The extent to which so-called wildlife professionals will go when money is involved is illustrated by two recent Colorado cases involving willful violations.
In the most dramatic of the two, Raymond Thomas, who produces a TV show and operates a guide service out of Jackson, Miss., was convicted of using a poison-tipped arrow while filming a hunting sequence last September.
Thomas used a so-called “poison pot,” a capsule placed behind an arrow point that releases on impact, a violation of Colorado wildlife law. In addition to fines, Thomas had his licenses suspended for five years. He appealed, but the Colorado Wildlife Commission upheld the ruling.
In a separate case, Missouri outfitter Gregory J. Jaegers and two associates face various felony charges of illegal hunting and outfitting in Colorado.
Jaegers operates the appropriately named Renegade Guide Service of Ste. Genevieve. The case began in 2003 when investigators of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department notified Colorado officials of Jaegers’ activities.
A search warrant was executed last October, and interviews revealed connections with hunters in Colorado, Missouri, Louisiana and Texas.
Also charged were Richard Schroeder of Festus, Mo., and Keith Schweiss of Bloomsdale, Mo. The counts include felony willful destruction of wildlife.
