DENTRY: Outfitter scams fill dream hunt full of holes

By Ed Dentry, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published June 3, 2008 at 6:48 p.m.

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Warning to hunters who might be thinking about hiring a guide for a hassle-free hunt:

One of the oldest scams in Colorado apparently still stalks big-game hunters. Illegal outfitters prey mostly on hunters seeking that dream hunt for elk or deer.

The dream turned into a nightmare for a California man who was caught blissfully hunting on private land southwest of Durango in 2006 - without the permission his "outfitter" told him had been arranged.

Then there were the guys from Michigan who hired a guide through a private broker and paid $2,000 each to hunt private land in the same area in 2007. They wound up sleepless in the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.

While interviewing the deceived hunters and others, district wildlife manager Cary Carron spent two years investigating a La Plata County man who had been outfitting without a license.

Clarence W. Miller, a repeat offender, was convicted in October. He was ordered to pay $19,000 in fines, lost his right to own firearms or archery equipment for life and spent 30 days last winter in the LaPlata County Jail.

It was the second time Miller had been caught, which makes the offense a felony. He was also convicted of illegally guiding hunters in 2004.

The first offense was a misdemeanor, even though Miller had been charging his victims $3,500 per hunt.

The Division of Wildlife warns hunters they could lose more than money if they hire unregistered outfitters. Innocent victims have been found guilty.

People hiring illegal outfitters have violated hunting regulations without knowing it. Even breaking the law unwittingly can cost your hunting privileges in Colorado and 25 other states.

At the very least, the hunt of a lifetime ends in ruins.

"If you deal with an illegal outfitter, your hunt could be canceled. And if you have game, it can be confiscated," said Tom Mikesell, president of the Colorado Outfitters Association and owner of M&M Outfitters in Craig.

Outfitters don't have to be members of the association, but they are required to register with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.

Hunters can verify an outfitter's legitimacy by asking for his or her state registration number and checking with the regulatory agency, at www.Dora.State. CO.US/Outfitters.

Members of the outfitters association are also listed at ColoradoOutfitters.org. Mikesell said prospective clients should request a contract detailing services that will be provided and copies of any public-land permits the outfitter holds.

The wildlife division also cautions hunters not to buy private- land hunting vouchers from brokers. Only landowners, not middlemen, are allowed to sell the vouchers for permission to hunt on their property.

HELPING DEER: Volunteers from the Eagle Buckhorn Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation received a salute of gratitude from the Division of Wildlife for their efforts saving hundreds of mule deer from starvation.

The chapter provided more than 1,000 volunteer hours hauling tons of deer-food pellets to help the agency with its feeding program during the bitter winter in Eagle Valley.

"Feeding deer is something we hope we don't have to do that frequently," said Tom Remington, director of the wildlife division, in a letter to chapter members. "But it sure is great to know that when Mother Nature throws a heavy winter at us, we have the help and support of good people like you."

Going a step further, the Buckhorn chapter set an Eagle County conservation record at its May 3 fundraiser, raising $54,000 for mule deer habitat projects.

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