Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Filmed on location in idaho!

IDAHO FALLS - Filming the shooting of a big 6 x 6 bull elk in Idaho is something that should have been the perfect film subject for Glen Berry, owner of Big Bull Productions, a company that specializes in the producing videos of big game hunts all around the globe. The problem was that Berry was hunting the bull with a Montana tag! While the video that witnesses reported seeing being shot was never recovered, their precise GPS (Global Positioning System) marking of the kill site and nearly instantaneous reporting of the incident via cell phone to IDFG Senior Conservation Officer Lew Huddleston, helped earn Berry a film credit for poaching.
On September 19, 2005, witnesses observed Berry kill the big 6 x 6 bull elk approximately ½ a mile inside Idaho. The site was astride the Idaho side of the Continental Divide, so little doubt could have existed as to what state the party was hunting. Additional confirmation regarding Berry's knowledge of the exact location of the kill site was confirmed by the fact that he purchased an Idaho elk tag after the bull had been shot!
The witnesses observed the kill site and recorded its location with a GPS and immediately reported the information to Officer Huddleston. This information and the ensuing investigation resulted in a 27 hour-long work day for Huddleston, something that is not all that uncommon for an Idaho Conservation Officer during the fall hunting season!
Whereas some film stars reap millions for their productions, Berry ended up costing him! He pled guilty to the four charges; Possession of an unlawfully taken big game animal, Hunting without an Idaho elk permit, Failure to validate his elk tag, and Violating the U.S. Forest Service Travel Plan. The penalties were the maximum for the possession, $1,000 plus court costs, $750 civil penalty, 180 days in jail and 3 years license revocation. The other three violations resulted in $9,000 in fines, plus court costs! Because Idaho is a member of the Wildlife Violator Compact, Berry will also not be able to hunt as part of his filming during the next three years in any of the 20 other member states!
Because his son Chad Berry was part of this big game shooting gone bad, he is scheduled for trial on possession of unlawfully taken animal in Clark County in January.
Here's a link to the source.
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=2894

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Does anyone know anything more about this? I hope its not true but I am afraid it is. It looks bad for all hunters because people like Berry represent all of us.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Does anyone remember the famous bowhunter who killed all his elk in Yellowstone? How about the California sheep poacher/taxidermist who killed dozens of endangered desert sheep. He went on to be a big player in
Foundation for North American Wild Sheep.Money and greed are killing all the good things about hunting.

quote]ORIGINAL: idahoelkinstructor

Does anyone know anything more about this? I hope its not true but I am afraid it is. It looks bad for all hunters because people like Berry represent all of us.
[/quote]

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

It appears that they knew that they were in Idaho because he bought the idaho tag afterward to hide their actions.If this is the case,they got what they deserved.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Since he pled guilty to all charges I think it can be assumed he was guilty. Glad to see some jail time was included.He deserved everything he got and in my opinion it is a shame that they only lost their hunting privileges for three years.Money, fame and greed have no place in the sport of hunting.He has disgraced us all.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

It’s just amazing to see a guy work his butt off and get to the top of his profession and have the world by the a-- then piss it away poaching. I personally do not pity this sh-- for brains. I sure hope they also pulled his camera gear, fire arms and vehicles along with the elk as part of the evidence for the crime. What a slime ball!

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Its unfortunate that someone would risk loosing their license just to kill a big one... And yes Instructor, I agree with you! It makes us all look bad! However, He deserved what he got!

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

This is a perfect example of poaching!! I think the individual that called and reported this issue should be praised. I started to think Glen had made a simple mistake, but after purchasing an Idaho tag he clearly was aware of his actions. This may have been his first time poaching or there could be more. Either way justice has been served.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Berry's respons from Bowsite.com I don't buy it. He's had this problem before in oregon and a refuge.




