Billings man convicted in bighorn SuperTag case

HAVRE — A Billings man who won the bighorn sheep permit in the state's 2008 SuperTag Lottery, then trespassed to take an animal and lied about where he shot the trophy ram, has been sentenced. 

Shawn Hall, 33, pleaded guilty in Havre's Hill County Justice Court to a misdemeanor count of making a false statement to authorities for lying about where he killed the ram in the fall of 2008. 

Hill County Justice of the Peace Terry Stoppa fined Hall $585 on the false statement charge, and Chouteau County Justice of the Peace Susan Spencer fined him $135 on a misdemeanor charge of hunting without landowner permission, which was filed in connection with the case in Chouteau County's Hunting District 680. 

Hall was sentenced to 180 days in jail with all but one day suspended with credit for time served. He also forfeited his privileges to hunt, fish and trap in Montana for two years.In addition, Hall lost the privilege to apply for any special hunting permits and must obey all other laws. 

The annual SuperTag Lottery allows hunters to purchase unlimited $5 chances to win special licenses to hunt moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, antelope, elk, deer, bison and mountain lion in any legal hunting district in Montana, including the state's legendary trophy districts.  Revenue from the sales is used to enhance hunting access and boost law enforcement efforts. 

FWP Region 6 Warden Sgt. Shane Reno said Hall and his party were hunting in the Missouri River Breaks when the illegal activities occurred Oct. 2, 2008.Hall and the other members of his party located a large, 9 1/2-year-old ram in an area not accessible to hunting without landowner permission.

Hall killed the ram with the help of members of his hunting party.  Reno said that after the ram was killed, the members of the group packed the animal out to their all-terrain vehicles across the private land, again without permission, and left for Havre to report Hall's bighorn harvest to state authorities, as is required.  Reno and then-FWP Biologist Al Rosgaard checked the ram when the group arrived in Havre.

During the process, Reno said Hall gave them a false harvest location that was in an area seven miles from the true location of the kill. An ensuing investigation revealed the exact place where the ram was killed.

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Source: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100416/NEWS01/4160326/Billings-man-convicted-in-bighorn-SuperTag-case

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