A Montana resident has been fined more than $5,000 for illegally killing a bighorn sheep and leaving the meat to waste.
Harold Horine, 45, shot the bighorn sheep ram on Nov. 22 in the Highland Mountains. A witness contacted Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks after discovering the abandoned carcass.
Horine later told FWP wardens that he mistook the sheep for an elk.
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In a news release issued Wednesday, FWP stated that Horine pleaded guilty in Madison County Justice Court on Dec. 7. Charges included hunting without a valid license, unlawful possession of a game animal, hunting on private land without permission, and waste of a game animal.
Horine, who is from Deer Lodge, was ordered to pay $5,245 in fines and restitution. Additionally, his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were suspended for two years.
–Bighorn sheep image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
