Colorado’s former natural resources manager has pleaded guilty to a hunting-related trespassing charge he received in on private property without permission.
Mike King plead guilty to hunting in a closed area, a misdemeanor, as a part of a plea deal that dropped a hunting-out-of-season charge, according to the .
King mailed in his guilty plea. He was fined $90 and had to pay $194.50 in other fees. He also could be assessed points on his hunting license.
In September 2013, a state wildlife officer cited King for an incident involving use of an all-terrain vehicle to hunt elk in the Egeria Park area south of Steamboat Springs. He was the director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources at the time.
Court records show King characterized the incident as a misunderstanding of property boundaries. He said he hunted on the ranch before, but at the time of the incident the ranch was being managed as two properties.
The ranch manager blamed himself for King’s trespassing in the subsequent investigation and said he had not properly familiarized King with the new boundaries. But King took responsibility and was apologetic, according to court records. He said that as a hunter, it was his responsibility to know boundaries.
King left the Department of Natural Resources in January and.
