A Lander man who pleaded guilty to eight poaching charges has the dubious distinction of being the first Wyoming resident to lose hunting privileges for life since all 50 states have recognized such revocations under the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact.
Dakota James Jordan illegally killed multiple deer and elk and a bull moose in Fremont County starting in 2021, according to an affidavit written by Wyoming Game and Fish game warden Jon Desonier and filed with court documents.
His sentence included a lifetime revocation of hunting and trapping privileges in Wyoming. The revocation is also recognized in 49 other states under the compact. Massachusetts became the 50th and final state to join the compact in 2022.
Six Wyomingites previously saw their privileges revoked for life, between 2004 and 2020. Under the compact, they lost their privileges each time a new state signed on.
Jordan’s sentence also included 96 days in jail, fines and restitution totaling $18,000, forfeiture of firearms and vehicles involved in the crimes, and three years of supervised probation. He is currently serving time in the Fremont County Detention Center.
Revoking hunting privileges for life is a harsh penalty but “is a good deterrent", retired federal game warden Dominic Domenici told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.
Early in his career, when only a few states were on board, some penalties essentially were meaningless, Domenici said.
"You’d catch a guy from Louisiana poaching in Wyoming, and you could revoke privileges in Wyoming, but he probably wasn’t going to ever come back here anyway. So, it just wasn’t that big of a deterrent,” Domenici said.
Noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich also said the punishment fit the crime for Jordan’s “multi-year, multiple poaching violations."
Revoking privileges across the country, for life, sends a clear message that “we take this seriously and we’re not playing games," said Ulrich, a founding member of the wildlife and hunting ethics advocacy group Wyoming Sportsmanship.
DNA, Power Lines Solve Case
An investigation began Nov. 8, 2024, based on allegations that Jordan illegally killed a cow and calf elk, according to Desonier’s affidavit.
“Dakota Jordan was also a suspect for multiple violations in the past, including a poached bull moose and multiple mule deer bucks shot in the Lander City limits,” Desonier wrote.
Jordan was suspected of illegally killing a bull moose in the Crowheart area of Fremont County on Oct. 13, 2022.
When questioned by investigators in 2024, “Jordan then told us that the bull moose had charged him and he shot the moose in self-defense but was afraid to get into trouble, so he did not call to report the incident,” Desonier wrote.
High Plains Power employees helped pinpoint the exact location where the moose was killed, based on power lines visible in photos investigators found on Jordan’s phone, according to Game and Fish.
Wardens also used forensics to seal the case.
“DNA samples extracted from headless carcasses found in the field were entered into Game and Fish’s forensic database. Those samples ultimately matched physical evidence found at the suspect’s property,” according to Game and Fish.
“This case also involved Jordan’s father, who pleaded guilty several months ago to two related wildlife counts. He was sentenced to a five-year suspension of hunting privileges and ordered to pay $5,370 in fines and restitution, according to Game and Fish.
Charges might also be pending against “two to three additional co-defendants,” according to Game and Fish.
History Of The Compact
The Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact was initiated in 1989 by Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. Wyoming joined on Aug. 3, 1996.
By 2020, 48 states were on board, with Hawaii and Massachusetts being the last holdouts.
Hawaii joined in July 2021 and Massachusetts on Aug. 4, 2022.
Under the rules, member states may recognize and reciprocate hunting, fishing and trapping privilege suspensions imposed by other member states, provided the underlying violation qualifies for suspension under their own laws.
Before Jordan, the six other Wyomingites convicted of poaching saw their privileges revoked for life in the state in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2020, according to Game and Fish.
A Fitting Punishment
Domenici started his career as a game warden with the New Mexico Game and Fish Department. He became a federal game warden with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Utah and transferred to Wyoming to cover the Wyoming-Montana area in the mid-1990s before retiring in 2009.
He said he was grateful each time a new state signed on to the compact.
Lifetime revocations should be reserved for the most egregious cases, and the punishment “seems fitting” in Jordan’s case, Domenici said.
“Probably the reason that they went that far (in the sentencing) was because it happened year after year after year. He didn’t just get excited at seeing a big elk and ended up shooting it. It went on and on,” he said.
Ulrich said the investigators, prosecutor and judge showed “good wildlife stewardship" in handling the case.
And the use of DNA forensics was impressive, Ulrich added.
“How awesome is that? Poachers beware: Wyoming Game and Fish wardens are the best in the business, and they will find you,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
