DENVER (KDVR) — Three men will be required to pay thousands of dollars to the state of Colorado after pleading guilty to multiple wildlife violations surrounding poaching through a settlement.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, there were five people involved in the poaching operation, but charges against two other defendants, Tyrrell Flaherty and Tiffany Flaherty, were dismissed as part of the plea deal. Jeffrey Flaherty, 58; Andrew Flaherty, 27; and Kenneth Curtis, 75, were all ordered to pay fines after pleading guilty to various misdemeanors.
“These defendants took deliberate actions to break dozens of laws with a complete disregard for the wildlife of the state; they were poachers, not hunters,” said CPW Officer Scott Murdoch in a release. He was the officer who first noticed possible issues with a draw list that included parts of Jefferson County. “Hunters are those who act morally and legally when out in the field. Poachers are folks who actively take advantage of the laws and wildlife resources when in the field.”
Poaching investigation lasted three years, crossed state lines
The state's investigation into the poaching began in October 2021 after Murdoch noticed inconsistent details on a draw list that included four members of the Flaherty family.
Specifically, Murdoch noticed that four members of the Flaherty family on the draw list had the same address listed on Richmond Hill Road in Conifer for each license. Murdoch remembered seeing a salt lick on that property before when meeting with the family. Salt licks are used to attract wild animals and hunting near one in Colorado is considered poaching as it baits the animal into the area.
Jeffrey Flaherty had Colorado resident licenses for multiple species and some licensees for private lands only. However, his son, Andrew, had non-resident hunting licenses.
After investigating further, CPW found that Jeffrey held an active driver's license from Florida and had voted as a Florida resident in the 2020 election. Additionally, six vehicles belonging to Jeffrey were registered to a shipping store in Bradenton, Florida.
Applicants for Colorado hunting licenses must certify their residency claim is valid, as well as possess a valid Colorado driver's license to be considered a resident of the state, CPW said.
“Residents of Colorado are entitled to certain privileges when it comes to hunting and fishing,” said Murdoch in a CPW release. “License fees are less expensive for residents than non-residents, and it’s easier to obtain a hunting license as a resident. These factors contribute occasionally to non-residents making the conscious choice to lie about their residency status and game the system.”
In November 2021, Murdoch obtained a warrant to place trail cameras around the property. Throughout the next few weeks, Jeffrey was captured on the cameras setting out hay, alfalfa and corn to "illegally bait wildlife to the area on several occasions." Additionally, the cameras captured Jeffrey and Andrew harvesting a mule deer near the bait.
Jeffery Flaherty seen on trail camera setting out alfalfa as bait (Courtesy CPW)
Jeffery (driving) and Andrew Flaherty (passenger) on trail camera (Courtesy CPW)
Jeffery Flaherty seen illegally baiting wildlife (Courtesy CPW)
Kenneth Curtis (Courtesy CPW)
A search warrant showed text messages of Andrew hunting bull elk out of season, CPW said.
Kenneth Curtis told CPW officers that he occasionally tended the Flaherty property and lives nearby. He said he spoke with Jeffrey about placing elk innards and pumpkins on the property to attract black bears. CPW said Curtis admitted he used game meat to entice bears to the area, which is against Colorado statutes.
However, officers did not find evidence that Curtis harvested a bear.
Charges, fines and consequences for poaching
The negotiated settlement for the case was finalized in September, CPW reported.
In the settlement, Jeffrey agreed to plead guilty to 13 misdemeanors in Jefferson and Adams County. The charges include illegally possessing big game, baiting wildlife, hunting elk out of season and making false statements about Colorado residency on license applications.
For this, Jeffrey was fined $42,787.22 and received two years of supervised probation. Probation restricts his ability to hunt and fish in Colorado. Additionally, he faces a mandatory five-year license suspension through a separate CPW suspension hearing and he would not be allowed to have a hunting or fishing license in 48 other states.
Andrew, Jeffrey's son, was fined $3,646.19. He pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors: Illegal possession of wildlife, hunting bull elk with bait, and hunting bull elk out of season. He pleaded guilty in December 2023 and will undergo a hunting and fishing license suspension hearing. He may face up to a five-year suspension.
Curtis paid $1,646.50 in fines and pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors: Baiting bears, illegally hunting wildlife with bait and failing to wear daylight fluorescent orange while hunting. His hunting and fishing license was suspended for one year.
“This investigation shows the dedication and thoroughness our wildlife officers show to enforcing the laws of Colorado on behalf of our state’s residents,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Mark Lamb in a release. “Officer Murdoch acted on good law enforcement instincts to pursue people violating our hunting laws. CPW does the same with anyone found to be illegally hunting big game for sport and not honoring wildlife by properly taking care of their animal so that it may be consumed.”
Anyone suspicious of illegal hunting activity can anonymously contact Operation Game Thief at 1-800-265-6648.
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