Hunter Pays a Fine of $11000 After Poaching Trophy Elk

A hunter will have to pay a considerable fine after a Craig resident witnessed him illegally taking down a trophy elk. Although the Front Range man killed the bull a year ago, only this month did he plead guilty.

According to the officials from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the hunter, Agapito Alarid II, 42, admitted in a court in Moffat County that he illegally poached a trophy elk. Although the man had a hunting license for bull elk, it wasn’t valid in the area where he took down the animal.

It is worth mentioning that even the most experienced hunters have to wait around twenty years to be allowed to hunt in that area, which is located in North Colorado. Besides the fact that he has to pay a fine of $11,000, Alarid risks being banned from fishing and hunting in Colorado and other areas across the country for five years.

The standard fine for trophy elk poaching is $1,000, but the animal had minimum 6 points on one antler beam, and that is why Alarid received a $10,000-penalty. According to Mike Swaro, Craig assistant area wildlife manager, wildlife officials have very strict regulations designed to protect all animal species in that area.

This incident is a reminder that people should think twice before trying to do something illegal, such as poaching elk trophy. Also, residents who turn in valuable info about poachers receive additional benefits.

For example, the man who witnessed Alarid killing the bull elk will receive a hunting license in that area. Swaro added that residents represent a reliable asset in monitoring the area. Also, he stresses that the wildlife officials will need the residents’ help during the elk hunting season.

According to spokesperson Mike Porras, some experts believe that trophy elk poaching is more widely spread than legal hunting, and the exact statistics are difficult to establish. However, he underlined that whenever a hunter illegally kills an animal, he steals from CPW so that the Colorado officials will take active measures.

Porras says that any resident who has committed trophy elk poaching or witnesses an incident of illegal hunting should immediately report it to the wildlife officials who will address this issue as soon as possible.

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