Montana man, Michael Filipek was charged; his hunting and fishing privileges revoked and was banned for three years from Wild Horse Island after he removed a set of bighorn sheep horns from the island.
The investigation began after Sgt. Nathan Reiner and Polson Game Warden Ron Howell encountered Filipek on the island in March of 2015 after responding to reports of the death of a large bighorn. While Filipek was not cited on that occasion, later Reiner, Howell and criminal investigator Brian Sommers obtained a search warrant for the man’s home.
“A set of bighorn sheep horns that Filipek had previously taken from Wild Horse Island were seized,” FWP Region 1 spokesman John Fraley told The Missoulian. “The investigation also showed that Filipek had illegally shot a bobcat in 2013 and illegally shot a mountain lion in 2013.”
“This is a very important case for the state parks division,” regional park manager Dave Landstrom said. “It is illegal to remove natural or cultural artifacts from any of Montana’s state parks. The intent of this law is that anyone who visits a state park should have an opportunity to enjoy these artifacts and then leave them where they lay so that then next visitor can do the same.”
The sheep found on the island were not shot by Filipek or anyone else, for that matter. It has been determined that they likely were the victims of a mountain lion attack.
In the end, Filipek pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of bighorn sheep horns, unlawful possession of a mountain lion, unlawful possession of a bobcat and hunting without a license and was ordered to pay $1,200 in fines and restitution.
