Kirt Daner Charged in NM!

[ELKMAN]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FEB. 2, 2006:

GRAND JURY INDICTS GAME PARK OWNERS IN ILLEGAL ELK TRANSPORTATION CASE

GRANTS ? The owners of two private elk hunting parks were indicted Wednesday by a Cibola County Grand Jury on a total of 41 felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with an alleged operation to illegally drug and transport wild elk, and for allegedly receiving stolen bighorn sheep heads.

Kirt L. Darner, 66, and his wife Paula D. Darner, 49, owners of the 40-acre Lobo Canyon Ranch north of Grants, were charged with several felonies, including receiving stolen property, transportation of stolen livestock, and tampering with evidence. They are accused of illegally moving as many as four state-owned elk from the Lobo Canyon Ranch to the Pancho Peaks ranch and game park in southeastern New Mexico in 2002. The Pancho Peaks Ranch is owned by Steve W. Lewis of Artesia.

Lewis, 46, was indicted on two felony counts of conspiracy in connection with his alleged role in acquiring or providing the animal tranquilizer, xylazine hydrochloride and its reversal agent, yohimbine. Zylazine hydrochloride, a state and federally controlled substance, allegedly was used to sedate the large bull elk so they could be moved.

Department of Game and Fish officers who executed a search warrant at the Darner property in February 2005 also discovered a desert bighorn sheep head and a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep head inside a vehicle. Further examination of the heads indicated they allegedly were stolen from a Montrose, Colo., taxidermy shop in 2000.

?These are serious crimes that we intend to vigorously prosecute,? Cibola County District Attorney Lemuel Martinez said. ?We need to send a strong message that we won't tolerate it when people try to illegally transport, drug and profit from wildlife that is owned by the citizens of New Mexico.?

If convicted, Kirt Darner could face a maximum 33-year jail term on nine felony charges, Paula Darner could face 24 years in jail on six felony charges, and Lewis could face 3 years in jail on two felony charges. The Darners and Lewis are expected to be arraigned in Cibola County District Court sometime in the next few weeks.

 

[ELKMAN]

KIRT DARNER!

 

[HunterHarry]

Where are his long time defenders?
Inquiring minds want to know.
HH

 

[kingfish]

Not surprised!!!. HH not even his buddies can defend this one.

 

[Devlin]

Well this should help boost his book sales up,what a looser...Devlin

 

[Lien2]

Scum.......I'm kind of wondering where the K.D. supporters are also?! C'mon guys.......what do you gotta say now?

Lien2

 

[elk_horn]

ONce a crook ....always a crook

 

[NMHUNTNUTT1]

They just played a piece on the radio , they are now claiming they did nothing wrong , that someone else did . Kirt Darner should have left and changed his name . POACHER !!!

 

[sneakem]

LMAO-

 

[NMHUNTNUTT1]

Isn't having any bighorn skulls/heads without plugs a Federal OFFENCE??? I just hope this judge hammers him to the MAX EXTENT....NM

 

[MNHunter]

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha..

 

[csutton7]

doesn't sound good--but we do have this little thing here in AMERICA---innocent before proven guilty---but I will say again it sure sounds like the Darner's are in trouble--will be interesting to see how it plays out---chris

 

[NVBighorn]

>innocent before proven guilty---

Ha ha. Not here on MM. The MM ethics jury speaks. "Off wiff 'is 'ead" the angry mob yells.

 

[twodogs2025]

Imagine that! I wonder what sort of offences they would come up with when they look into gis guiding business again. He is guiding in Colorado again. For some reason I thought he lost his outfitters licence? This is going to get good.

 

[ICMDEER]

The whole thing is just too bad - tragic. I don't know Darner but have read so much about him and his exploits. As a hunter, it's just too bad that hunting gets negative press in any circumstance.

 

[Canoe]

>>innocent before proven guilty---
>
>Ha ha. Not here on MM.
> The MM ethics jury
>speaks. "Off wiff 'is
> 'ead" the angry mob
>yells.


LOL- that was a good one!

 

[ALLMASS]

This should close the book on the scum bag!

 

[Huntnup]

Well I was kinda sitting on the fence with this one.. but not any more!

Let him have it!

Huntnup

 

[D13er]

B&C must have set him up......

JB

PS- innocent until proven guilty is only in the eye of the law. Not in public opinion.

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
--Benjamin Franklin 1759

 

[theridge]

The guy has been indicted only, not convicted. Doesn't sound good for him and his wife. I wont make a prediction but I can say, we have seen others indicted by the GJ and it was a complete joke. You guys from AZ should remember the fiasco 3 or 4 years ago that cost taxpayers nearly two million just to get a couple of guilty pleas for not haveing a companion permit on the Navajo. What a friggin joke.
If he is guilty, throw the book at him.