[blockquote]
I am Glen Berry and I would like to make this statement so all will know the truth. Until you have dealt with Fish and Wildlife you have no idea what I've been through. I would have the same opinion as most of you of a violator before this happened.
The events start on Sept. 16, 2005. My son, a good friend of mine, and myself arrive in unit 59 of Idaho and set up camp at Middle Fork Bench. We plan on bowhunting elk in Montana by accessing Montana through Mill Fork Canyon of Middle Creek Road, which is located in Idaho. The end of Middle Creek Road stops less than 1/2 mile from the Montana border. It is easier to access this area through Idaho, than it is through Montana. We were hunting in Montana for 2 1/2 days by accessing exactly the same way and were getting into several bulls. On the afternoon of Sept. 18 we had split up and Chad went with my friend. I walked up into a patch of timber. Suprisingly enough I spooked a herd of elk, with a 6x6 bull trailing a few cows. The bull stopped on the ridge, and gave me enough time for a shot. The herd ran over top into Idaho. I was unable to find my arrow and was unsure if I hit the bull. I met back up with Chad and my friend, and it was almost dark. The elk we had been hunting had moved further east into Montana. We decided that we were going to move camp the next day to hunt a different area, but decided we should make one more attempt to assure the bull I shot at hadn't been hit. On the morning of Sept. 19 we slept in until 7:00 a.m. and drove up Middle Creek Road. We parked the vehicle in the same place we had the previous 3 days. I decided to access Montana by walking up a drainage in Mill Fork Canyon to the east, since I wanted to return to the area I had shot at the bull in Montana the afternoon before, and this was the best way. We began walking up the drainage, when Chad said he was going to go to the bathroom and would catch up. My friend and myself continued up the drainage and heard a bull on the border. When I reached the very top of the ridge, a 6x6 bull stuck his head up. Thinking it was the same bull I had shot the previous afternoon, I shot the bull and the hit was in the neck. The bull ran down the 60 degree slope into Idaho. I recovered the bull approximately 400 yards into Idaho. I had shot the bull, and it appeared to have cut the bulls wind pipe. I was confused what to do, because although I had shot the bull in Montana, it had died in Idaho. I knew what the right thing to do was, and began to put my Montana tag on the bull, when my friend suggested I go buy an Idaho tag, because it wasn't worth taking a chance. Since we were packing the bull out through Idaho, and going to transport the bull out on the only dirt road, which was in Idaho, if by some chance we were stopped by a game warden and the bull has a Montana tag on it, and the game warden requests to go to where the bull died, it would be in Idaho, and then we would have to prove that the bull was shot in Montana. Against my better judgement, I decided to buy an Idaho tag, which was over-the-counter. When we returned with the tag, I realized that something was up, when a sheriff and the game warden had both went by our camp. Realizing that I had not tagged the bull immediately I was in big trouble. I was questioned and arrested. I signed a consent to search affadavit for the camera bag, my truck, and my trailor. They found no video tapes of the event because there were no video tapes. I plead guilty to all four charges although I hadn't shot the bull in Idaho. I knew it was the right thing to do because I hadn't put my tag on it immediately and took possession of the bull. To me it really doesn't make a difference if you have 2 or 3 or 4 violations, if you have one violation you are a violator. So, I decided against fighting the hunting without a tag charge and plead guilty to all four. I know that the witness said he saw me shoot the bull in Idaho. To let you know he changed that statement under oath at my review stating that he first saw us when we were at the bull, where it had died. For five to ten minutes he watched us. When we had left, he went down to the bull with another friend and saw it was untagged. This is when they called fish and game because they believed it had been illegally taken. The witnesses took dna samples and gps coordinates of where the bull was found dead. The game warden never went to examine the bull or the site, or tried to figure out what really happened. My son was also charged with unlawful possession. He was not hunting, he did not have a weapon in camp, and was only there to help. He never touched or took possession of this animal, until the game warden requested Chad and my friend to retrieve the bull so it would be salvaged. He made no decisions on the taking of this bull verbally or physically. I had an Idaho hunting license. If I wanted to hunt the Beaverhead zone, I would of simply bought a $370.00 tag.
I have been bowhunting for 33 years and have never had a game violation. I have made it a point never to take the easy route. I made a mistake, and paid my price. I spent 30 days in jail, and paid just over $3,000 in fines. I also received 3 years loss of hunting rights in 23 states and am currently on probation. I was given such a stiff penalty not because of what I did, but who I am. Assumptions were made and they felt I was trying to profit off the state of Idaho, by intentionally hunting and attempting to film a hunt illegally, which is not the truth. I do not hunt exclusively in front of a video camera. I am a family man, who enjoys hunting with my daughter, my son, and my friends, the same way I did 30 years ago. I have never considered myself a celebrity. The people I deal with at sport shows or seminars have always looked up to me because I have always came across as a down-to-earth, average guy, who likes to hunt. Maybe some people make millions off hunting videos and outdoor t.v. shows, but I have never made very much money from t.v. or videos. I have built a business around my game call company. People know my morals and my character. I have been doing this for 23 years. I know what happened out there and I am not going to hang my head with shame. I know I have made a mistake, but I feel people should be entitled to atleast one mistake in their life. This is the first time I have ever hunted near a state line, and not had tags for both states. To the organizations I belong to and the individuals who support me, I would like them to take in consideration what I have contributed to the sport of archery and bowhunting over the past 23 years. I ask them to judge my character for who I am, not one unfortunate incident.
Glen Berry
[/blockquote]

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Would it have been that hard to back track the blood trail to see where he actually shot the bull?

