Facebook bragging about poaching leads to charges against man

A convicted felon who posted images on Facebook about his poaching exploits attracted the attention of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Internet Crimes Unit and now faces seven felony charges and six misdemeanor charges related to his illegal activities.

The department's investigation into Facebook posts by Darin Lee Waldo, 43, of Davenport, Fla., led it to believe that he and friends may have been poaching game in Florida's Lake Marion Creek Wildlife Management Area during closed season. Waldo is a convicted felon who cannot legally possess firearms.

"Our investigators were able to gain Waldo's confidence over the Internet," said Lt. George Wilson, supervisor of the Internet Crimes Unit.

Waldo not only exchanged images of illegally killed game with FWC investigators via the Internet, but also took part in chat room conversations about his alleged actions and allegedly invited undercover agents to participate in two illegal hunts, eventually leading to his arrest Saturday by Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies.

"Waldo was also trespassing and poaching on private ranches before hunting season, stealing Florida's wildlife from landowners who were maintaining conservation programs," Wilson said.

Waldo's third-degree felony charges, each punishable by up to a $5,000 fine and/or five years in prison, include four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and three counts of armed trespass. He also faces six second-degree misdemeanor charges, each punishable by up to a $500 fine and/or 60 days in jail.

In the first year since the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission created its Internet Crimes Unit, investigators initiated 168 investigations that have resulted in 177 arrests and 92 warnings.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: This Facebook photo posted by Darin Lee Waldo posing with white-tailed deer eventually led to his arrest on felony charges. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

 

Fish and Game Q&A: Is it legal to use lights to monitor wildlife if you do not have any guns in your possession?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: Is it legal to use lights to monitor wildlife if you do not have any guns in your possession? Watching wildlife at night is a very interesting way to educate kids to be on the lookout for and gain an interest in wildlife. I’ve always wondered if using lights to do this would be considered harassment somehow and not be allowed? (Bill T.)

Answer: It is not illegal to shine lights since you won’t have a "method of take" with you, but your activities could alert a game warden who might think you are using the spotlights to poach game at night. Be aware that there are vehicle code laws that prohibit shining a hand-held spotlight from a motor vehicle and another provision that requires "off road" lights to be covered while traveling on a public roadway or highway.

Instead, you might consider using a trail cam like those sold through most outdoor-gear stores. These will allow you to capture (with night-vision equipment) images or video of wildlife that might be visiting a watering hole or passing through an area. There are some cameras that take photos when a light sensor is tripped and some that take photos at certain time intervals. The trail cams would not bother or harass the wildlife, and you’d be able to take photos of them while they are acting normally, doing whatever they naturally do at night. You might also be surprised by the different species that will appear that you probably would not expect!

Q: I helped my boss, who is legally blind, get a disabled license for fishing. However, due to her disability, she will need help baiting her hook. Can I legally help her without needing a two-pole stamp? (Sandy B.)

California Department of Fish and Game offers black powder hunting clinic

The California Department of Fish and Game will be holding a black powder hunting clinic on April 30 in Merced County as part of its advanced hunter education program. Designed for all skill levels, the clinic will include both lectures and live-fire exercises.

The lecture portion will include a brief history of black powder shooting, different styles of black powder rifles used today, how to safely load and shoot a black powder rifle, laws and regulations pertaining to black powder hunting and strategies for hunting with black powder firearms.

The live-fire exercise will include target shooting with black powder firearms. All course material and loaner black powder firearms will be provided. Participants should not bring their personal firearms.

The clinic will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the River Oaks Range in Winton, seven miles north of Atwater in Merced County.

The cost is $45 and space is limited to 25, so those interested are advised to register early.

Those 16 and younger will be admitted free but must be accompanied by an adult. Registration, including fee payment, closes two weeks before the workshop date and can be completed online.

After registering, participants will receive an e-mail with a map to the facility and a list of items to bring.

For more information, e-mail or call DFG Lt. Dan Lehman at (916) 358-4356.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: A hunter puts black powder into his single shot flintlock. Credit: Branson Reynolds / For The Times

NSSF video emphasizes indoor shooting range safety

The National Shooting Sports Foundation recently posted the above video, "Introduction to Range Safety and Etiquette," on its YouTube channel.

The 8 1/2-minute video covers the following aspects of shooting range safety:
•    Rules of gun safety
•    Eye and ear protection
•    Range rules
•    Role of the range officer
•    What to do when you get to the firing line
•    Making your handgun safe
•    Cease fire -- who can call it, what it means and how you should respond
•    Range courtesy, common sense and etiquette

The video is useful to new and inexperienced shooters -- so they can better understand what's expected of them at indoor ranges -- and is also a handy refresher to those familiar with the rules and etiquette.

