An Idaho man that chose to take his poaching operations to a higher level has been handed a lifetime suspension of his Idaho license. The ruling came in part of a plea deal in a poaching case that involved using a helicopter to chase wildlife.
Karl Studer pleaded guilty to one charge of illegally taking a bull moose after an investigation revealed a pattern of illegal hunting behaviors.
After several reports of a red helicopter flying low and chasing game away from other hunters began to surface, the investigation quickly got under way. According to one hunter’s report, “The helicopter followed the deer for a mile and a half or so and was about 200 yards off the ground. It was obvious the deer were running because of the helicopter.”
Studer was a passenger in that helicopter and was the driving force in the illegal wildlife harvests of three other men. He initially faced seven felony charges related to poaching.
“Karl Studer should never be allowed to hunt in the state of Idaho again,” prosecutor Jethelyn Harrington said.
“As far as the facts of this case go, it does not get more serious for poaching big game animals in the state of Idaho,” Harrington said.
“Karl Studer is an arrogant man who has stolen from Idaho’s precious resources in a very inhumane and undignified way. His blatant disregard and lack of respect for other hunters in Idaho is full-scale cheating, breaking rules that everyone else has to follow,” Harrington said.
As you might expect, the defense saw things differently in the case. Defense attorney, Charles Peterson Jr., pushed for a five-year suspension, pointing to character statements submitted by friends and associates of Studer that show another story of who he really is.Â
“Neither have I seen in this case, anything in any of the people who know him that would suggest, as the state suggests, that he is greedy and thinks he is above the law,” Peterson said.
However, Judge William Hancock agreed with the prosecutor during a sentencing hearing for the high-profile poaching case, handing down a lifetime suspension of his Idaho hunting license.
“The court is mindful that the sentence set here today will be a sentence that not only has an impact for Studer, but also has a message for others,” Hancock said.
The sentencing for Studer will include five years of unsupervised probation, 50 hours of community service, and fines and court fees totaling around $180,000.
