GAINESVILLE, GA -- Two men were sentenced Tuesday on charges of placing bait for the purpose of taking, possessing and killing migratory birds.
Nelson Presley Biggers, 49, of Cleveland, Ga., and Jere Lee Kimbrel, 51, of Saute Naoche, Ga., were sentenced to two years probation, 50 hours of community service, and the loss of migratory bird hunting privileges for a year. Biggers was fined $2,000 and Kimbrel was fined $1,500.
"We take very seriously our mission to support our state counterpart wildlife enforcement agencies," said Special Agent James Gale of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement. "We will continue to investigate those who choose to violate state and federal laws. They undermine the proud tradition of fair chase for all hunters."
US Attorney Sally Yates said that agents from the Fish & Wildlife Service saw Biggers and Kimbrel baiting a field in Cleveland, Ga., to have a dove shoot on September 11, 2009, which attracted an "unusually large"number of doves to the field.
Agents saw the hunters on the baited field again on September 18, 2009. In addition, agents said they saw hunters shooting over the designated "daily bag limit," which is 15 birds per day. Agents said they seized 191 doves that were illegally shot.
The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits hunting migratory game birds over or on a baited area. Criminal charges for placement of the bait can result in up to a year in prison and/or up to $100,000 in fines. The criminal charges for over-hunting can result in prison time of up to 6 months, and/or up to $15,000 in fines.