# Sheldon and company another shining example!!!!!!!!



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Texas, North Dakota men face federal charges of illegal hunting 
By CHET BROKAW Associated Press Writer 
The Associated Press - Wednesday, July 20, 2005
PIERRE, S.D.

Two Texas hunting guides and three North Dakotans have been indicted on federal charges of illegally helping clients shoot deer on an Indian reservation that straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border.

The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in South Dakota, alleges the men violated the federal Lacey Act by selling and transporting deer that had been illegally shot.

The guide service booked clients from around the nation for hunts in the fall of 2003 that would allow them to shoot two deer, but the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe decided not to issue licenses allowing the shooting of two deer, according to the indictment.

The five men then used tribal licenses carrying their own names or those of others to tag the second deer shot by their clients, the indictment says. In some cases, deer were allegedly shot on non-tribal land without the required state license from South Dakota.

Jerry Donald Brooks, 56, of Midlothian, Texas, bought Sheldon's Waterfowl, a North Dakota outfitting business, but he did not meet the requirements for an outfitting license, the indictment said. The outfitting business was licensed in North Dakota but not South Dakota.

Brooks charged clients as much as $5,700 for hunts that would allow them to shoot both a mule deer and whitetail deer, according to the indictment. When the tribe decided not to issue two-tag licenses, the guides obtained other licenses and used them to tag the second deer shot by clients, according to court documents.

At least one client discovered the deception and became upset, the indictment says.

Also named in the indictment are Rodney Charles Brooks, 58, of Cedar Hill, Texas; Michael John Keller, 22, of Mandan, N.D.; and Jeffrey Scott Smith, 42, and Sheldon Schlecht, 40, both of Streeter, N.D. Schlecht was the previous owner of the outfitting business.

All face conspiracy charges, and a variety of other charges have been filed in connection with individual hunts. The maximum penalty for each charge is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

At least some of the men are to be arraigned Aug. 2 in federal court in Aberdeen.

In North Dakota, Stutsman County officials said Schlecht is serving a sentence of a year and a day in jail after pleading guilty in March to having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl in Stutsman and Kidder counties. He also was ordered to register as a sex offender.

Kidder County prosecutors also charged Keller with gross sexual imposition in the case. He pleaded guilty last year to a lesser charge of contributing to depravation of a minor, and his sentence was deferred for a year on condition he have no criminal violations during that period, prosecutor Jarod Tufte said.

Authorities said the charges came to light after game wardens investigated Schlecht's outfitter operations.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Wow...what a shocker. :roll:


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

I don't know if it was North Dakota or South Dakota or Tribal wardens that did the investigating of Sheldons operation.

Whomever it was Thank You!!!!

Bob


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

Thats got to be worth a banana dance... :jammin: :jammin: :jammin:


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

About a year and a half ago the site managers about threw me off outfitter buddy.com for badmouthing nice guy Sheldon. They sent me some nasty grams. He had taken a bunch out on a hunt, and they couldn't say enough nice things about him. It doesn't take much to buy some people off. That's about the time I found this site. I like freedom of speech -------- if people are polite about it. No need to call names, but opinions should not be stifled for a cheap buy off.

Standing in front of a judge again is just what these arrogant poachers need. It's about time a judge gives them some seriouse time. Make an example of a habitual violator.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

pm, I remember that. And wasn't there a fish poaching case last spring?


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## duckslayer (Oct 30, 2003)

No, Dick, I guess I dont remember "A" fish poaching case last summer, i remember a lot of them. :roll:


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## griffman (Jan 17, 2004)

buckseye said:


> Thats got to be worth a banana dance... :jammin: :jammin: :jammin:


DITTO!

