Evidence was seized during a two-year investigation that led to more than 50 poaching crimes committed in Grant County, Oregon. The subject was sentenced to 95 days in jail and more than $22,000 in fines and restitution. (OSP photo)
June 27, 2025
By Game & Fish
Wildlife officers, whether they're called conservation officers, rangers or game wardens, face a myriad of incidents when in the field, from poaching to theft.
Oregon: Big Fine for Serial Poacher An Oregon man investigated for more than 50 crimes was sentenced this week in what wildlife enforcement officers refer to as a serial poaching case.
The man, who was not named in an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife news release , was sentenced for crimes in Grant County in 2023 and 2024. He received 95 days of jail time and ordered to pay more than $22,000 in restitution and fines, according to wildlife officials.
The suspect accepted a plea that resulted in two felony convictions for taking a 5X6 bull elk and a 3x4 mule deer buck, nine misdemeanor wildlife and fishing crimes, and a probation violation. The two-year investigation by game wardens began in March 2023, when officers found that the suspect had taken a 6x6 bull elk while his hunting privileges had already been suspended.
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Continued investigations into the suspect found he had attempted to poach during the 2023 archery season and had spotlighted and killed a bull elk and two mule deer bucks from a public road in September 2023 in the Northside Hunt Unit.
And that’s not all. In 2024, while was awaiting trial, the suspect and his friends allegedly broke fishing regulations by unlawfully angling for wild steelhead in the John Day River. Troopers charged the man and his friends with more than 30 angling crimes.
Along with the jail time, the suspect sentenced to 18 months’ probation; more than $22,500 in fines and restitution; forfeiture of 7mm Weatherby rifle, bow, spotlight and hunting calls; 260 hours of community service; and an additional lifetime revocation of hunting and fishing rights.
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Michigan: Man Jailed for Pay-Pipe Thefts A Sunfield, Mich., man will spend a year in jail for his involvement in targeting payment collection sites at state-forest campgrounds in the Upper Peninsula. Prosecutors say Justyn Mark Spitzley stole thousands of dollars at self-pay stations (aka pay pipes) at Perch Lake, Lake Superior, Blind Sucker No. 1 and No. 2, and Mouth of the Two Hearted River campgrounds. Pay pipes are used by campers to deposit cash for user fees.
Spitzley pleaded guilty to one count of felony larceny and one count of operating on a suspended license. He was sentenced to one year in jail, minus 81 days served. He also was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution and a $2,000 reimbursement for cash that was recovered as evidence at the time of his arrest in October.
Michigan: More Pay-Pipe Thefts Reported In a separate case, also in Michigan, a Grayling man faces two felony charges after his arrest in May following a long investigation into pay-station thefts at state campgrounds, apparently during high-traffic periods.
Andrew William Michalak, 54, has been charged in a Crawford County court with safe breaking and possession of burglary tools. After identifying the suspect and his vehicle, conservation officers recovered cash and the burglary tools in his vehicle. He was arrested on May 22.
Michalak admitted to using a specialized tool and an electronic device to extract cash from two pay pipes at state forest campgrounds. He also confessed to committing similar thefts across the region earlier this year, officers said.
Montana: Self-Pay Break-Ins Reported Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game wardens are investigating the break-in at a self-pay station at Voyager’s Rest Fishing Access Site (FAS) near Ballantine. Incidents were reported on May 29 and 30, part of a string of recent attempted and successful break-ins at this site’s self-pay station. Security cameras at Voyager’s Rest FAS caught photos of the individual involved in the most recent break-in on May 30. The suspect is believed to be associated with a dark-colored Ford F-150 pickup truck.
If you have any info on the suspect, visit tipmont.mt.gov or contact Billings-area game warden Jake Barzen at 406-409-1987.
Wyoming: Cow Moose Shot, Killed By Angler A cow moose was shot and killed in a confrontation with an angler, Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported. The cow was apparently defending her two calves. The incident happened the morning of June 14 on the North Tongue River in the Bighorn National Forest near Bear Lodge Resort.
The angler told game wardens that he fired multiple shots at close range when the agitated moose charged at him. The wardens searched the surrounding area and found two young-of-the-year calves that they believed the cow was defending. Due to their inability to survive without their mother, the calves were euthanized.
The North Tongue River and nearby areas are prime moose habitat, the agency said. These areas are also popular with anglers and other recreationists.
"While moose can be found in many areas of the Bighorn National Forest and adjoining lands, they spend significant time in riparian areas – the areas in and around rivers, streams and ponds. Pay particular attention to your surroundings while in these areas, watching and listening for movement," the agency said in a news release.
