Several hunters with connections to Pike County may be facing federal charges for alleged hunting violations.
The Pike Press reports that violations by dozens of waterfowl hunters in western Pike County near Pleasant Hill have been referred by the Illinois Conservation Police to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for possible federal charges of illegal baiting and crop manipulation among other hunting-related violations.
The investigation into the hunting practices are said to have taken place over the course of about year over several thousand acres, in which several hundred of those acres of ground are flooded each year for waterfowl hunting purposes. During the investigation, Illinois Conservation Police are said to have found that fields and crops were manipulated in ways that fall under the federal definitions of illegal baiting – going against fair chase principles and other widely-accepted hunting ethics.
The hunters are said to be from both out of state and from within Illinois. No names in the report were listed. More information is said to be released at a later date, with possible charges forthcoming in federal court.