SMH

[Firestone]

Whats your guys thoughts on instafamous youtuber killing an elk in Montanas most prestigious trophy unit without having the tag? Claims it was an accident and he put in for the wrong unit.

 

[orionsbrother]

Link? Who, when, where?

 

[bsnedeker]

Man...this was a tough one for me! He lives and kills wolves in my neck of the woods and I'm a big fan so seeing the court case was a blow to be honest! I'm glad he owned up to it by pleading guilty. I wish he had kept his mouth shut after the fact and not come out with that excuse of his. I'm sorry, but that makes ZERO sense. He's been putting in for the same unit for 15 years and the year he is "successful" he just assumes it is for the correct unit and never looks at this tag or the FWP website to see what unit it is for? I just can't imagine it.

That said, I still respect the guy and how hard he works going after predators so I'll keep following him but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[dingle]

Link? Who, when, where?

Agreed. Are we obfuscating the person's identity for a reason?

 

[bsnedeker]

Agreed. Are we obfuscating the person's identity for a reason?

Sterlings Extreme Outdoors. If you follow MHGA on IG he shows the court case and the bull he shot. Sterling (Lucas) put up a response last night that you can read on IG as well.

Everyone makes mistakes.

 

[dingle]

Sterlings Extreme Outdoors. If you follow MHGA on IG he shows the court case and the bull he shot. Sterling (Lucas) put up a response last night that you can read on IG as well.

Everyone makes mistakes.

Got it. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

I dont know this guy, Im in no position to judge him or what he did or didnt do. But I can say that it would be a much easier pill for people to swallow if a guy with 30k followers took the initiative to explain his 'mistake' on Dec 3rd or shortly thereafter rather than waiting to see if no one noticed. That would have been the responsible thing to do if you are a guy with a following.

Again, I have no idea if what he is saying is right or wrong. I hope it was just an honest mistake. Its hard to imagine a guy with that much experience making a mistake like that, or even a rookie, but it is what it is. All Im saying is he couldve got ahead of this and owned up for the mistake rather than react to someone else posting about it. Any chance he had at someone buying that story was before someone called him out. Now its just reactionary, face saving.

 

[orionsbrother]

Tough call for me. I’d like to say that I could/would never make a mistake like that. But... I spend most of my life multitasking I’ve made plenty of mistakes where I’ve been temporarily dyslexic or something. Not with a tag, but where I’m seeing what I’m looking for on some paperwork instead of what’s there.

Who knows? I’ll defer to those who actually know his character. If he purposely used the wrong tag, he deserves worse than he’ll get
He’ll be punished whether or not it was an honest mistake.

I hate poachers, their entitlement, their disdain and their negative impact on hunting.

But..

I had a difficult and worrisome tracking job on an elk where I was so relieved to find my bull and worried about meat loss that I rushed to start breaking him down. I had a buddy with me who reminded me, “Hey! Don’t forget to punch your tag!” No malignant or nefarious intent, but I was technically a violator for maybe a minute. I’d hate to have sixty seconds or less incorrectly define my character.

I will definitely triple check everything when putting in for and hopefully receiving my tags this year though.

 

[The Ri Guy]

What a joke, how do you not verify what's on the tag and what unit you drew for?

Dude should lose his license for not even bothering to verify, that's Rule #0 before you even step out the door to go on a hunt.

 

[jlaner0408]

Ignorance for the law is not a good defense. It’s your responsibility to know what your tag is actually for. Hell, when I get my general season tags, I even look them over to make sure they’re right!

It also sounds like Pickar must have blown a gasket when he found out?

 

[Firestone]

Glad we are on the same page. I was appalled how many people on his Instagram were sticking up for him. Dude screwed up and made up some stupid story about why he did it, then got a slap on the wrist it sounds like.

 

[bsnedeker]

Glad we are on the same page. I was appalled how many people on his Instagram were sticking up for him. Dude screwed up and made up some stupid story about why he did it, then got a slap on the wrist it sounds like.

I'll bet money he is deleting comments and blocking people. Dan Pickar responded in the comments and gave his side of the story and I'm not seeing it any more.

 

[mmw194287]

I'll bet money he is deleting comments and blocking people. Dan Pickar responded in the comments and gave his side of the story and I'm not seeing it any more.

Yea, I saw that...and Dan made it sound like he killed that bull on a general tag, not that he accidentally hunted the wrong unit with a different permit.

Seems to me like if Sterling's story is true then he should be able to show that he held a permit for an adjacent unit....that would go a long way towards clearing this up.

 

[wind gypsy]

Lucas’ story does not seem likely.

 

[archp625]

I'll bet money he is deleting comments and blocking people. Dan Pickar responded in the comments and gave his side of the story and I'm not seeing it any more.

I still see it. Was this the comment on if he contact the law or the law contacted him. Comments have been turned off.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

I found his story pretty unbelievable. How do you not check the tag number after you draw? It's on the website when results are posted, and on the tag you carry with you. Regardless of whether it was an honest mistake or not, it's the type that simply can't happen.

I wonder what would happen in Colorado if a guy had been applying for unit 61 for years, accidentally drew for 62, then shot a bull that big in 61. Such an excuse wouldn't fly with locals who've been patiently waiting years to draw the 61 side.

 

[wind gypsy]

Dan told me he wasn’t positive about the general tag deal. Based on what I have seen, I would guess he was holding a 426, 417, or 621 tag (easier to draw) and killed the bull in 690. Dan thought that was plausible.

It is hard to believe a guy who has been applying for all the MT big game tags for decades would make these mistakes on accident. Possible but about the same odds as Lloyd Christmas ending up with Mary Swanson.

 

[bozeman]

Do the crime, expect to do the time............he got caught, plain and simple.

 

[jlaner0408]

Yikes. If what Pickar is saying is true, that’s a bad look on Sterlings’ rosy picture he tried to draw of the situation.

All I know is that if I’m trying to pull a a tag that I’ve waited fifteen years for and I actually draw it, I’m checking that thing five more times to make sure the dream is in fact true.

Something smells awfully fishy to me- just shooting holes in the bottom of the boat for law abiding hunters...

 

[jlaner0408]

Dan told me he wasn’t positive about the general tag deal. Based on what I have seen, I would guess he was holding a 426, 417, or 621 tag (easier to draw) and killed the bull in 690. Dan thought that was plausible.

It is hard to believe a guy who has been applying for all the MT big game tags for decades would make these mistakes on accident. Possible but about the same odds as Lloyd Christmas ending up with Mary Swanson.

I thought it was Samsonite?!