Also ditto with plainsman! I remember the chat on that site....."He's really not such a bad guy..."....... :******: uke:


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

What is it going to take to completly shut down this operation? How many times have you seen an illegal operation continue untill someone gets killed. Rape, child molestation,prostitution, untold game violations. These are sociopaths roaming the country side with guns. The judges that are letting him slither through the legal proceess should be held accountable. Sheldon Schlecht is walking the streets every day. Work release. May spend a little time on weekends. He hired the best law firm in the state of North Dakota. They can very proud of the job that they did.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Maybe it's time to sig Bill O'Riley after this guy.At $5,700 per client they need the $250,000 fine.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Hopefully he gets convicted of the federal charges and does a little time in the Federal Prison System. Bubba and his buddies will show him what serving real time is like in a serious prison. Stutsman County is a vacation compared to them.

I don't think he'll get work release for this indictment if convicted....

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

Benelli


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## Drakekiller (Apr 3, 2002)

I sure hope they nail the Brooks brothers! I am pretty sure the NDGF have a case against them also for guiding Turkey hunters on Indian land in ND. If any operation should be shut down it should be this one. I wonder how many officiers of that Outfitting Corp. have to be convicted of game violations before they get shut down?


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

As an advocate of the court system, I must say that in this instance even I am very disappointed in the number of times Sheldon has gotten off lightly. He has a record a mile long, yet still skirts the system. I hope the FEDS TACK HIS *** TO THE WALL!!!

As a person, I find him to be a horrible example of what a man should be (read: sex offender) and as a steward of the land and a sportsman...well, he is neither. Good riddance is right.

The people who associate with him should be ashamed and should cut ties.

If I didn't have more important stuff to do, I'd email every one of those outfitter sites on the web that reference his name, and let them know about this latest offense, and the GSI conviction from '04. :******:


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

This ties in well with the current nomination to the supreme court. I want a judge that interprets the constitution. In this case, I want a judge that is more harsh on a habitual offender. Who do these judges work for that are letting him off so easy, the people of North Dakota, or the tourism department? I spoke with a person today that said a dozen of us should set in the courtroom the next time these people are in court. If the media will not do their job, perhaps we need to do it for them. That would put some pressure on the judge to think about law and not economics.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Sheldon thought he was "teflon coated" for a number of years, If these charges stick he may turn out to be K. Y coated.  Sheldon gave his profession a bad name all by himself. He set the standard and gave us a reason for a very critical look at the industry. His ethics and I can do anything because of my powerful friends and money can by me out of whatever trouble I get into attitude may be coming home to roost. Who knows if these charges will stick, I hope they do, and it is not just because he is an outfitter, anyone that takes advantage of a young girl and has his own children with when he was caught poaching spawning Northern Pike as he has done in the past deserves and should receive no respect or mercy from us.

I have said it before on this site Outfitters and Guides are Ambassadors for North Dakota. they are quite often the only residents of our state that many out-state guest hunters see or interact with. They should be held to a higher standard.

Here are the addresses for the District courts In South Dakota:

* The Honorable Charles B. Kornmann
United States District Judge 
United States Post Office & Courthouse 
102 Fourth Avenue, S.E., Room 408 
Aberdeen, SD 57401 
(605) 226-7280

U.S. Probation/Pretrial Services Office 
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse 
102 Fourth Avenue, S.E. 
Aberdeen, SD 57401 
(605) 226-7591

The Honorable Charles B. Kornmann 
United States District Judge 
United States Post Office & Courthouse 
225 South Pierre Street
Pierre, SD 57501
(605) 224-5849*

Write a letter or make a call if you have factual information that may pertain to this groups activity or if you have been part of one of his scams or illegal practices.

To be Continued, Stay tuned!!!