 

[wideone]

"How do we know she's a witch?? SHE LOOKS LIKE ONE!!!"

 

[B_F_E]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

Yup.

 

[Gator]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

I think I will wait until the facts are out, not just one side that we are hearing right now,And we have seen the "law" go crazy the other way to. I'm sure the truth will be somewhere in the middle.If he guilt so be it, I hate to see he's wife get dragged into because of him.

 

[ColoradoOak]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

Glad to see that those sheep heads were recovered from the Montrose taxidermy shop. I figured they would never be seen again (by the rightful owners).

Oak

 

[Moondog]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

Figures. A leopard never changes his spots.

 

[bobcatbess]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

JUST WONDERING IF DARNER & HIS BUDDY/CLIENT EVER GOT THAT DUMMY ELK SCORED THEY SHOT OUT THE TRUCK WINDOW???

HOW ABOUT SOME OF THE SCULLS ON THE MULE DEER MOUNTS THAT HAD BEEN PURPOSELY BROKEN/FRACTURED/BONDOED???

THE ONLY bobcat THINKING IT AIN'T NO FRICKEN WONDER I DON'T HAVE ANY B & C ENTRIES!!!

 

[lostinOregon]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

I usually don't get into editorials, but some of you guys kill me. The "conspiracy" theory guys refering to the "law". Is this how you think this stuff goes, three federal agents eating donuts and coffee and one says to the other, hey lets set up Kirt Darner, and the other says, yeah that sounds like fun, but what can we think up. How about transporting drugged elk to NM and just for shits and grins through in some stolen sheep horns in a vehicle. Oh that sounds great, lets get er done. The was another comment about the AZ investigation and how they spent millions of dollars and only came up with a few charges. Would you rather have them not investigate claims of wildlife crimes. Sometimes the guilty get off, beyond a reasonable doubt is a high standard, doesn't mean there not guily of what they were charged, just can't prove it to that standard. Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[Gator]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

Dang did we touch a nerve, What if he brought those horns(could happen) and didn't know they are stolen(I'm sure a shed or two show up at the big shed sale that was misappropriated from some yard or pickup or land) now if you broughtthose sheds what charges would you end up with, My guess the same one's he's facing since I wasn't there. I(that means me)will wait until all the facts are out, Kind of like the AZ thing where the charge was Buying a "guide" a hamburger as payment after hunting on the rez,You would thing the "LAW" would have something a little bit bigger then that for spending that kind of dough. Do you remeber what happen(didn't work out for the "LAW" did it)So what I'm saying is this I will wait until case is put to the light of day and see if it holds up then if he guilty, it will be a PROVEN thing Not some-one dream, I'm glad I didn't buy anyone a burger when I passed thur there.

 

[ELKMAN]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

Great Post LOST!

 

[BUCKSPY]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

My buddy's cousin had his desert sheep ram horns stolen from the Montrose taxidermy shop and lets all hope its the same set for his sake. It would be great if those horns are indeed the stolen ones and could finally be placed back in the hands of the rightful owners.

Gator- I assume you meant "bought" not "brought those horns." If they were bought and weren't plugged, a guy would have to be freakin' out of his gourd to buy them. If they were plugged, they will have a number and it can be traced and should have been traced before any purchase. Smart guys would CYA on that one.

That whole sheep horn thievery was all over the papers and news when it happened and anybody who "bought" a set of horns in light of the fact that there was pretty common knowledge in the sheep and wildlife community about the thefts in Montrose............well lets just say it would have to have been the ultimate act of stupidity!

This whole thing is freakin' SAD! (other than the possibility of the sheep horns being returned)

 

[Wes]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

Gator
In the case you're talking about the "Hunter" also bought the "Guide" a "TRUCK" not just a burger. The "Hunter" in that case is also a known AND convicted "POACHER". So why would the "Guide" guide a known "POACHER" on the reservation "hunt" and then claim ignorance? I can see it now, guides sitting on the off ramps with signs that say "Will work for food and trucks". The "LAW" did it's job, the "scumbag guide" got off. There is no conspiracy against guides.
"Wes"

 

[RLH]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

things just get curiouser and curiouser. while i'm real surprised about this, i'm a little more curious about the charges. they say he tranquilized an, or some, elk and stoled em, but they're charging him with livestock violations? were they wild elk? seems like if they were wild elk then game violations would be in order. if they were farmer bulls then it would be more of a livestock or theft issue. whatever, the bighorn heads bother me more than the other stuff. with all the previous allegations the guy has endured, to have a couple stolen heads is a shocker. why did they wait until 2006 to release info about a crime that was supposed to take place in 2002 and the search warrant was executed a year ago in 2005? that really makes me a little suspicious too. was anyone charged in the bighorn deal? it says they were in a vehicle but doesn't say if anyone was charged in the deal. was it his or was it someone elses vehicle on his property? as in any high profile wildlife case, i'll hafta wait and see what actually happens. seems like they included enough info to get folks riled, but didn't release enough info to help a guy form much of an opinion. look at the operation navajo buck deal. there were some guys that paid some real big fines in that deal and some other guys that ended up pleading guilty to chump charges just to get the law offa their backs. i'll hafta wait until i know more to have much of an opinion about this deal here. what the charges are, what he did or didn't do, and how this thing ends up are all gonna at different ends of the spectrum. i know one thing, i'm glad i ain't in his shoes right now.

