They say that the memories we make with our family members is everything in life. While the sentiment of that statement rings true for about 99% of memories, family time spent mowing down elk with a pickup truck is not one that ought to make the cut.
State officials in Idaho have slapped multiple felony and misdemeanor penalties on a family who is believed to have been poaching Idaho wildlife for over multiple decades.
According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, three members of the Curtiss family were tried and convicted for a string of wildlife crimes all stemming from one afternoon in the fall of 2021.
In November of that year, Travis Curtiss was seen driving a pickup truck near Arco, ID when his father, riding shotgun, spotted a herd of elk in a nearby field. The family patriarch immediately opened fire on the herd as his other son unloaded from the bed of the truck. Chasing the herd with the truck for a considerable distance, the men managed to kill a rag horn bull, a cow, a spike, a calf and two mature bulls during the four-wheeled slaughter.
Idaho officials believe that another bull was mortally wounded during the incident, but were unable to locate the animal during the initial investigation. Following an onslaught of tips from witnesses who watched the incident unfold, conservation officers served a search warrant at the Curtiss home and managed to recover the two bull elk.
The suspects began the interrogation process cooperatively but ultimately chose to exercise their fifth amendment rights and refused to answer any additional questions.
“Nothing spoils a good story like the arrival of an eyewitness.” – Twain
Officers knew that without cooperation, they had to rely solely on evidence they could gather from the scene. While they did recover two of the suspected six poached elk, every lawman worth his salt wants justice for the entire crime, not just a portion of it.
Fortunately, officers were able to draw statements out of two eyewitnesses who watched the entire event unfold. The testimony from the pair was highly detailed and they both agreed to testify in court.
Following that, a third witness came forward who was able to identify the suspects by recording the truck’s license plate number. Finally, perhaps the most interesting witness of all came forward with something that would put the nail in the coffin for the Curtiss family.
A local gun collector was used to successfully identify the unique bullets that were pulled from one of the elk at the Curtiss home and four of the carcasses left behind. Featuring a unique blue coating, the all-copper bullets were confirmed as a match and served as the final puzzle piece needed to throw the book at the Curtiss family.
In the end, the trio were found guilty and issued a total of 10 felony charges and 8 misdemeanor charges. Each violator was fined $1,300, paid $6,000 in restitution, given a 10-year hunting and trapping license suspension, and community service.
