Idaho man banned from hunting for life after poaching deer, moose
An Idaho man has been banned from ever having a state hunting license again after he illegally baited and killed deer and a moose, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
The agency said in a news release that Carl Van Loon, of Cottonwood, was caught in October 2024 when a rancher in Idaho County found a cardboard box with freshly processed deer parts on a backcountry road. The rancher reported the box to Fish and Game since deer hunting season had not yet started, and a conservation officer located the box.
Fish and Game said the officer noticed a shipping label was still on the box and traveled to the nearby address — Van Loon’s residence. Officials said Van Loon denied the box and its contents belonged to him until he was presented with the label, at which time he said someone must have retrieved it from a trash bin in Cottonwood, more than 20 miles away, filled the box with the deer parts and dumped it.
According to the news release, the conservation officer continued to talk with Van Loon and told the man he believed he would find meat in Van Loon’s freezer from the same deer whose hide, hooves and legs were in the box. Officials said Van Loon then admitted to killing the deer 12 days before deer season opened and without a valid Idaho hunting license.
The next day, a gunshot from Van Loon’s property prompted the conservation officer to visit him again. Fish and Game said the officer found a hunting blind with items meant to bait deer and elk: a salt block, water trough, hay feeder and other food. Baiting deer and elk is illegal in Idaho.
The bait site prompted a search warrant for Van Loon’s property, which uncovered even more information, the news release said. Text messages and photos confirmed he intended to bait animals and succeeded in killing multiple deer and a moose.
Moose are one of the species that carry the highest penalty for poaching under Idaho law. There is no moose hunting season in Hunting Unit 13 where Van Loon illegally killed one.
Van Loon pleaded guilty to a felony charge related to the moose poaching. As part of a plea agreement, charges related to the deer poaching were dropped, Fish and Game’s news release said.
As part of his sentence, Van Loon is banned from ever having an Idaho hunting, fishing or trapping license and owes $10,000 in civil penalties. He must also serve 10 days in jail.
