Game farm owner sentenced for selling snow goose meat
Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:52 pm
Staff Report, Mn Outdoor News
October 24, 2014
Bloomington, Minn. — A Wisconsin game farm owner was convicted of a felony due to his illegal selling of snow goose meat in homemade sausage.
U.S. Attorney James Santelle said that on Oct. 20, Todd David Doughty, 50, owner of the Thunderbird Game Farm in Chilton, was sentenced to five years probation, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, and had his hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges revoked for five years by Chief U.S. District Court Judge William C. Griesbach.
Griesbach also ordered Doughty to forfeit two shotguns and sausage-making equipment.
According to the plea agreement and other documents filed with the court, Doughty illegally engaged in the sale of sausage containing snow goose, a migratory bird.
According to court documents, Doughty killed hundreds of snow geese in Nebraska in 2007. He brought the birds back to Wisconsin and sold 53 pounds of goose sausage in May 2010. Investigators also purchased sausage products made of venison, snow goose, duck, or a mixture of all three on three other occasions.
While sentencing the defendant, Griesbach noted a litany of past wildlife offenses that “spoke to the defendant’s character” and his “disregard for wildlife laws,” which necessitated the lengthy revocation of hunting privileges.
As a convicted felon, Doughty will never again legally possess a firearm for any purpose.
Court records noted previous illegal behavior factored into the sentencing. In this case, Doughty implicated himself by inadvertently tipping off investigators through side activities related to his game farm operation and lodge. The larger U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation started because of concerned citizens and the follow-up of game wardens in Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Kansas.
“This case is an example of a best-case scenario, where engaged citizens and conservation agencies from multiple states work together with our partners in federal wildlife conservation law enforcement,” said Todd Schaller, Wisconsin DNR chief warden.
In 2007, local DNR conservation wardens followed up on a couple of reports of dead owls found along the road in a garbage bag. Wardens contacted a USFWS special agent and turned over 13 dead long-eared owls that appeared to have been shot.
The USFWS Forensics Laboratory, based in Ashland, Ore., analyzed the owls and determined they were killed with birdshot. The USFWS agent noticed that Thunderbird Game Farm was just down the road from the places where the dead owls first were found. After combining that evidence with information received from other states, the USFWS began an undercover operation to learn more about Doughty and his game farm operation. The agent, with the assistance of the Wisconsin wardens, uncovered an illegal operation built around commercializing wild game as processed sausage at Doughty’s lodge.
“Congress directed us to stop systematic decimation of bird populations back in the early 1900s because they saw the consequences of this kind of greed on a nationwide scale. While we are disheartened that people like Doughty are continuing this behavior, we are pleased to have stopped him,” said Pat Lund, USFWS resident agent in charge for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri.
As for the original illegal activity that first alerted the public and state wardens, the undercover elements of this investigation went on to document Doughty’s statements that showed he routinely shot owls, hawks, and other predators that he found at his pheasant farm. His predator-control measures were extensive and illegal, officials said.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Humble.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
October 24, 2014
Bloomington, Minn. — A Wisconsin game farm owner was convicted of a felony due to his illegal selling of snow goose meat in homemade sausage.
U.S. Attorney James Santelle said that on Oct. 20, Todd David Doughty, 50, owner of the Thunderbird Game Farm in Chilton, was sentenced to five years probation, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, and had his hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges revoked for five years by Chief U.S. District Court Judge William C. Griesbach.
Griesbach also ordered Doughty to forfeit two shotguns and sausage-making equipment.
According to the plea agreement and other documents filed with the court, Doughty illegally engaged in the sale of sausage containing snow goose, a migratory bird.
According to court documents, Doughty killed hundreds of snow geese in Nebraska in 2007. He brought the birds back to Wisconsin and sold 53 pounds of goose sausage in May 2010. Investigators also purchased sausage products made of venison, snow goose, duck, or a mixture of all three on three other occasions.
While sentencing the defendant, Griesbach noted a litany of past wildlife offenses that “spoke to the defendant’s character” and his “disregard for wildlife laws,” which necessitated the lengthy revocation of hunting privileges.
As a convicted felon, Doughty will never again legally possess a firearm for any purpose.
Court records noted previous illegal behavior factored into the sentencing. In this case, Doughty implicated himself by inadvertently tipping off investigators through side activities related to his game farm operation and lodge. The larger U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation started because of concerned citizens and the follow-up of game wardens in Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Kansas.
“This case is an example of a best-case scenario, where engaged citizens and conservation agencies from multiple states work together with our partners in federal wildlife conservation law enforcement,” said Todd Schaller, Wisconsin DNR chief warden.
In 2007, local DNR conservation wardens followed up on a couple of reports of dead owls found along the road in a garbage bag. Wardens contacted a USFWS special agent and turned over 13 dead long-eared owls that appeared to have been shot.
The USFWS Forensics Laboratory, based in Ashland, Ore., analyzed the owls and determined they were killed with birdshot. The USFWS agent noticed that Thunderbird Game Farm was just down the road from the places where the dead owls first were found. After combining that evidence with information received from other states, the USFWS began an undercover operation to learn more about Doughty and his game farm operation. The agent, with the assistance of the Wisconsin wardens, uncovered an illegal operation built around commercializing wild game as processed sausage at Doughty’s lodge.
“Congress directed us to stop systematic decimation of bird populations back in the early 1900s because they saw the consequences of this kind of greed on a nationwide scale. While we are disheartened that people like Doughty are continuing this behavior, we are pleased to have stopped him,” said Pat Lund, USFWS resident agent in charge for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri.
As for the original illegal activity that first alerted the public and state wardens, the undercover elements of this investigation went on to document Doughty’s statements that showed he routinely shot owls, hawks, and other predators that he found at his pheasant farm. His predator-control measures were extensive and illegal, officials said.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Humble.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.