Wyoming Nonresident Outfitter Convicted of Transferring Licenses
SHERIDAN - For the second time in less than 10 years, a Wyoming professional outfitter has been charged and convicted of illegally using clients hunting licenses. Jon Ball of ?Jons Outdoors,? a licensed Wyoming outfitter from Oregon, recently signed a plea agreement with the Johnson County Attorney?s Office. In the agreement Ball admitted that during the 2017 hunting season he had a hunting client who was issued an antelope license and a deer license that could not make the trip to hunt in Wyoming. Ball transferred the antelope license to another hunter in his hunting camp and used the deer license himself to harvest a second buck mule deer.
?What makes this case even more serious is this is the second time Ball has done this in less than 10 years.? said Buffalo Game Warden Jim Seeman. In 2009, Ball was convicted of the same violation when he allowed an employee of his outfitting business to use a license that had been issued to another person. Ball pled guilty to that violation and paid $3,000 in fines and restitution and lost his hunting privileges for three years.
In the signed plea agreement, Ball agreed to pay a total of $8,000 including $4,000 in fines and $4,000 in restitution. Additionally, Ball agreed to the loss of hunting privileges for eight years in 47 states that are members of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Two of Ball?s other clients were issued citations in conjunction with this case. John McDougal, from Pennsylvania, was issued citations for taking an over limit of big game animals (antelope) and hunting in the wrong area while his brother Earl McDougal, from Tennessee, was cited for accessory to those same violations. In all, this case resulted in fines and restitution totaling $9,500.
SHERIDAN - For the second time in less than 10 years, a Wyoming professional outfitter has been charged and convicted of illegally using clients hunting licenses. Jon Ball of ?Jons Outdoors,? a licensed Wyoming outfitter from Oregon, recently signed a plea agreement with the Johnson County Attorney?s Office. In the agreement Ball admitted that during the 2017 hunting season he had a hunting client who was issued an antelope license and a deer license that could not make the trip to hunt in Wyoming. Ball transferred the antelope license to another hunter in his hunting camp and used the deer license himself to harvest a second buck mule deer.
?What makes this case even more serious is this is the second time Ball has done this in less than 10 years.? said Buffalo Game Warden Jim Seeman. In 2009, Ball was convicted of the same violation when he allowed an employee of his outfitting business to use a license that had been issued to another person. Ball pled guilty to that violation and paid $3,000 in fines and restitution and lost his hunting privileges for three years.
In the signed plea agreement, Ball agreed to pay a total of $8,000 including $4,000 in fines and $4,000 in restitution. Additionally, Ball agreed to the loss of hunting privileges for eight years in 47 states that are members of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Two of Ball?s other clients were issued citations in conjunction with this case. John McDougal, from Pennsylvania, was issued citations for taking an over limit of big game animals (antelope) and hunting in the wrong area while his brother Earl McDougal, from Tennessee, was cited for accessory to those same violations. In all, this case resulted in fines and restitution totaling $9,500.
