I’m gonna get on the soap box for minute because this has been sticking in my craw.
The thing that grinds my gears the worst about this and the previous WLH snafu’s is the blatant double standard that the state enables.
Last year I put myself and a conservation permit holder in a really poor position. We had literal charges filed against us for a crime that not only could the state not prove we committed but one that I was able to demonstrably show we hadn’t. It put my standing with DOPL at risk and did significant damage to reputation to both of us.
WLH posted pictures of a sheep literally killed on a closed unit, there’s audio of wade arranging an illegal lion shoot, they’ve been kicked off AI, a bear chased off bait with Don Jr., now presumptively a helicopter used on video to illegally aid in the harvest of the governor’s tag elk, and the possibility of numerous guide, spotter, and flight violations for the deer.
The state jumped at the chance to investigate and charge a guy with a lowly Wasatch cons tag that in hindsight is what I can only describe as a railroad job prayer based on the assumption we’d plea it away quietly. Then from where I stand bends over and says give it to me again with the highest profile tags and hunters.
Hunters should be calling the director of the DWR, the head of LE Wyatt buback, and the San Juan county DA demanding action. Hell DOPL’s door should be beat down until they reconvene the outfitter and guide board.
The fact is, in this state, the dollar speaks. We don’t have enough oversight or funding allocated to oversight to be effective when that dollar yells too loud. The burden of ethics, morals, and integrity is squarely on the shoulders of guys like me, and unless I choose to operate accordingly the reality is I can operate with a significant level of impunity. You get an outfit like WLH with high pressure winner take all stakes and all bets are off.