It’s All About Making The Smallest Clues Work For You

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On August 2, 2000, FWP warden Brandon Carpenter received a tip that a fresh buck deer head and hide were in a community dumpster in Billings. “I checked the dumpster and found a whitetail deer head, hide, bones and variety of garbage sacks from various households,” Carpenter said.   “I knew my next best tip was probably in one of the garbage bags, so I pulled them all out and began the search for evidence.”

One of the garbage bags did indeed hold meat trimmings from the butchered deer along with other trash.   A second, similar bag had matching manufacturing numbers.   “Inside the second bag, I sifted through the typical household garbage looking for mail or anything that might connect the two bags with an address,” Carpenter said.   Just before dark, Carpenter found a bulk mail envelop with a partial address and no name.

“I drove to the street several blocks away and checked vehicles there.   On one of the license plates, I noticed what appeared to be a spot of blood, so I looked further,” he said.   Carpenter found blood and deer hair in the back of the pickup.

By checking with police dispatch, he confirmed the address associated with the name and license plate.   He met with a very surprised young man who claimed he had been hunting on the Crow Indian Reservation.   His defense that he had the warden’s approval wasn’t legally valid because tribal hunting rights are reserved for tribal members only.   Carpenter retrieved the packaged meat along with other evidence. The young man was charged with hunting out of season and possession of an unlawfully killed game animal.