Hooked_on_Coues Report post Posted January 14, 2009 Just got this... New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Dan Williams, (505) 476-8004 Public contact: (505) 476-8000 dan.williams@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JAN. 12, 2009: HUNTING 'LEGEND' GETS $10,000 IN FINES, 4,500 HOURS COMMUNITY SERVICE GRANTS -- Kirt Darner, a former outfitter and owner of a private northwestern New Mexico elk hunting park, was sentenced to $10,000 in fines and 4,500 hours of community service Monday for illegally transporting elk and receiving stolen bighorn sheep heads. Cibola County District Judge Camille Martinez-Olguin also ordered Darner to pay an undetermined amount of restitution to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and a taxidermy business in Montrose, Colo., where the sheep heads were stolen. Olguin ordered Darner to serve 25 weeks of community service a year for 4 ½ years -- 4,500 hours -- in Colorado and New Mexico. "Mr. Darner has learned that we will not tolerate people trying to profit by stealing wildlife that belongs to the citizens of New Mexico," Cibola County District Attorney Lemuel Martinez said. "We will continue to aggressively prosecute these types of crimes." Darner, 69, pleaded guilty to the charges in June 2008. He faced a maximum penalty of 4 ½ years in jail and a minimum of $10,000 in fines and restitution. In a plea agreement accepted by Judge Martinez-Olguin, Darner also agreed never to hunt, fish or possess a firearm in his lifetime. The investigation involved close cooperation among the 13th Judicial District Attorney's Office, the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. Kirt Darner, a nationally known big-game hunter and guide, and his wife, Paula Darner, were co-owners of a 40-acre game park on the Lobo Canyon Ranch north of Grants. They were indicted on multiple charges related to the possession of two trophy bighorn sheep heads and the illegal transport of stolen live elk. The Darners were accused of illegally moving three state-owned elk from the Lobo Canyon Ranch to the Pancho Peaks ranch and game park in southeastern New Mexico in 2005. Kirt Darner was paid $5,000 for each elk. Department of Game and Fish officers who executed a search warrant at the Darner property in 2005 discovered a desert bighorn sheep head and a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep head inside a vehicle. Further examination of the heads determined that they were stolen from a Montrose, Colo., taxidermy shop in 2000. The Colorado Division of Wildlife had offered a $5,500 reward for information about the sheep-head thefts. At the time they were stolen, the sheep heads were estimated to be worth more than $20,000 each. At Monday's sentencing hearing, a Colorado Division of Wildlife investigator testified that a former employee of Darner's admitted to being paid to steal the sheep heads. Previously, in Colorado, Darner was convicted of illegal possession of wildlife in 1994. In 1999 he was convicted of second degree tampering with evidence and careless driving in an incident in which he was serving as an outfitter. Division of Wildlife officers observed Darner's client shoot at an elk decoy in a game management unit for which the client didn't have a license. In 2008, Darner pleaded guilty to making a false statement in order to purchase a license. He had applied for landowner vouchers with the Department of Wildlife, but did not own enough property to be eligible for the program. The Darners currently live in Crawford, Colo. If you have information about a wildlife crime, please call Operation Game Thief toll-free, (800) 432-4263. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward in information leads to charges being filed. ### Pretty sad given what this guy has done to hunting.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chef Report post Posted January 14, 2009 $10K is a small price to pay for hunting big mule deer whenever/wherever you like. I'm sure he's thrilled. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted January 14, 2009 A 4500 hundred hour community service plea bargain kept him from ending up as someones girlfriend in the big house. Darner was a big big hero of mine back in the mid 80's. I read all his books, articles etc. He even answered a letter I sent to him. Its like finding out Superman is a crackhead. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BML Report post Posted January 14, 2009 Soooo, the guy gets paid $15,000 for receiving three stolen elk and then they fine him $10,000??? dang, looks like a money maker to me!! What a joke!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted January 14, 2009 i've known Kirt for a long time. this is really a depressing thing to me. i was a big supporter of his. oh well, guess we can all get fooled. part of his original sentence agreement is that he can "NEVER" own a gun, hunt or fish in the United States again. that is gonna be worse on him than any fine or community service. "never" is a long time. he's a guy that really likes to hunt and spent more time at it than most of could ever even dream of. and with all this other stuff aside, he is a helluva a hunter. this whole thing is too bad for everyone in the hunting public. a guy that was really looked up to turns out to be a lot less than folks thought. i ain't gonna pass any judgement on what his sentence is, that's up to the courts. what is really the $h!t$ tho is that there are guys as bad and worse still out there. and a lot of em are pretty famous. i saw a guy in a magazine the other day that is snakier than a rattler. they were braggin' all over him. i don't feel sorry for Kirt. he did this. and what about the stolen sheep heads? i don't think any of this sentence has anything to do with them. wonder what is gonna happen on that deal? Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hooked_on_Coues Report post Posted January 15, 2009 Lark, I think it is a done deal because they stipulated restitution to the taxidermy shop in Colorado. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted January 15, 2009 My only experience with the guy was in 1984, when I bought an article from him for Safari Magazine. I had already sent the issue with his story to the printer when I picked up another magazine and found the same story, word-for-word. Luckily, I was able to stop it from going on the press. Replacing it with another article made me late in getting my magazine to the post office. My bosses, advertisers and readers weren't happy, and neither was I. Multiple sales of the same article are a definite no-no for outdoor writers. After calling Darner to tell him why I was returning his story and photos, I never again spoke with him. All of his mail went into File 13 without opening. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
