An Indiana Conservation Officer investigation has resulted in multiple charges, fines, and the first lifetime hunting suspension of its kind in state history for a West Lafayette man.
Hanson Pusey, 25, was sentenced Thursday in Warren County Court to a lifetime hunting suspension along with home detention, probation, and payment of replacement fees stemming from an investigation by DNR Law Enforcement involving the illegal hunting of wild turkeys in Indiana and six other states.
In spring 2020, conservation officers in District 3 received information that Pusey, whose hunting privileges had been suspended since March 2019, was still hunting and taking multiple turkeys illegally in Indiana and other states.
Using advanced surveillance techniques, investigators monitored Pusey, gathering evidence of poaching in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, as well as in Indiana, where they documented him taking four spring turkeys in Indiana in 2020, two after the season closed. Officers also documented Pusey helping family and friends poach turkeys. Search warrants were served on the man’s residence, and in cooperation with the other states’ fish and wildlife law enforcement agencies, filed charges in all them.
During the search of the residence, officers found that Pusey had kept the spent shotgun hulls from turkeys he had harvested, identifying the states and dates he took them. Officers documented 83 spent casings in the collection dating back to 2012, including 14 dated within three months of his first suspension of hunting privileges in 2019. Four were listed by Pusey as being taken from Indiana.
Punishments for various charges from the other states included $4,125 in fines and costs and an eight-year hunting license suspension in Pennsylvania, $324 in fines and costs and an indefinite suspension in Connecticut, $700 in fines and costs and license suspension during probation in Massachusetts, $2,335 in fines and costs in Georgia, $278 in fines and costs in North Carolina, and $525 in fines and costs in Tennessee.
Pusey was charged again in February for hunting without permission and theft of a trail camera card in Warren County, despite the 2020 investigation and his convictions in the other states.
A humble homesteader based in an undisclosed location, Lars Drecker splits his time between tending his little slice of self-sustaining heaven, and bothering his neighbors to do his work for him. This is mainly the fault of a debilitating predilection for fishing, hunting, camping and all other things outdoors. When not engaged in any of the above activities, you can normally find him broken down on the side of the road, in some piece of junk he just “fixed-up.”
ken Borman says
What about the federal charges? They would warrant a 100,00 fine and prison time.
Flea says
It was mostly peaceful poaching
Russell Levin says
He needs mental health counseling and a whipping of 40 lashes
Bemused Berserker says
Unfortunately, the way most State wildlife laws are crafted, most of the punishments are fiscal and not penal. I agree, that this schmuck should have gotten some serious prison time for his crimes.
Paul Hillar says
Lifetime suspension is like a restraining order to these idiots, it’s just a piece of paper that does nothing to stop a crime. Put the idiot in jail! What happened to the others he helped to poach? Crossing state lines with illegally taken animals, there has to be a law against that!
Tom Buschur says
I saw nothing about loosing his firearms ownership and use rights for the rest of his life. In my opinion this should be the first thing that happens to people who commit these crimes.
TJK says
He ought to be put in jail for the crap he’s done. He should have to serve time in each state. After a couple years in one state, he gets moved to the jail in the next state for several years etc.
he’s never going to pay the fines and he’ll never stop poaching.
Gunleather says
LMAO, do they really think that’s going to stop him? I bet the have hell collecting the fines also.
Piece osf slime like that makes all hunters look bad.
Vinny says
That douchbag deserves everything he gets.
The fines a not steep enough.
Benjamin McLeod says
Not enough indeed. The total fines are about $100 per turkey, which is expensive, but only to cover designated expenses of catching him. It needs to be several times that to also cover expenses of looking into similar crimes elsewhere. And at least 2 years jail time, which he should also have to pay for since I do not want to pay to support him in jail.
Spudnut says
Aren’t any of those convictions considered felonies? If so, why hasn’t he been charged with illegal gun possession? This loser isn’t going to stop poaching until he can’t poach anymore because he’s in prison. Put him there already!!!
Fornme says
100%!! People like this do more damage to legitimate participants than any other source. Are we just waiting for him to start a “Poach Coach Guide Service” ???