Three men are facing fines after pleading guilty to poaching charges imposed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The hunting violations took place over the course of several years in Jefferson County and Adams County. CPW shared some of the the details of their investigation in a news release on Wednesday. Jeffrey Flaherty, 58, his son Andrew Flaherty, 27, and another man named Kenneth Curtis, 75, all face thousands of dollars in fines.
A CPW officer began the investigation three years ago and obtained a warrant to place trail cameras around private property in Conifer owned by the Flaherty family. Those cameras captured images showing the men putting out hay and other feed to bait animals to the area, which is illegal. It also showed images of the men “harvesting a mule deer near the bait,” according to CPW’s news release.
“Baiting wildlife does not follow the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. It does not allow an animal the fair chase and lawful opportunity they deserve,” CPW Area Wildlife Manager Mark Lamb said in a prepared statement.