As a novice shooter, I plan on giving this video at least a couple of views before heading to the range this weekend.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Video credit: National Shooting Sports Foundation via YouTube

 

 

Fish and Game Q&A: What to do about injured wildlife?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: We have seen an injured buck in our neighborhood with a gash in his left hind leg and bone sticking out. It’s swollen, probably infected and he can’t put any weight on that leg at all. I don’t see how it will get better and he doesn’t seem to have much to look forward to other than a lot of suffering and a painful death. He needs to either be given a fighting chance by tranquilizing and treating him or to be put out of his misery so this injury won’t fester and cause him to suffer anymore. Is there anything someone can do? (Jennifer P., Pacific Grove)

Answer: There are wildlife rehabilitation facilities that are able to help fawns in some situations, but for safety reasons they cannot possess or take in adult deer. According to Nicole Carion, DFG’s statewide coordinator for wildlife rehabilitation and restricted species, adult deer can be very dangerous and do not fare well in captivity to undergo medical treatment, so a rescue is not a good option. In this particular case, it sounds like humane euthanasia may be the best solution.

Outdoor Life magazine introduces Outdoor Life Survival website

Outdoor Life magazine recently announced the launch of Outdoor Life Survival, a new website chock-full of informative and possibly useful topical survival news, advice and tips for outdoorsmen, travelers and urban dwellers.

With more than 20 years experience studying survival skills and primitive technologies, survival expert and instructor Tim MacWelch -- the site's lead contributor -- will share strategies on all aspects of sustaining oneself in the wild through photo galleries, videos and how-to guides, as well as frequent postings to the site's new Survivalist blog.

Outdoor Life Survival's content is divided into five sections, designed to provide ideas and solutions for almost any survival situation:

Wilderness, focusing on classic outdoor and wildlife dangers, including surviving animal attacks and bites, extreme weather and finding safe wild food sources;

Urban, which addresses skills such as burglar-proofing a home, freeing a stuck car from ice or mud and creating a family emergency plan;

Conflict, offering tips on staying safe abroad and protecting yourself in dangerous situations;

Disasters, which focuses on preparing for and surviving hurricanes, floods, blizzards and other natural catastrophes;

Gear, a resource for the best in survival essentials such as knives, watches, food and survival kits.

"The essential skills for survival are no longer just the purview of those who love the outdoors," said Todd Smith, editor-in-chief of Outdoor Life magazine. "With unpredictable weather, global unrest and even the increasing congestion in our cities, the tactics that have long kept outdoorsmen safe are of interest to a general audience. OL Survival channels the expertise of top survivalists into tips anyone can use to be prepared and stay safe, whether they're on a wilderness adventure or close to home."

Other features of the site include a forum where visitors can post questions and receive answers from Outdoor Life experts and fellow online members, and a gallery offering readers the opportunity to share their survival tales and photos.

-- Kelly Burgess

twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Image courtesy of Outdoor Life

Poacher receives two-year prison sentence, lifetime hunting ban for wasting game, other offenses

A Novato, Calif., man received a two-year prison sentence and had his hunting and fishing privileges revoked for life after he was convicted of bear poaching and other offenses.

The California Department of Fish and Game reports that Wayne Richard Barsch, 49, was already a two-strike felon when sentenced Feb. 4 by a Glenn County judge. Barch will also face an as-yet-undetermined fine.

The conviction is the result of a December 2010 incident, when Barsch was contacted by DFG warden Mike Beals in rural Glenn County. Beals was on a routine patrol when he encountered Barsch and two hunting partners attempting to process a black bear they had killed at least a day earlier.

Warden Beals found Barsch in possession of a .45-caliber handgun, and a check through DFG dispatch revealed Barsch was a convicted felon and had a restraining order against him, either of which would prevent him from being in possession of any firearm. Beals also found that Barsch had a bear head, four paws and the gall bladder, but only 15 pounds of bear meat, far less than what would be expected to come from a 200-pound animal. It is a crime in California to waste meat from any game animal. Barsch had also failed to tag the bear after killing it.

Since Barsch was on searchable probation, seven wardens went to his residence, where they discovered another bear gall bladder as well as a bear penis, head and five paws in his freezer.

Barsch will serve at least 85% of the two-year prison sentence. Because he was a two-strike felon, the courts may add to his prison sentence. And since California is part of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, an agreement that recognizes suspension of hunting, fishing and trapping licenses in member states, Barsch's lifetime hunting and fishing prohibition will be enforced elsewhere in the nation.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Black bear. Credit: Lynn Chamberlain / Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

 

Fish and Game Q&A: How much do California halibut move around?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: I have a question about the halibut out at San Clemente Island. Is it a self-contained population due to the long distance between the island and mainland? If so, is it harder for this island population to mix and propagate with the mainland coastal halibut? I understand that all fertilized fish eggs, larvae and fry drift with the sea currents, but wouldn’t it be easy to overfish this one "homegrown" species of fish at San Clemente Island? (Steve)

Answer: Halibut do move inshore-offshore and along the coast to spawn. They also follow feed and follow favorable ocean conditions. Unfortunately, there is no good answer to your question regarding the fish at San Clemente Island, mostly because no data are available.