Sounds like his big mistake was shooting a second elk without identifying it as the wounded animal! Or was the elk he got in trouble for the wounded one and I missed that part in his story!

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Sounds to me like he never really learned anything about hunting in those 33 years!;)[:'(]

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

He should have known better than to walk to Idaho with his both. You have the right to retrieve game, and could argue that, but once he set foot with his bow, he was hunting. He didn't say, he retrieve the bull, with his bow in hand, so I hope I can assume that correct. It's like anyone else hunting on private land, next to "No Hunting" land. If the deer is hit on your side, and you go in after it with a weapon, then you're hunting illegally. He should have known better. And if it was only 400 yards from the state line, then he could've proved that to the Warden. But for some reason elected not too, and disregard any "proof" he had. Something just doesn't add up when reading his statement. Not to mention all of the terrible shots he obviously made, hitting the neck, windpipe, "possible hits", etc. No wonder why they didn't record any of it....

Sounds to me he saw a big bull just outside of the state line, elected to shoot it, try to cover it up, and is now facing the consequences. I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but geez, his statement just didn't add up.

Just my 2 cents.

Looks like justice was served, so that's that.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

I don't think what he did was right,if he "did" shoot that elk in Montana,he should have went and found the game warden and showed him what had happened.Instead he admitet guilt by trying to cover it up,and also was turned in.

ButI also feel his pain about the FWP or DNRC law enforcement.It seems anymore that you are guilty until proven inocent.To me it seems the minute you put on your camo or grab your gun you asking to be prosocuted.
BBJ

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

I don't know who the guy is and have no ideal if he's a celibrity or not. Doesn't make a dang crapola. There are 3 sides to every story,

1) my side of the story
2) your side of the story
3) what actually happened

He actually just fu@%ked up. I believe he got caught up in the moment and had tunnel vision.He shot a bull that he,... might of shot the day prior but not really sure?? I kinda have to question on why such a supposeably skilled hunter could not identify it correctly. I believe that if he had actually shot it 500 yrds on montana and it drifted into idiaho that there would be actual evidence of that takeing place on the montana side. Wheres the arrow? What I can not believe is he didn't take the aurthorities to where he said he shot it at in montana. And another thing that anybody knows out west,... when you bag an elk/deer/bear, or any other big game, it had better have a tag in it.DUGH!!!!!!!! The 3 guys had a time together while going to towne to get an otc tag, and collaberate about putting a story together. They knew after it was shot that they had screwed up royally. And just one more thing, I myself would never, ever admit being guilty, if I wasn't.What a abouthis son that was charged?? If he was NOT hunting, why was he charged for no license, and he didn't dispute it? There are just too many inconsistansies (holes) in the story as I read it. As I said, I don't know who this guy is, but I'm sure he's doing some back peddling now.

Bobby

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Here's my take on this story, for what its worth. If he was accessing Montana from a road in Idaho, then he had to be carrying his bow through the woods of Idaho during hunting season without being in possesion of a legal license. So hes guilty of hunting illegally before he ever shot the elk. Maybe, it happens all the time and no one thinks anything about it but I'm pretty sure that its illegal. He didn't tag the bull immediately so he's guilty of that crime. He went to town to buy a tag for an animal that was already dead. That is not only immorral it is illegal in most states and I'm sure idaho is one. If he shot the elk in Montana there would be evidence of such. He admitted his quilt. He tried to cover it up, and now is crying that he was mistreated. I say that he is an idiot and I'm ashamed that he is called a hunter.He tainted everything good that he has done in the last couple of decades with his actions on that day.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Very good point Shato.

It looks like he only spent 30 of the 180 days in jail and he said he only paid $3000 in fines. I thought I read that the fines where over $11,000. guess he didn't get the max. good thing it wasn't in Colorado or the Samson law would've probalby been implemented.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

The sad thing is he killed that animal illegally for the pure purpose of profit and infomericals most likely for his game calls. I am glad he was caught and I hope they catch the rest of the no good poachers out there

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Bobby (121553) makes a good point re sides of the story. There was a very entertaining thread over on bowsite.com on this topic. A poster identifying himself as the Idaho officer posted his version of the story. I wont repeat it here,someone else copied it before the post was deleted and pasted it to one of this site's bowhunting forums. You can find it here: http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1320970

Anyone can claim to be anyone online, so I can't say if those posts really came from Mr. Berry or the Idaho officer. The two versions of the event are about as far apart as you can get. Mr. Berry says he didn't tag it, the officer says not only that, he didn't even gut it and appeared to have no intention of doing so.

