A multi-year wildlife poaching investigation in Fremont County, Wyoming, has ended with jail time, vehicle forfeitures, and a lifetime hunting ban for a serial poacher convicted on forensic evidence.
Dakota Jordan of Lander pleaded guilty in Circuit Court to eight wildlife charges stemming from illegal deer, elk, and moose killings dating all the way back to 2021.
Circuit Court Judge Jefferson Coombs handed down a severe sentence.
Jordan lost his hunting and trapping privileges in Wyoming for life. Under state law, he is also prohibited from even accompanying anyone in the field who is hunting or trapping.
Because of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, that lifetime ban extends across 49 other member states.
In addition to the lifetime revocation, Jordan was sentenced to 96 days in jail, three years of supervised probation, and $18,000 in fines and restitution.
Jordan was also forced to forfeit all weapons, wildlife parts, and two vehicles used during the crimes, with titles signed directly over to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD).
The case was broken wide open by the state-of-the-art WGFD Forensics Lab in Laramie.
Investigators collected DNA samples from headless carcasses dumped in the field and logged them into the state database. Those samples directly matched evidence seized under a warrant from Jordan’s residence.
In one instance, biologists spotted a poached elk from the air during routine winter classification flights. Wardens pulled DNA from the field and matched it directly to elk ivories seized during a search of Jordan’s home.
To solve an illegal moose kill near Crowheart, wardens analyzed utility lines visible in a suspect photo, working alongside local power crews to pinpoint the exact location.
The illegal operation was a family affair. Jordan’s father pleaded guilty earlier this year to two related wildlife violations, receiving a five-year hunting suspension and $5,370 in fines and restitution.
Game wardens are currently coordinating with neighboring states and Wind River Reservation tribal authorities to charge up to three additional co-defendants linked to the poaching ring.
