Two Sweetwater County residents lost their hunting and fishing privileges in Wyoming and were ordered to pay fines close to $15,000 after they were convicted of multiple poaching violations in Sublette County.
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SUBLETTE COUNTY – Two Sweetwater County residents lost their hunting and fishing privileges in Wyoming and were ordered to pay fines close to $15,000 after they were convicted of multiple poaching violations in Sublette County.
According to SweetwaterNow, Justin Chewning and Steven Macy committed numerous wildlife violations from 2019 to 2020. Wyoming Game and Fish Department game wardens, along with Green River probation and parole officers, started investigating concerns about wasted birds and discovered the two engaged in poaching across two years.
Wardens learned in October 2019 that both Chewning and Macy illegally killed mature bull elk within Elk Hunt Area 100 during the closed season. Those elk were tagged with general elk licenses. Wardens determined the locations where the elk were killed and discovered the carcass from a bull elk killed by Chewning on Oct. 1, 2019. A WGFD Forensics Laboratory analysis determined the carcass was a match to the skull and antlers Chewning had in his possession. The SweetwaterNow report cited the lab’s report that there was a 1 in 5,000,000,000 chance that another elk had the same DNA.
The investigation shows Chewning and Macy were hunting deer in Sublette County on Oct. 4, 2020 when Macy illegally killed a buck mule deer and Chewning illegally tagged it. That same day, while returning from near Pinedale, the two men again hunted elk in Area 100. Macy shot and killed two mature bull elk and Chewning tagged one of the two illegally killed bull elk with his general elk license. Elk Area 100 is limited quota and did not open until days later to properly licensed hunters.
Chewning was ultimately charged with 10 violations: Five counts of intentionally taking antlered big game without a license or during a closed season, two counts of transferring a license, two counts of intentionally wasting edible portions of game bird and big game back straps and five counts of transporting game without a Wyoming Interstate Game Tag. Those last five charges were related to five skulls with antlers attached that Chewning illegally collected.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of intentionally taking antlered bull elk without a proper license, one count of taking a buck mule deer without a license and one count of transferring a license. He’s lost his hunting and fishing privileges for 15 years and was ordered to pay more than $8,500 in fees and restitution.
Macy was charged with five counts of intentionally taking antlered big game without a license or during a closed season and two counts of transferring a license. Macy pleaded no contest to one count of taking a buck mule deer without a license and two counts of intentionally taking a bull elk without the proper license.
Hunting and fishing privileges for Macy have been suspended for two years and he was ordered to pay more than $7,000 in fees and restitution. He’s also been ordered to forfeit the Browning .338 rifle used in the commission of the crimes to the State of Wyoming.
