BLAINE COUNTY, Mont. (NMB) – A Tennessee man has admitted to outfitting without a license in Blaine County, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Jason Taylor of Fayetteville, Tennessee recently pleaded guilty to three counts of outfitting without a license. He has been ordered to pay over $11,500 in fines and restitution, and has lost his privileges to hunt, fish or trap for five years in Montana and all states that are part of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
FWP says Taylor was a licensed guide that was in the process of purchasing the outfitting business “Bear Paw Hunts.” Taylor had agreed to operate as a guide under the previous owner’s outfitting license until he was able to obtain his own outfitter’s license until the sale was completed.
However, Taylor began advertising himself as an outfitter, along with booking and arranging his own clients, before ever obtaining an outfitters license. He employed his own guides, cooks, outfitter assistants, and even registered his unlicensed outfitting business, “JT Outfitters”, with the MT Secretary of State’s office.
Upon investigating, Region 6 wardens identified and interviewed non-resident hunters from at least 12 states that had booked and paid JT Outfitters, not Bear Paw Hunts or any other licensed outfitter, for big game outfitting services on private leases near Cleveland in Blaine County.
“Taylor was only a licensed guide, and he was subject to the roles and responsibilities of a guide,” warden investigator Dirk Paulsen said in a statement included in a Press Release. “These roles and duties are clearly defined in order to protect the legitimate business interests of licensed outfitters in our state.”
FWP wardens say that this investigation was completed with the help of the Montana Board of Outfitters and out-of-state wardens, as well as the Blaine County Attorney’s Office.
Anyone with information about crimes involving fish, wildlife or park regulations is encouraged to call FWP’s 24-hour wildlife tip line at 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668). Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 for providing information that leads to a conviction.
Information Courtesy of FWP
