Post by Woody Williams on Jul 5, 2010 14:27:26 GMT -5
Tennessee Four to face judge for hunting over bait
Sunflower seeds found in arrest
By Bryan Brasher
Four men who were arrested and charged with hunting over bait in Fayette County in early April will appear before a judge at the Fayette County Justice Center on June 15.
Michael Kattawar Sr., and his son Michael Kattawar Jr., were arrested, along with Dean Miller and David Phillips, for hunting wild turkeys over piles of sunflower seeds on their Fayette County property just two weeks into Tennessee's turkey season.
Attempts to reach them for comment have been unsuccessful.
Hunting over bait is considered a major wildlife offense because it gives hunters an unfair advantage over their quarry.
The men were also cited for hunting with electronic turkey calls, and they could face extra sanctions for endangering wildlife with piles of seeds that were molded and perhaps infected with multiple diseases.
"Last year, I got a call from a hunter who had killed a turkey that was full of sunflower seeds -- and he didn't know where they had come from," said Ty Inmon, a conservation officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. "I did some asking around and then did some walking around. When I found the seeds, I just couldn't believe it."
In advance of a verdict, Inmon would not comment on certain specifics of the case. But neighboring landowners in Fayette County have said plenty.
Tom Matthews, a Fayette County hunter who owns property adjacent to where the offenses were allegedly committed, said the men had been hunting over "several thousand pounds of sunflower seeds."
Matthews, who also belongs to the Ames Plantation Hunting Club, said he knew something was wrong when he hunted the Duscoe Region of Ames the opening morning of turkey season with his son and only heard two turkeys gobble.
Ames Plantation also borders the property in question.
"I found out a few days later that this guy had pulled all the turkeys onto his place from miles around," Matthews said. "That's why one of the most gobbler-rich sections of hardwoods in West Tennessee was literally devoid of turkeys."
Inmon would not confirm the amount of sunflower seeds the men were caught with. But he did say samples of the seeds have been sent to a laboratory in Georgia to be tested for a variety of diseases, including avian pox, blackhead, alpha toxin and coccidiosis.
All of those diseases can have dire consequences for landowners, lease holders and native wildlife. Coccidiosis, for example, is a nasty parasite that causes newly hatched turkeys to die when they're only two or three days old.
Inmon expects to have the test results back before the June 15 court date.
Sanctions for wildlife violations vary, depending on the judge and the seriousness of the crime. But in the past, egregious baiting violators have often been stripped of their hunting privileges in Tennessee.
A guilty verdict for the four men could also trigger a class-action lawsuit from nearby landowners who believe they've been harmed.
"I am 100 percent on board with a class-action suit," Matthews said. "I know a lot of other landowners will be, too."
Sunflower seeds found in arrest
By Bryan Brasher
Four men who were arrested and charged with hunting over bait in Fayette County in early April will appear before a judge at the Fayette County Justice Center on June 15.
Michael Kattawar Sr., and his son Michael Kattawar Jr., were arrested, along with Dean Miller and David Phillips, for hunting wild turkeys over piles of sunflower seeds on their Fayette County property just two weeks into Tennessee's turkey season.
Attempts to reach them for comment have been unsuccessful.
Hunting over bait is considered a major wildlife offense because it gives hunters an unfair advantage over their quarry.
The men were also cited for hunting with electronic turkey calls, and they could face extra sanctions for endangering wildlife with piles of seeds that were molded and perhaps infected with multiple diseases.
"Last year, I got a call from a hunter who had killed a turkey that was full of sunflower seeds -- and he didn't know where they had come from," said Ty Inmon, a conservation officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. "I did some asking around and then did some walking around. When I found the seeds, I just couldn't believe it."
In advance of a verdict, Inmon would not comment on certain specifics of the case. But neighboring landowners in Fayette County have said plenty.
Tom Matthews, a Fayette County hunter who owns property adjacent to where the offenses were allegedly committed, said the men had been hunting over "several thousand pounds of sunflower seeds."
Matthews, who also belongs to the Ames Plantation Hunting Club, said he knew something was wrong when he hunted the Duscoe Region of Ames the opening morning of turkey season with his son and only heard two turkeys gobble.
Ames Plantation also borders the property in question.
"I found out a few days later that this guy had pulled all the turkeys onto his place from miles around," Matthews said. "That's why one of the most gobbler-rich sections of hardwoods in West Tennessee was literally devoid of turkeys."
Inmon would not confirm the amount of sunflower seeds the men were caught with. But he did say samples of the seeds have been sent to a laboratory in Georgia to be tested for a variety of diseases, including avian pox, blackhead, alpha toxin and coccidiosis.
All of those diseases can have dire consequences for landowners, lease holders and native wildlife. Coccidiosis, for example, is a nasty parasite that causes newly hatched turkeys to die when they're only two or three days old.
Inmon expects to have the test results back before the June 15 court date.
Sanctions for wildlife violations vary, depending on the judge and the seriousness of the crime. But in the past, egregious baiting violators have often been stripped of their hunting privileges in Tennessee.
A guilty verdict for the four men could also trigger a class-action lawsuit from nearby landowners who believe they've been harmed.
"I am 100 percent on board with a class-action suit," Matthews said. "I know a lot of other landowners will be, too."
