wild animals.
Bad Timing
Rae’s punishment comes at the opening of what will likely be Wyoming’s last hot season for nonresident shed antler hunters.
Antler hunting opened in Teton County at 6 a.m. Monday. National Forest land in Teton County, near the elk refuge, is one of the best spots for taking massive hauls of elk antlers. Most are gone within the highly competitive first few days of the season.
Shed antler hunting was pushed back until May 15 this year across most of the rest of Wyoming. Game and Fish cited concern over game herds still struggling against vicious winter conditions as the reason for the delay.
The Wyoming Legislature early this year passed a bill giving residents a weeklong head start on shed hunting. So, as of 2024, Wyomingites can start May 1, but nonresidents will have to wait until May 8. That means residents will have first crack at the best shed hunting spots.
Mark Heinz can be reached at Mark@CowboyStateDaily.com.