Later
Bob


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## dosch (May 20, 2003)

SCUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Indian Land Hunts, This Outfitter Hunts Two Reservations
(posted August)

"Now, here is a hunt worth getting excited about. It's for whitetail deer in an area of North Dakota where the odds of being drawn for a nonresident rifle permit are as dismal as the deer are big. Seems an outfitter I just heard about, Jerry Brooks of Sheldon's Whitetail Deer, Waterfowl and Upland Game Bird Hunts, has acquired 20 nonresident rifle permits to hunt the 247,000-acre Spirit Lake Sioux Indian Reservation about 60 miles south of the Canadian border near Devil's Lake. The word is, these hunts should offer a very good opportunity to harvest a buck ranging as high as 140 to 160 B & C, with the possibility of taking a buck of a lifetime. Brooks says a guide he has put under contract this year led a hunter in this area to a buck last year that field-scored 185 B & C.... "


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

I really hope no one defeneds this scum bag on this site. Not only is he raping children/ women ( remeber the GSI isn't his first rape case against him) but he's raping our wildlife and tax payers! He's raping you and I through the courts system!


> Sheldon thought he was "teflon coated" for a number of years


 You are right on the nail, and unfortunately he still feels this way. Should he beable to go on work release? I don't think so!

Something needs to be done with this demon. I won't call him a man because real MEN don't do things like this!


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Just to end the speculation about this guy, I am working on a list of all his violations and will post it when I have it complete and verified, I only have a partial list and it still ticks me off when I read just the suff I have so far.

NDGF or someone should have a link to list all of the game violations/violators that have been successfully prosecuted with Pictures of the violators. Just an Idea.

Bob


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## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

I was in Owattanna Cabelas a couple of weekends ago and the MN DNR had a couple of guys there pulling a trailer that said Hall of Shame on the trailer. Inside the store they set up a display of about 30 different animals that were poached and each one was numbered and had a couple of paragraphs about who did it, the fines issued and where, when, and how they were caught.

There were quit a few that were turned in using the TIP hotline. Some real nice animals on display.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

AP August 2, 2005
ABERDEEN, S.D.

Four men accused of illegally helping patrons of a guide service shoot and transport deer on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

A fifth man who also was charged did not enter a plea Tuesday.

The men - two Texas hunting guides and three North Dakotans - were indicted on federal charges of illegally helping clients shoot deer on the reservation, which straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border.

The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in South Dakota, says the men violated the federal Lacey Act by selling and transporting deer that had been illegally shot. The federal law governs the preservation of game.

Sheldon's Waterfowl is in Streeter, N.D. The hunts allegedly occurred in the fall of 2003 on the reservation.

The five men indicted are Jerry D. Brooks, 56, of Midlothian, Texas; Charles R. Brooks, 58, of Cedar Hill, Texas; Michael J. Keller, 22, of Mandan, N.D.; Jeffrey S. Smith, 42, of Streeter, N.D.; and Sheldon Schlecht, 40, of Streeter.

Schlecht, former owner of the outfitter, was the only one not to plead Tuesday. Details were being worked out with a law firm he hired.

The pleas were entered during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen.

Jerry Brooks purchased Sheldon's Waterfowl but did not meet the requirements for an outfitting license, court paperwork says. He is accused of charging clients from across the United States as much as $5,700 for hunts that would let them shoot both a mule deer and a white-tailed deer.

Ultimately, the Standing Rock reservation decided not to issue the outfitter two-tag licenses. As a result, prosecutors said the business obtained tribal licenses in company officials' names and the names of others and used them to tag a second deer for clients.

In some instances, deer were shot on non-tribal land without the required South Dakota license, according to court paperwork. At least one of the outfitter's patrons saw what was happening and became upset, the indictment says.

Each man faces seven counts of conspiring to violate the Lacey Act. A conviction on one count is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

All are free on bond except Schlecht, who is serving a sentence in Jamestown, N.D., on an unrelated charge of sexual contact with a minor

NOT GUILTY? NO PLEA FOR SHELDON? I would sure like to see an example made of these guys!!


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

Could someone tell me how a person enters no plea? I thought that you enter either guilty or not gulity. Does Sheldons slick law firm get him out of this with out going to court? How does this work?


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## RWHONKER (Dec 22, 2003)

Before a trial a person has a preliminary trial to enter a plea. With the guilty and not guilty plea there is also a plea called no contest. In all reality it is mostly the same as a guilty plea.


