The law, which requires one full year of residing in Wyoming to earn the privilege of resident hunting and fishing licenses, has caught up with Colorado and South Dakota men.

In separate cases settled recently, a Boulder, Colorado man and an Edgemont, South Dakota man were sentenced for making false statements to obtain resident hunting licenses.

In July 2000, Gillette game warden John Schneidmiller received a tip that a South Dakota man, who moved out of Wyoming in 1996, may still be buying resident hunting licenses.

Schneidmiller determined the former Burlington Northern Sante Fe employee used a Gillette post office box as an address to apply for resident elk, deer and antelope licenses. With the help of the railroad's Senior Special Agent Jim Schafer, the man was located residing in Edgemont, South Dakota.

In September, Schneidmiller called the 48-yar-old man and confronted him with the evidence. To the officer's surprise the man replied, "I was wondering when you were going to catch up with me."

Schneidmiller reported the man cooperated fully with the charges of making false statements to obtain resident hunting licenses from 1998-2000. The charges included three counts for deer, three counts for antelope and two counts for elk. The man mailed $4,020 in bond to Laramie County, the county with jurisdiction in the case since his applications were mailed to Cheyenne.

"This was the biggest false oath case I've handled in my career," said Schneidmiller, a 33-year G&F veteran. "It would not have been possible without a lot of people's help, including Special Agent Jim Schafer of the Burlington Northern Sante Fe and the individual providing the tip. People just aren't sitting back and allowing this sort of thing to happen anymore."

The informant declined the "STOP POACHING" cash reward that was offered.

The man received general deer and area 8 (near Lusk) antelope licenses from 1998-2000. He drew a highly sought-after (15 percent drawing success) area 116 bull elk license in the Black Hills in 1999 and an area 116 antlerless license in 1998.

In a separate case, while conducting a routine examination of a Saratoga man's falconry permits, game warden Biff Burton noticed irregularities in the addresses listed on the paperwork. That initiated a 2-year investigation resulting in a 60-year-old man, paying $11,640 in fines and restitution for violations of Wyoming hunting and fishing residency statutes.

The man, a published author and retired University of Colorado microbiology professor, had been purchasing resident Wyoming hunting licenses since 1994 while receiving Colorado resident falconry permits at another residence in Boulder, Colorado.

The man was charged with signing false statements to obtain resident 1996 and 1997 Wyoming hunting licenses. "This is an important case because people who purchase improper licenses, and hunt and kill game animals on those licenses, reduce hunting opportunities for all hunters," Burton said.

The man reached a plea agreement with Assistant U.S. Attorney John Barksdale of Casper and Carbon County attorney Tom Campbell. In the agreement, he pleaded no contest to illegally purchasing resident Wyoming antelope, deer and elk licenses. The G&F's Laramie wildlife investigator, John Demaree and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Roy Brown assisted with the investigation. He paid $3,140 in fines to Carbon County and $8,500 in restitution for animals killed on those licenses to the state of Wyoming general fund. Other residency violations from 1994 to 1999 were dropped and no federal charges were brought in the plea agreement. "This case shows the close working relationship existing between all wildlife law enforcement agencies and Federal and State prosecutors," Demaree said. "Coordination and cooperation between different agencies and prosecuting attorney offices brought this investigation to a successful end." The G&F reminds people that merely owning a house and maintaining an address in Wyoming is not a legal "residence" for purchasing resident Wyoming hunting and fishing licenses.

Anyone with information about any wildlife violation is urged to call the Stop Poaching Hotline at (800) 442-4331. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

A rash of before and after hours waterfowl shooting in Goshen County has the Wyoming Game and Fish Department urging hunters to heed the legal shooting hours printed in the waterfowl regulations.

On December 16-17, game wardens issued nine citations and three warning tickets for attempting to take waterfowl outside of legal shooting hours.

Game Warden Joe Gilbert reports it's the worst outbreak of the violation he's seen in his 12 years in Torrington. He adds most of the incidents were hunters on the North Platte River shooting before they set up their decoys at roosting geese or at geese attempting to roost in the evening.

"Hunters need to realize they not only run the risk of being ticketed, they are hurting themselves by not allowing the birds to roost undisturbed," Gilbert said. "If the birds cannot have refuge at night, they'll leave the territory, find somewhere where they can and all hunters will have less shooting during legal hours."

Waterfowl hunters are urged to check the legal shooting hours table on page 29 of the Late Migratory Game Bird Regulations. The booklet is available at license agents and G&F offices.

In Goshen County, dark goose shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to 1 p.m. weekdays and one-half hour before sunrise to sunset on weekends for the remainder of the season.