May 14, 2008

Steven E. Range, 59, of Minneapolis, reached a plea agreement and pled guilty recently to two counts of killing mule deer bucks in Montana without a license. He paid $1,070 in fines. He was also assessed $1,000 in restitution, with his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges revoked for two years in that state and in Minnesota.


The investigation, which occurred over several years, was initiated by officials from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, with assistance of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Range purchased a Montana resident license though he was a resident of Minnesota.


In 2005, Range was citied for three counts of making false statements to obtain Montana resident hunting licenses. He forfeited $1,205 in bond, was found guilty, and lost his privileges to hunt, fish and trap for 18 months in Montana and 24 other wildlife violator compact states, including Minnesota. However, further investigation found that Range, other members of his family, and friends had been hunting on a ranch in Powder River County Montana since the 1960s.


“It’s actually very hard to determine how many deer Range has killed over the years in Montana without valid hunting licenses,” said Montana Warden Lennie Buhmann. “Hunting without a valid license is about as bad as it gets when it comes to game violations in Montana.”