Conrad Man Guilty of Trespassing on Sun River WMA

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A Conrad man was fined $535 for criminal trespass on the Sun River Wildlife Management Area in March nearly two months before the WMA opened May 15 to the general public.

Jamey Linn, 40, was also sentenced, June 6, by Lewis and County Justice of the Peace Wally Jewell to pay Fish, Wildlife and Parks $250 restitution.

In March, FWP game warden Dave Holland noticed that antlers were disappearing off the WMA west of Augusta along the Rocky Mountain Front. The WMA is popular with antler collectors when it opens May 15. Occasionally, a few folks try to sneak on illegally before the opening and steal antlers.

So Holland marked an elk antler. Then he waited.

“The antler was picked up by Linn in March and put farther into the WMA,” Holland says. “After the WMA opened, he returned to the marked antler and other antlers he had picked up.”

It’s important to remember, Holland says, that all the state’s WMAs exist for wintering wildlife not to protect antlers.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case, says FWP game warden Capt. Mike Martin.

“Just this winter statewide we have arrested people trespassing on closed WMA’s for lion hunting, shooting for target practice and searching for antlers,” Martin says.

“Montanans bought these lands to protect wintering big game herds,” Martin says. “Trespass disturbs elk when they are in their poorest annual condition, sometimes causing them to move to private property where they cause damage.”