Poacher is Convicted in Jackson

A Jackson man was recently convicted of charges relating to the illegal shooting and abandoning of a trophy mule deer buck on private land north of Jackson last fall.

Travis Gros pleaded guilty to illegally shooting a mule deer on private land without permission, failure to tag big game and wanton waste of the animal.

Teton County Circuit Court Judge James Radda handed down a sentence of $1,320 in fines, loss of hunting privileges for two years and ordered Gros to again complete his hunter safety certification. A 180 day jail sentence was suspended while he serves probation and 60 hours of community service. Gros is also prohibited from returning to the neighborhood where the deer was illegally shot.

On October 7, 2015, North Jackson Game Warden Jon Stephens got a trespass complaint from a landowner near the airport north of Jackson.  Stephens responded and found the large mule deer buck that had been shot and left. When the landowner provided a description of the shooter, it matched that of a hunter Stephens had checked in the area several hours earlier that day. When the Warden confronted Gros about the crime he admitted to having shot and killed the deer on private land without permission, claiming he had initially wounded the animal on property he did have permission on.

“This is a good example how a concerned citizen stepping forward with information on a wrong-doing can make a big difference,” said Stephens. Stephens also commended the work of Judge James Radda. “I think the sentence sends a strong message that wildlife is a treasured resource in Teton County and such wildlife crimes will not be tolerated.”

Anyone with information on a possible poaching incident should call the STOP POACHING hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847), any Game and Fish regional office, or any Game Warden.