Utah hunters convicted after illegally killing bear during deer hunt

A photo of the suspect with the dead bear (suspects face is blurred). Photo: Photo: Utah DNR

UTAH — In the fall of 2024, officers received a report of a bear killed illegally during the general muzzleloader deer hunt.

Officers investigated and discovered the bear had been shot three times by a muzzleloader, but there were no initial suspects, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

Officers used hunt lists and other investigative means to track down the suspects.

“During the investigation officers also found multiple other violations from the 2024 season including shooting a branch-antlered bull with a spike permit and multiple felons in possession of firearms,” a social post from DNRsaid.

A key piece of evidence eventually also turned up in the bear killing: a photo of one suspect posing with the dead bear shortly after killing it. Thanks to a tip from the public, officers were able to locate the suspects, who were booked into jail and convicted of wanton waste of protected wildlife and hey were forced to pay several thousand dollars in fines and restitution.

In Utah, it is illegal to kill a bear without proper justification and authorization from DNR.

DWR encouraged hunters and outdoor recreationalists to report any information about wildlife or other natural resource crimes to the DNR Division of Law Enforcement.

If you have any information about wildlife or other natural resource crimes, you can report it to the Utah DNR Division of Law Enforcement through a new app that makes it easy and anonymous to report poaching.