While some things like receding hairlines, healthy dispositions towards alcohol or a distaste for grandma’s meatloaf can be excusable generational curses, making allowances for illegally shot wildlife are not.
In what appears to be a growing trend in the outdoor world, more family members are opting to get their kids into the outdoors but in every illegal way possible. On the heels of related stories earlier this year, the latest out of Vermont is equally as disturbing.
The Bogie family out of East Ryegate, Vermont is the latest to add the love of illegally hunting wildlife to the branches of their failing family tree. With three generations of Bogie men being prosecuted, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest family-related incidents of the year.
As they say with many of the problems in our lives, things usually begin to erode from the top and eventually cascade down.
At the top of this family tradition is the grandfather, 72-year-old Calvin Bogie Jr. who now faces five charges for multiple events in which he allegedly tagged deer he knew to have been taken illegally, and reported them. The next in the Bogie chain of command is 50-year-old Calvin Bogie III who is also facing charges for reportedly tagging and checking in an illegal buck.
Rounding out the Bogie crime family is the youngest of the bunch and the worst offender of them all. Twenty-one-year-old Logan Bogie is facing 18 criminal charges for his unbelievable poaching binge.
Logan’s killing spree began on October 4, 2022 when he shot a doe and then another one a little over a week later. Having got away with his two first attempts, the young man went on to shoot another three eight-point bucks along with a seven-pointer over the month that followed. He finished up his rampage shortly thereafter by killing and illegally transporting another buck in Monroe, New Hampshire.
In addition to the seven deer, reports also indicate that Logan illegally took a black bear at some point that fall as well. Authorities have stated that it is difficult to determine exactly when the bear was shot.
Most of the aforementioned killings took place during the dark of night where Logan killed all of the deer with his crossbow from the bed of his Chevy with a suspended hunting and fishing license.
A 6.5 Creedmoor rifle was reportedly used to kill the black bear.
The youngest Bogie implicated his father, grandfather and Wyatt Roy, 18, a friend, by enlisting their help after each of his kills. According to Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department game warden William Seegers’ affidavit, Logan woke up grandpa to tag each of the dead deer, which he then checked in the following morning.
Seeger served a search warrant in April of this year related to Logan’s prior record but was pleasantly surprised to learn about his more current escapades instead.
“On the device, I located evidence of poaching of seven deer,” Seegers wrote in his affidavit. “The observed pattern was that Logan and Wyatt would shoot deer at night, known as jacking, and subsequently tag and report the deer, claiming that the time of death was during legal hunting hours after the actual harvest time.”
With the evidence found on Logan’s phone, it wasn’t long until investigators executed warrants at the homes of dad, grandpa and his buddy Wyatt’s place. All in all, over 100 packages of venison were seized along with Bogie Jr’s Silverado, rifle and Roy’s 2004 Chevy as well.
In addition to plenty of incriminating evidence, a disturbing video on Logan’s phone was found. In the video, Roy and Logan are seen transporting the eight-point buck back to Calvin Jr’s house while the deer was still alive. In the video, Logan is “petting the deer saying ‘good boy’ as if it were a dog or other pet,” while the deer was reportedly “panting, likely with some type of spinal trauma,” Seegers wrote.
Each of the accused were arraigned earlier this week in Caledonia County Court. Logan is facing upwards of $18,000 in fines plus 20 months in prison. His grandfather faces a $5,000 fine and 120 days in prison and is asking the court to return his pickup truck.
It was reported that he repeatedly urged the judge to direct authorities to return his truck for the sake of his livelihood.
The judge said he will set a hearing to discuss whether law enforcement still needs the truck or whether it can be returned to Calvin Jr.
All the defendants arraigned on Monday were released with no additional conditions.
