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Poached Buffalo

© Connie Troutman

It ceases to amaze me how people think they can get away with poaching. Not only is poaching illegal but a direct threat to wildlife. Below you will find an update, followed by an op/ed piece from Mike Mease of Buffalo Field Campaign. I will be changing this page throughout the month with other updates that I receive, so please keep checking back for the full story.

For Immediate Release, 10/1/99

MT. State contractor admits to poaching buffalo at Duck Creek

Contact information:

Buffalo Field Campaign
1-406-646-0070
mailto:buffalo@wildrockies.org

On Tuesday, the Buffalo Field Campaign, a group opposed to the capture and slaughter of bison migrating outside of Yellowstone National Park, found a poached bison on the land of Dale Koelzer. The bison had been skinned with its head and genitalia had been removed. Koelzer's property adjoins Yellowstone National Park about 12 miles north of West Yellowstone.

Unfortunately, Dale Koelzer also is the same man that the State of Montana contracts with to locate their Duck Creek bison capture facility on, and the MT Department of Livestock (DOL) also leases room in his basement to house their employees. Koelzer obviously believes that his cozy relationship with the State gave him the authority to kill the bison, though he lied to authorities about his role in the poaching. When initially contacted by the local game warden, Koelzer denied having anything to do with it.

The Duck Creek capture facility is notorious as the staging ground for the DOL's policy of slaughtering bison as they migrate out of Yellowstone in the winter time. Many activists also have been arrested protesting there, or trespassing while trying to divert bison off of Koelzer's land. Obviously the State has a dual standard when applying the law--one for activists, and another for "one of their own."

The State DOL and the Forest Service have been hiding their capture operations behind Koelzer's back for so long, it appears they have a serious conflict of interest when it comes to prosecuting him. If it were an ordinary citizen that poached, he would be behind bars right now. Instead, the local game warden and the State Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks are wringing their hands, trying to figure out how to get themselves and Koelzer out of this predicament.

"I don't see how the MT DOL can continue to associate with Koelzer and give taxpayer' dollars to a known wildlife poaching criminal," stated Mike Mease, Field Operations Coordinator for the Buffalo Field Campaign. "Koelzer didn't follow the law regarding bison on private lands, and he lied to the State. The DOL should immediately cancel their contracts with Koelzer, remove the Duck Creek capture facility, and prosecute him to the