However,Mr Berry did walk into court and pled guilty. There was a case in Los Angeles were a woman pled guilty and then walked outside and told reporters she wasn't and just pled that way because she felt she had no other choice, no chance of winning. Tried to spin it in her favor. The judge got wind of this and threw out her plea, made her come back to court and say yes, she had in fact committed the crime. Work the media however, but don't claim you lied to the judge.

Not having access to all of the evidence, witness statements, etc., I can't pretend to be a jury member. I do have faith that the justice system gets it right more often than not, though its not perfect. If you accept Mr. Berry's side of the story, maybe he had a smallchance of convincing a jury that he had shot the elk in Montana. If you accept the officer's side of the story, Mr. Berry could've come out a lot worse.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

:D:D:D:DNow he is called Dingle Berry!

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Seems to be a lotta "Holier Than Thou" attatude's around here. I don't believe for one minute that he decided to start poaching all of a sudden. A man with 33 yrs expierience and an unblemished record I would at least give the benifit of the doubt. Maybe he F^%&$%up and tried to cover his A$$. After dealing with Some of the people I've dealt with in the past30 yrs I cant say I blame him too much.
I'm not trying to cover for the guy' I don't know him from Adam. But I don't think an apple spoils with 33 yrs expierience. Besides he said in his note he would pay the price reguardless. Sounds like a man ofhis wordto me.

Just my .02

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

I'm NOT judgeing anyone, but i know hunters that poached longer than 33 years and NEVER got caught! To say he's "not guilty" just because he never got caught before, is BS.

Drilling Man

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

12345 or what ever your handle is Bobby, I'd have to lean towards what you had said. I think what's most important is what really happened. Let's face reality here...if we didn't have so many people out there trying to break the law this story probably would have been much different.

I heard of a story told to me by my own uncle a few years back where he nailed a guy for shooting two bulls. He flat out told me the guy thought he shot a bull, it ran into some trees and ran out the other side so he shot it again and dropped it. The guy went to claim his elk and realized he had shot two bulls but he never saw two bulls at the same time. The guy thought he had made an honest mistake and called an LEO and the LEO that responded was my uncle. Well my uncle nailed him to the wall for it. He arrested him and and charged him with all he could. My uncle just said that's the law, it's not the story you're told,it's what you can prove. He said he never really paid much attention to his story, only that he shot two bulls.

This seems to be a sad trend with LEO's these days. They deal with bad guys so much (much like us reading about them) that when honest mistakes happened many poeple start thinking of covering their mistake rather than owning up to it. If Berry's story is true then most of you that have responded are guilty of the same thing, just wanting to throw the book at him, his story be damned. He had a lot to lose and if his version is true the LEO's probably didn't pay much attention to his story and just wrote what they could prove.

Obviously he made a mistake by trying to cover his tracks. But even if he did shoot the bull in Montana and the thing died in Idaho and he just tagged it, the story would probably still read, "Berry caught hunting in Idaho with Montana tag! What an idiot he even tagged it!"

For those of you who say he had his bow with him while walking to Montana, what was he suppose to do? Mail it? Ok seriously, that is a violation but only by the letter, not in spirit. One of those laws we wouldn't have to worry about if there weren't so many bad guys out there. That's what I'm tired of, the bad apples ruining it for the rest of us. Because mistakes do happen.

I know I personally will not hunt near any kind of border anymore. Private vs. public, state vs. another state, one unit vs. another just because of this sort of thing. I've heard similar stories before and from my own uncle. If the thing didn't bleed enough from where you shot it, you're screwed!!

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Sorry, double post.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Hey DM.
Just because he did F5\^%$@^up doesn't mean he's been doing it for 33 yrs.On the other Hand to say "He's Guilty" because he made a mistake is just as much Bull$hit.

This is not the Nepolanic Law System here. He's considered innocent until proving guiltyI believe a man that stands up and admits his faults shows character

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

You can find much more about this on the Mathewsbow forum, in the hunting forum. Apparently, there is no doubt about which side of the state line Berry was hunting on, apparently there was no wounded elk that they were looking for, apparently they tried to cover, literally tried to hide, the elk with branches so it wouldn't be found. Apparently, Berry lied like a dress on prom night, UNTIL he was behind bars about the whole incident, BUT one of the guys with them ratted him out!
Even the Idaho fish and game officer replied over on that other site, if ya want toread his side of the "story"!