According to Department of Fish and Game associate marine biologist Travis Tanaka, more than 26,800 coastal mainland halibut were tagged as part of a halibut study performed in Southern California from 1992 to 1997. The study seemed to indicate that migration was related to the size of the fish, but this was not statistically proven. Most of the fish in the study (64%) were recaptured in the same region as the original capture. However, halibut larger than 550 millimeters (21.9 inches) in length averaged 29.5 kilometers (18.3 miles) in travel. At the same time, smaller halibut less than 550 millimeters averaged from 4.6 to 5.6 kilometers (2.9 to 3.5 miles) of travel. The greatest distance of travel was accomplished by a 559 millimeter (22-inch) halibut, which traveled 319 kilometers (198.2 miles). The lesson here is that fish do move, and in the case of this particular study, the movement was mostly to the north. (The results of this study can be found in DFG’s scientific journal, California Fish and Game, vol. 85, no. 2.)

Poll finds rifle hunters, shooters consider scopes essential gear

Scopes are considered to be essential gear for sportsmen who shoot or hunt with rifles, as evidenced by the number of respondents to a recent survey. Conducted by HunterSurvey.com, the poll revealed more than 92% of rifle owners own at least one scoped rifle, and nearly three out of four own multiple scoped rifles, while only 7.7% responded that they do not own a scope.

Scopes are also a prominent purchase for many shotgun and handgun owners. While both types of firearms are generally used with open sights, 28.7% of shotgunners and 24.5% of handgunners say they own at least one scoped model.

"While firearms and ammunition purchases have been extensively analyzed, not a lot is known about scope ownership and usage," said Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, which creates and manages the surveys. "This information can be valuable to manufacturers and particularly retailers who now know nearly every rifle buyer is also a potential scope customer as well."

Of those sportsmen surveyed, 26.2% said they intend to purchase a scope in 2011, while 32.5% are not sure.

Launched in 2006, AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com help the outdoor equipment industry, government fisheries and wildlife officials, and conservation organizations track consumer activities and expenditure trends. The results are scientifically analyzed to reflect all U.S. anglers and hunters.

Those who hunt, fish and target shoot are invited to participate in either or both survey sites. Respondents are entered in a monthly drawing for one of five $100 gift certificates to the sporting goods retailer of their choice.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Kathy Hansen, right, tests a Trijicon rifle scope at January's Safari Club International Convention in Reno. Credit: Max Whittaker / Reuters

Fish and Game Q&A: What is the law on hunting exotic ranch animals on private lands?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: What is the law in regard to hunting "exotic ranch animals" on private lands? I see an advertisement for hunts (pigs, goats, etc.) with no tags or licenses required. These hunts are offered 24/7 year-round. How can this be legal? (Monty S.)

Answer: Imported animals that are not native to California and that are put behind a confining fence are not classified as either game or nongame wildlife. They are considered domestic animals/livestock and are not covered by state Fish and Game laws, so hunting regulations do not apply and no hunting licenses or tags are required.

Feral (domestic animals that have reverted to the wild) goats and a number of other species that have become wild in California are covered under nongame laws (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 472). A hunting license is required to take any nongame animals listed in this section.

Fish and Game Q&A: Is it legal to cherry pick the best crabs?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: Recreational Dungeness crab fishermen often seem to hold onto crab in excess of their limit while they are still crabbing, then they cherry pick the best ones and throw back the extras after pulling all their pots. Is this legal? Say for example I’m fishing alone and drop three pots. When I retrieve the pots, the first one contains 10 crab, and I put them all in my fish box. The second pot also has 10 crab and I also put them all in the box. I pull the last pot, then sort through all the crab and throw back all but the biggest 10 before heading into the harbor. This is how I would prefer to fish, but I think it would be illegal since I should never have more than my limit (10 crab per person) aboard. (Jesse)

Answer: What you describe is high-grading and is absolutely illegal. Every
 crab over the limit that is in the fisherman’s possession, even if just for a short time, could get them cited for possession of an overlimit. Once a limit is in possession, all other crabs must be immediately returned to the water. If the fisherman keeps 10 legal-sized crabs from his first pot, all other crabs in any subsequent pots must be released.

Q: Is it legal to sell unused ammo at a garage sale or flea market? I have ammo that was given to me and I don’t own the guns that fire them. They are still in the box and some still have the price tags. I know there is value to somebody who owns these guns. (David S.)

2011 DFG advanced hunting clinics schedule now available

The California Department of Fish and Game has posted the 2011 advanced hunting clinics schedule on its website.

The clinics take place at various locations during the year and focus on the basics of hunting. The series includes sessions on how to hunt turkey, upland game, waterfowl, bear and wild pig. There are also classes offered on land navigation and wilderness survival.

Some of the topics covered in the clinics include the type of firearm and ammunition best for each hunting situation; scouting, tracking and field-dressing game; hunter safety and ethics; and conservation.

Space for each clinic is limited, so those interested in participating should register early.

For more information, e-mail or call Lt. Dan Lehman at (916) 358-4356.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Three youths and a dog watch a flushed pheasant sail out of gun range. Credit: Brent Stettler / Utah Division of Wildlife Resources