# Man charged in poaching case



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Man charged in poaching case
By Gazette News Services

A Whitehall man is charged with witness tampering and possessing and transporting a poached bull elk in Yellowstone National Park.

Michael David Belderrain, 35, was arraigned in federal court in Casper on Friday.

Belderrain pleaded not guilty to all charges during Friday's arraignment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The case is connected with a bull elk illegally killed near Highway 191 on the western edge of Yellowstone in December 2005.

In addition to being charged with possessing and transporting the poached elk, Belderrain was charged with telling two people to lie to Yellowstone rangers during the investigation of the case.

Belderrain is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was convicted of aggravated assault in 1999 in Sanders County, according to the Montana Department of Corrections.

Federal prosecutors on Monday wouldn't disclose other details of the case before trial, which has been scheduled for June 25.

If convicted, he faces up to 32 years in prison and $700,000 in fines.


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## Mr. Lee (Oct 12, 2002)

> If convicted, he faces up to 32 years in prison and $700,000 in fines.


 Man......they don't fool around with this do they?

There must be some serious money involved with big bulls.

Anybody know how much a huge bull is worth on the black market?

Whats the fine for killing a person?Or is there no fine for murder? Just jail time?


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## 280IM (Mar 28, 2005)

Man......they don't fool around with this do they

If you are going to stop poaching make sure there is not a secound
offense!!!!!!!! This will send a clear message don't poach!!!
I hope he gets the MAX!!


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## Mr. Lee (Oct 12, 2002)

> If you are going to stop poaching make sure there is not a secound
> offense!!!!!


 How can there be a second offense.....after you have stopped?


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

I think he meant if you (meaning us as a society) are going to stop poaching, there needs to be no second offenses.


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

If he means he should get the max, 32 years for this offense it would be pretty hard to poach in prison!!


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## 280IM (Mar 28, 2005)

If he means he should get the max, 32 years for this offense it would be pretty hard to poach in prison!!

It would give the rest of the low life poachers something to think about and there would be a lot less poaching. Ya I hope he gets the max. because more than likely this is not the first time for him,he just got caught this time.


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## Mr. Lee (Oct 12, 2002)

Now I understand. You were refer to stopping poaching as a whole....not one individual.


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## neb_bo (Feb 3, 2007)

theres a good place for scum like this, iraq. let the towelheads take care of them, instead of feeding, housing and clothing them. goddamit this stuff makes me mad. theres a big difference between the farm kid who shoots a rabbit for dinner in august, and someone who shoots a bull elk out of season w/ no license, for the hell of it. i feel no remorse for breaking a major game law intentionaly, and i hope everything that man owns goes to fund wildlife habitat improvement once he is incarcerated.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

neb bo :beer:

Better you saying it then me! Very blunt, but I guess very true. There are lots of people in America that commit an offense just to go to jail. They know there is warm food, a bed, and Ac, or heat. I guess it's kinda like a free hotel if you have no where to be.


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## Mr. Lee (Oct 12, 2002)

> who shoots a bull elk out of season w/ no license, for the hell of it


 I highly doubt this bull was shot "for the hell of it" I don't even see where this individual is charged with actually shooting it.

Sounds like an organized poaching for profit ring.


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Will this fine stop others? Maybe....Maybe Not. Where else has anyone seen this article other than on the huntng websites....surely not in the Fargo Forum. If no one hears that they throw the book at people then how much of a deterent can it possibly be in the future?


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## ndwaterfowler (May 22, 2005)

Field Hunter said:


> Will this fine stop others? Maybe....Maybe Not. Where else has anyone seen this article other than on the huntng websites....surely not in the Fargo Forum. If no one hears that they throw the book at people then how much of a deterent can it possibly be in the future?


Well said!


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## 280IM (Mar 28, 2005)

Field Hunter Wrote

"Will this fine stop others? Maybe....Maybe Not. Where else has anyone seen this article other than on the huntng websites....surely not in the Fargo Forum. If no one hears that they throw the book at people then how much of a deterent can it possibly be in the future?"

Let him off easy because it is not in the front page? Are all Judges decisions are on the front page or CNN? Throw the book at him!!! Are you a hunter or a poacher? If you had an elk pemit for the area this bull was poached in, and you never got your elk, would you still want him to get off easy because it is not on the front page? ALL crime needs to have much tuffer pentalties weather the convictions are on the front page or on CNN!!! A Fine hell he needs jail time.


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

Ever seen "Sniper" with Tom Berranger? Nice little trick with a piece of piano wire and a stick to make you have to learn to shoot again. Maybe he should be brought back to the kill site during the rut and tied over a log with "Cow in Estrus" spread over his tender rosebud. He will think twice about poaching after that. :beer:


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## 280IM (Mar 28, 2005)

Headshot that is a good Idea if a spike bull is around they get reall excited!!! Poaching just ****** me off, and the thought of letting him off easy or maybe no one will hear about, so it doesn't really send a message is dumb!! Poaching is stealing from anyone that buys a permit to hunt. Throw his *** in jail,if no one else knows about it he will.


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## neb_bo (Feb 3, 2007)

like i said, dont waste the money and rescources by jailing him, just get rid of his ***, and use his personal property to replace the elk he destroyed. that or they need to start giving people a choice between prosecution, and military service.


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

I don't think I would want a scum bag like him defending my country, unless he was part of "operation human shield"


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

> Let him off easy because it is not in the front page?


That is not what he was getting at. I believe that he was agreeing with the sentence but lamenting the fact that the sentence won't get the press coverage it probably should have.


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## coyote_buster (Mar 11, 2007)

operation human shield sound like a good plan, think a car has a bomb, clear the area, throw him at the car and find out, maybe anti hunters will do some good for a change, knowing them it will make it worse for everyone though


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## neb_bo (Feb 3, 2007)

> I don't think I would want a scum bag like him defending my country, unless he was part of "operation human shield"
> 
> i didnt say give him the privelege and honor of deffending our country, i just said send him there to live, and see how long he lasts. people who break our laws should live in a country where they arent protected by laws, and then maybe theyll have some respect.


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## gallatinsam (Feb 11, 2008)

Last word on the court case with Mike Belderrain was he might walk with all charges dropped because of a loop hole in the law even though he admitted to poaching the elk. He was also caught in 1995 picking elk sheds in YNP. I think we all need to let our congressmen know so they can change the law so this doen't continue to happen.


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