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Over in bowsite there is a huge thread with over 400 replys that covers the entire subject. With that said when Idaho Officer "Lew Huddleston" posted on bowsiteI called the IDFG officer"Lew" at his house that night (I know him) to ask him if he did in fact just post about it that day. People were saying it was just a inposter trying to stirr the pot.Lew did infact post because Mr. Berry was not telling the whole storie and was trying to defend himself saying it was a simple mistake and the IDFG just didn't get the facts correct and they were misleading and lieing to the public. I stated the same thing that I am going to state here not word for word of course. I want all to know that Lew is a good guy and a excellent Fish and Game Officer and all who care about hunting and wildlife should be proud of him because he did his job to the best of his ability. I also think that Mr. Berry is in fact a good guy but he made a terrible mistake and in trying to redeem himself and to save his business and he made even more mistakes by not telling the whole truth.If he would have been a honestman up front and admited his wrong doing that might have been different but he lied trying to cover up his wrong doing.I feel bad this has happend not only for him but for all of us becaue we all as hunters suffer the consquences of his wrong doing. Mr. Berry is in the spot light and in doing so lives in a glass house so to speak. It's even more inportant for him to tote the line and be a law abiding citizen.Though I might feel bad I will not support Mr. Berry because he is a poacher, thatmay be harsh but that is how I and many other feel. I know that Sportsmans Warehouse has pulled all of Mr. Berrys calls and will no longer sell them. We have to stand strong together as one and defend our sport at all time. That also means follwing the laws, all of them,not just the ones we deem inportant.To the antis we as hunters are all a bunch of criminals, we all need to work at proving them wrong, and not showing them they are correct.
For those who want to read the long thread over in bowsite here it is.
http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/TF/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=317967&messages=401&fo rum=5#1865900

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

I can understand to a degree that if he made a mistake, he got a little panicy, and tried to cover his azz, after all, he has a lot more to lose than most of us. What doesn't sit well with me is the fact that he seemed perfectly willing to let the animal rot on the side of the mountain rather then take responsibility for it. He wasn't a stand up guy with character as mentioned by an earlier poster, he didn't take responsibilty until he was forced to, that is not a stand up guy. If he had it his way, the animal would rot away and he would have washed his hands and nobody would have ever know the better, not a stand up guy in my book.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

I agree, and that was my point all along. I thought my origional post was clear on the fact that i "wasn't" judgeing anyone at all.

BUT, to be honest, "if" the guy was as "upstanding" as he'd like everyone to believe he is, then things like trying to hide the bull, leaveing it ungutted, and lieing about it over and over proves in my mind he's still in denial. I don't think he has itquite figured out yet, that "once you piss in your milk, you can't strain it out!!"

Drilling Man

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

He pleaded guilty - four times. No need to prove anything.

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Once again I am guilty of trying to give what seemed to be an honest guy the benefit of the doubt and came up disappointed. From what I have read on bowsite it looks like this was not an honest mistake, but a deliberate case of poaching. I can only shake my head with sadness and be glad that he was nailed. I commend the officer that handled the case and the people who were honest with the officer. I used to use Berry's calls but I will never again. Sad, truly sad!

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

What it all boils down to is that making "hunting" a buisness mounts pressures. People in his position HAVE to harvest a huge bull...or his calls dont sell. It isnt the first time a "professional hunter" has been charged. I can remember 3 other cases over the last 10-12 years. When you take a sport that is unpredictable as far as "kills" go, and try and make a income...you have no choice but to "do what you must". Come on people...you think all those video's you see are in the wild because the box says so? Dont think so. Didnt a famous bowhunter get nailed when his ex-wife testified she used to hold the spotlight while he dropped the hammer on his rifle? This is how these guys make their money...They use whatever advantage they can...from paying people to scout and follow until they can get there, to shooting off the hood of the truck...if you believe they all hunt legit, than you probably believe professional bodybuilders are genetically gifted humans...

It is the worlds mentality today, and what is ruining sports in general...be the best at any cost, and all we do is lose sight of what its all really about.

Frankie

RE: Glenn Berry Busted for Poaching?
 

Yes a man is presumed innocent, until he pleads guility.

He didn't admit his faukt he said "what Bull"?