Montana’s most brazen poachers: Cases that stunned game wardens and courts

Unfortunately, Montana also has a long history with wildlife crimes, as poachers have taken advantage of those thousands of unpopulated acres to kill with reckless abandon.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but here are a few of the biggest poaching cases in state history:

Seeley Lake couple kills over 100 "trophy class" animals

In 2004, a couple from Seeley Lake were convicted of felony charges for what was called one of the most prolific poaching sprees in Montana history.

Dean Ruth and his wife Renita Ruth were initially accused of illegally killing over 100 "trophy class" animals, including deer, elk, antelope, moose, bears and mountain lions. Some they killed themselves, and other animals were killed by people who the Ruths helped. Dean Ruth's nephew and father were also charged.

The case gained widespread attention, both locally and nationally.

In the end, they pleaded guilty, and Dean Ruth was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 15 suspended, with a lifetime ban of hunting and fishing. His wife got a suspended sentence on one felony charge.

The couple was also ordered to pay restitution of nearly $20,000.

"This was serial poaching," said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Warden Sgt. Joe Jaquith at the sentencing hearing. "This was as hardcore as it gets."

Game wardens found silencers on the couples' hunting rifles, and they allegedly had a "shooting table" in their living room, next to a window that looked out at a field that was baited with hay and grain.

Their trailer home was located on a major wildlife corridor near the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Blackfoot-Clearwater Management Area. The duo allegedly used four-wheelers and spotlights at night for hunting.

Game officials said the couple killed so many trophy animals that it would affect wildlife populations for generations in the area.

"I would say they've killed several lifetimes' worth of game," said game warden captain Jeff Darrah. "I've only harvested four legal elk in 19 years. Dean Ruth has harvested enough elk for 10 guys' lifetimes."

The Huntley Poaching Project

In 2006, 10 people were charged in a case investigators called the "Huntley Poaching Project." An investigator described it as a group of thrill-seekers who killed without remorse, leaving the carcasses in fields to rot. Investigators eventually collected 50 big game heads, all deer, after a tip to the state poaching hotline came through.

"It was wanton waste of the worst kind you could imagine," said one FWP official.

An out-of-state assist for elk kills near Yellowstone

In 2006, a man named Danny McDonald was sentenced to a year in prison for illegally helping out-of-state hunters kill trophy bull elk leaving Yellowstone National Park. Investigators seized 30 elk heads and racks.

A Bitterroot Valley man and his years-long killing spree

In 2007, a Bitterroot Valley man named Philip Mark Payton was sentenced for a years-long killing spree in which investigators documented 86 illegally-killed animals, including bull moose, elk, deer, antelope, mountain goats and a black bear. Prosecutors alleged he tried to cover up his crimes by tampering with evidence.

He pleaded guilty to seven felonies and four misdemeanors and had to pay a big fine and lost his hunting rights for life. But, he avoided any jail time. Nine of Payton's friends and family pleaded guilty to poaching as well, although one suspect eluded law enforcement.

Florida men rack up big-animal takes

In 2010, a Florida man named Dean Palmer Langton was sentenced for operating an illegal outfitting ring in Sweet Grass County. Langton managed to avoid felony charges after an investigator in Florida accidentally damaged computer evidence.

Langton was in possession of at least nine unlawfully taken big-game animals, including trophy 9x5 mule deer buck and a trophy 7x7 bull elk.

Another Florida man, Tyler South, was found in possession of six illegally-taken big-game animals, also including trophy elk and deer.

Lead FWP investigator Jeff Scott, now retired, told the Billings Gazette, “I’m disappointed with the outcome of Mr. Langton’s sentencing but pleased with the overall investigation. Langton was not held accountable to the extent of the crimes that were committed.”

Mass of hunters converge on elk herds

In 2014, several hunters were cited after 30 elk were killed in a single incident when multiple hunters intersected an elk herd that was moving around in the Canyon Ferry area near Helena on both public and private land.

Dozens of hunters converged on the herd on opening day of Montana's big game general season, and one 5x5 bull elk was seized by game wardens and one spike was illegally killed and left. As word of the big herd spread, more hunters arrived to "join the fray" with some trying to keep the elk in certain areas using vehicles, which is illegal.

