Game and Fish catches antler poachers

Two southwest Wyoming men have been successfully prosecuted for violating the state's antler collection regulation. A 2-year Game and Fish antler task force investigation resulted in guilty pleas from the two over the last six months. Habitat Access Coordinator Andy Countryman says both men removed shed antlers on Miller Mountain, within a Bureau of Land Management big game winter range closure, before the antler season opening date of May 1. In the spring of 2010, Game and Fish implemented the antler collection regulation in an effort to minimize unnecessary stress and disturbances on wintering wildlife. Countryman credited anonymous public tips helped in getting the cases solved.