SODA SPRINGS — A Soda Springs man has been sentenced for illegally killing and wasting a trophy bull elk in September.
In a plea agreement with the Caribou County prosecutor’s office in March, Bart Rhead pleaded guilty to two elk poaching charges and various trapping violations.
As a result, Rhead was given a 90-day jail sentence, with 60 days suspended, and 120 hours of community service in lieu of time served.
Read was also sentenced to pay $12,650 in reimbursement to the state and received a lifetime hunting and trapping revocation. He also had to forfeit his hunting rifle.
In accordance with the plea agreement, Rhead also admitted that the three bull elk mounted in his home, as well as one mule deer buck, were all taken during closed hunting seasons. According to Fish and Game, Rhead was issued written warnings for possession of those animals and has relinquished possession of the mounts.
According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, conservation officers in Soda Springs received a call last September from a sportsman who heard a gunshot and saw a large bull elk go over a ridge.
A conservation officer later watched Rhead use a bulldozer to move the dead trophy elk to a location near his property. There, Fish and Game said Rhead removed the antlers, ivory teeth and hide, and then left the rest of the carcass to waste.
Several days later, a search warrant was served on Rhead’s property and the elk antlers were recovered. The elk’s carcass was found on the property wrapped in a tarp and pushed off the side of a hill.
Fish and Game said the antlers scored 363 points using the Boone and Crockett points system, meaning the poached elk was listed as trophy status.
While serving the search warrant, officers also found a wildlife feed station that had an overhead street-style light, mineral tubs, a water trough and large amounts of alfalfa cubes. Fish and Game said the use of lights or bait is prohibited in hunting big game in Idaho.
Authorities said that additional evidence was revealed that Rhead had previously taken a bull elk with a rifle during archery-only hunts.
Fish and Game said that anybody with information on a wildlife violation should contact Citizens Against Poaching at 1-800-632-5999. Callers can remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards if the information leads to arrests.