“People seem to lose some of their common sense when there’s that many elk that close,” one area landowner told reporter Tom Kuglin. “It’s difficult to watch, and I’ve talked to several people who did see it and said it was as ugly as it could possibly be.”

In 2020 a similar incident unfolded when about 100 hunters converged on a herd of elk in Meagher County and about 50 elk were killed. Six hunters were issued misdemeanor violations, and two elk were confiscated for violations. One local landowner told a TV news station the incident made him "want to vomit."

The largest bear poaching ring in Montana history

In 2015, a Bitterroot Valley man was sentenced to 10 years in prison, all of which was suspended, for what was called the largest bear poaching ring in Montana history.

James "Jimmy" Harrison, who owns a well-known hat-making business in Darby, pleaded guilty in Ravalli County District Court to five felonies.

Harrison was one of three Ravalli County men charged in the case. According to prosecutors and game wardens, Harrison killed nine large, mature black bears without licenses for any of the animals. There wasn't evidence that meat was used for anything other than baiting additional bears.

“In my opinion, it was strictly a trophy hunt,” said game warden Lou Royce at the sentencing for Harrison.

Harrison lost hunting privileges for life and had to pay $9,000 in restitution, along with 180 hours of community service telling young kids about not breaking the rules.

“I’m very ashamed,” Harrison told the judge. “I’ve lost friends and I’ve lost family all because of the decisions I made. ... You can rest assured that nothing like this will ever happen again.”

A biologist testified that the area where the bears were taken is not prime black bear habitat and the overall bear population "probably suffered as a result of the illegal kills."

Poaching on a ranch

In 2017, two brothers, James Stephen Page and William Thomas Page, were charged with multiple felonies in what investigators described as years of poaching on a Fergus County ranch without permission. They illegally killed at least eight bull elk, seven of which qualified as trophy animals. 

Baiting bears with barbecue sauce

In 2022, a Sanders County man who was a well-known anti-wolf activist was convicted of nine misdemeanor hunting violations.

Alfred "Toby" Bridges illegally baited bears with barbecue sauce and dog food and killed the animals. He also killed elk and deer without the proper licenses.

Bridges ran a website where he advocated for removing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act listing and claimed wolves were ruining big game hunting.

Thousands of birds, including eagles, killed in poaching scheme

Between 2015 and 2021, several men participated in a poaching scheme that resulted in the illegal killing of roughly 3,600 birds, including eagles, in Montana.

In the fall of 2024, a Washington man originally from the Flathead Reservation, Travis John Branson, 49, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for his role as one of the poachers in the case. Branson must pay $777,250 in restitution for shooting hundreds of eagles and hawks in Montana over at least six years.

Other alleged participants' cases are still pending.

23 men, 48 game animals

In 2022, a two-year poaching investigation in northeastern Montana resulted in the convictions of 23 men, mostly from Washington, who illegally killed at least 48 game animals, including deer and antelope, without licenses and during a closed season. None of the men went to jail. Many lost their hunting rights for two years.

Richard LeBlanc, Stephen Schenck and William Mathews each were ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution and received six-month suspended jail sentences.

6 men kill animals without licenses

In July of 2025, six men pleaded guilty in Musselshell County Justice Court to unlawfully killing several large bull elk without permits and killing several large mule deer without licenses.

In total, 11 mounts were seized as evidence. The six men were named as Ben Valadez of Washington, Kyle Steiling of Washington, Noa Valadez of Washington, Johnny Lopes of Washington, Devon Rea of Montana and Mitch Miller of Montana.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks game warden Jake Barzen said it was a tip that sparked the investigation, which is often the case.

The Billings Gazette wrote an in-depth piece about how social media bragging by the poachers was also a big factor.

Previous reporting from current Lee newspaper reporters Brett French and Thom Bridge and former reporters Perry Backus, Tom Kuglin, Rob Chaney, Josh Murdock and Vince Devlin contributed to this article.

To report a wildlife crime or public property crime, call 1-800-TIP-MONT or visit online at fwp.mt.gov/enforcement/tipmont/.