At almost 150,000 square miles, Montana is an immense state, home to diverse wildlife habitat and the third-lowest human population density in America.
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Dean and Renita Ruth, seen here outside of federal court in October 2003, pleaded guilty to felony poaching charges.
KURT WILSON, Missoulian
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A detective testifies during the trial of Philip Mark Payton in 2007 in Missoula.
Missoulian file photo
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HELENA – On Oct. 26, the second day of Montana’s general big game season, dozens of hunters converged on a large herd of elk on a section of s…
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HAMILTON – A Darby man accused of being the ringleader of what’s been called the largest bear poaching case in state history will never again …
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Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game wardens pose with the nine bears illegally killed by James Harrison and others.
Provided photo
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A Texas man is facing several felony federal charges for allegedly purchasing feathers and parts from eagles that were poached in Montana and elsewhere.
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A photo submitted as evidence in the poaching and trafficking case against Travis Branson shows golden eagle claws investigators uncovered in his vehicle on the Flathead Reservation in 2021. Branson was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on Oct. 31, 2024.
Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, via U.S. Department of Justice
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"People aren't bragging about the drugs that they're moving across the state, but they're bragging about animals that they just have killed.”
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These are some of the most infamous cases of poaching in Montana.
David Erickson is the business reporter for the Missoulian.
In this Series
Updated
Feb 25, 2026
Updated
Feb 27, 2026
Updated
Feb 18, 2026
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