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## gaddyshooter (Oct 12, 2003)

Bob K, Old Hunter,,,

It says he did not enter a plea. Since he is incarcerated already on other charges, it would be an attorney that would be there to enter the plea for him. It is possible the attorney was not able to make it there for one reason or another and got the date continued or changed to another date. Attorneys in good standing with the court and/or the judges can and do this all the time.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Gaddy
Agreed, however, Sheldon has a history of being, shall we say "well lubricated" when it comes to issues like this. His current situation usually means spending time in the "big house" usually anything over a year, it is required. He is a convicted child molester and he gets to do his time in a local lock-up and he gets to be on work release! thus many are skeptical about his newest infraction. Sheldon is a habitual offender when it comes to wildlife violations, yet his name is still associated with a O/G business. He needs to be erased from the wildlife/outdoors community in ND. We do not need this kind of publicity.

Later
Bob


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## gooseripper (Mar 28, 2004)

How can the G&F still allow this idiot molestor to run free and still hunt. In Illinois where I am from one felony and you lose your firearm owners card. BAM its done. Sheldon is what he is and we all know that. I used to hunt with him. I have seen more than any of you can imagine. I got the hell out after 2 seasons. The G&F here would have his A$$ under the jail. And as far as the Molesting thing. The G&F would be the least of his trouble. A flash and a bang in the night would be his trouble here.

I met alot of really great people there and for some reason in the early part I didn't understand why people were angry toward him. Now I know. I miss seeing alot of the people there.


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

The outfitter(convicted child molester) Sheldon Schlecht is still going strong. He is leasing land and running his guide service as usual. Dont know who has the outfitters liscense. His guides must not wear watches because they shoot about 10 min early. Its a sad situation for the Game and Fish folks. They do their job to apprehend the violators then weak judges and incompetent prosecutors let then slide out of it. In all the years this has been going on never has the North Dakota Guides Association condemed this man. I have never seen one guide on any form of communication condem this man. The outfitting industry talks about ethics but has no guts to back up its mouth. Where is your public condemnation of this disgusting animal?


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

> The outfitting industry talks about ethics but has no guts to back up its mouth. Where is your public condemnation ...


http://www.ndpgoa.com/bylaws.htm#Article%20I

Article I
NAME:

The name of this organization shall be: North Dakota Professional Guides and Outfitters Association, abbreviated NDPGOA.

Article II
PURPOSE:

To foster, expand and perpetuate hunting and fishing of all legal species of game animals (mammals, birds and fish). To cooperate with other hunting, fishing and outdoor groups in securing, maintaining, and promoting better hunting and fishing conditions. To cooperate with conservation agencies and observe game and fish laws regarding the conservation of all legal species of game animals. :wink:


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## tb (Jul 26, 2002)

A buddy of mine saw a guy with a "Sheldon's" shirt picking up clients at the Fargo airport. They got into a truck with Arkansas plates.


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## adokken (Jan 28, 2003)

I have not seen to many ethical outfitters locally, are they all the same?
Greed will do some strange things.


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

adokken All we hear about is the bad outfitters. I'm sure that there some very professional operations. Drakekiller is one tough nut to crack. His information sources are very good. If Drakekiller goes out on a limb and says that go is helping provide hunting for the youth I believe it to be true.Men that show this dedication to the youth seldom have a bad flip side.
I was an owner of a waterfowl guiding operation in 1960's. The pressure to produce is very heavy. I ran the business for 2 years. I took my life long passion and turned it into a business. It took all the fun out of it. I shut it down after the second year. I had all my equipment paid for,clients returning, leases lined up,the whole deal. I just walked away from it.


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

Exactly Old Hunter it is a lot of work and that is why they end up cheating all the time. I know alot of dreamers who woke up when the work started. 

It always goes back to this who owns the free roaming wildlife???? Oh that's right they sell access and free wild animals are a bonus if ya want them... baloney!!!!

The number of o/g's needs to be restricted just like liquor licenses. The local county commissioners can decide who's in and get a very nice fee for supervising and regulating at a county level.


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