A longtime big-game guide in far northern Minnesota is facing jail time after admitting to years of poaching bears and deer, acts that also have cost him his hunting privileges for three years, state conservation officials said Monday.
Keith R. Slick, 33, of Baudette, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in Lake of the Woods County District Court to 90 days in jail for various misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors, including: transporting a big-game animal, lending/borrowing a bear license, two counts of taking/possessing an over-limit of bear and failing to register a bear.
Along with his jail time, Slick also was sentenced to 120 hours of community service and must pay $2,090 in fines and restitution. Once out of jail, he will be on probation for two years with conditions that he surrender his weapons and agree to random searches.
Slick also was sentenced for felony fleeing in a motor vehicle and gross-misdemeanor second-degree drunken driving for briefly trying to elude a conservation officer. Slick will serve 30 days of electronic home monitoring for fleeing, with that time starting once his incarceration ends.
AcÂcordÂing to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which investigated the case:
DurÂing last fall's bear huntÂing seaÂson, state conÂserÂvaÂtion ofÂfiÂcer Robert Gorecki spotted an acÂtive bear bait staÂtion beÂlongÂing to Slick. A search of his home unÂcovÂered nuÂmerÂous bear capes and skulls, as well as sets of deer antÂlers.
"There were no posÂsesÂsion or regÂisÂtraÂtion tags found with any of the bears," Gorecki said in a stateÂment reÂleased by the DNR. "The bears did not have any cuts in their ears that would inÂdiÂcate that a site tag was atÂtached at any time in the past."
A check of DNR reÂcords inÂdiÂcatÂed that Slick nevÂer regÂisÂtered a buck or bear takÂen in the past 10 years, which is as far back as aÂgenÂcy reÂcords go.
A cellphone seized in the inÂvesÂtiÂgaÂtion conÂtained picÂtures of Slick with a dead bear. NuÂmerÂous text mesÂsages were also found where Slick told peoÂple aÂbout the bear he had shot. OthÂer text mesÂsages from Slick said that he had shot seven bears in his life.
Only two of the six antÂler sets reÂcovÂered had site tags on them, but they were from people othÂer than Slick.
A rifle and bow that Slick used for poaching will be auctioned by the state.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482