 

[Gator]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

No I don't think there is a conspiracy against guides,I'm just telling it like it is If you are going to spend million dollars on a trail tell me you have more then what they had in the Navajo Rez trial, I do know that sometime the "law does cut corners and do lie now and then, As I tell my buddies in the law enforcement end of things it's the crooks job to lie to stay out of jail and your to lie to put him in. Sometime you can lie good enough to put them away.here's one for you had a nephew had Deer blood in the bed of his truck during archery season (claims to help a older gentleman haul his deer out of the field to his truck) he didn't know the hunter just knew he was from Souix Falls area, Warden give him a ticket for hunting out out of season(just on the blood) searched house no new deer meat, Nephew tries to find this guy by putting ad,s in newspapers and stuff. Well they go to court and he's found guilty and lose 1 year of hunting and paid a fine, Fast forward a couple of years and guess what he runs into the old gentleman he helped back then (who has another deer down and needs help) so my nephew call the warden who tell him ok help him and I will right there, after the warden talk to the guy and tells my nephew while you might be innocent of the charges 2 years ago you probably did someting else so it a wash as far as he was concerned. So it still watch your own before watching others.Will my nephew go back to court I doubt it, Hell it could be you helping haul some-one's buck to camp.

 

[NMHUNTNUTT1]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

Man Gator , I'd never wanna help a guy out after that , thats crap he was convicted with no animal to show for ,I'd faught that tooth and nail .
I have a few friends that are wardens here in NM , and they do have it rough , my buddy said its just a few of thousands of outdoorsman that are crooked law breakers , but statistics show its a high percentage of repeat offenders , like Darner !

 

[Gator]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

LAST EDITED ON Feb-06-06 AT 07:03PM (MST)[p]We do have a few wardens that are golden and at least one that not, There are a couple of your NM wardens, one warden from Co. that come up to the Dakota's every year to pheasent hunt with my family so it not like we hate wardens, but we also don't give trust until it earned.It could be the small town sat. night fights too that caused the problem with the nephews, some just can't take a little whipping and then drink a beer after, Or could of been the time the warden was turned in for hunting on private land,(nephew was a witness) got his butt chewed for it, I guess they just never have seen eye to eye, I don't know this warden,I have only seen him in passing, just got what happen from our side of the issue. I know that the other hunter wrote a letter to the judge but don't think anything came of it, He fought it all the way to the judge saying he was guilty. I don't think he will do anything more with it because of the cost, but hey you never know, it pretty much known what the warden did, so now alot of people in the area wouldn't let him on their land, to hunt or to patrol.They are talking about moving him to a different area, They might have done it already.


But this post is about KD as I said before I (this means me) will wait until the light of day to see what sticks to the wall and what doesn't.Because everyone knows that if you throw enough sh!t on the wall some will stick.If he guilty then he will get the stick, if he found innocent "all" that had him guilty and hung already, will you come back on here and say YOU WAS WRONG, no you wouldn't but it ok If he is found guilty I will come on here and tell everyone that Yes he was founded guilty.

 

[theridge]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

Wes, so the Navajo guide received a hamburger and a truck for getting drunk and staying in the vehicle as hunter and hunters hunted for deer? Tell us more. What was the outcome? thanks

 

[rutnbuck]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

LAST EDITED ON Feb-06-06 AT 09:07PM (MST)[p]If I wasn't confused I am now after reading all this.

Correct me if I am wrong. Darner hires a guide who steals a truck from Montrose. He gets druged by an elk. And he finds two bighorn sheep heads that are ugly as his wife who is going to prison for drugs.
rut

 

[landon05]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

rutnbuck:

lmfao....i think thats it.

 

[Gator]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

You just summed up the whole case. LMAO

 

[ELKMAN]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

Lewis sits on the Board of Regents for NM State U!

I heard he was charged in the past with guiding without a lic!

 

[canyonwell]

RE: Kirt Daner convicted in MM

This is the part where I get to say "I told ya so!!!" He is reading everything we write to. There is a good reason he was trying to buy another place in OKlahoma. When the going gets tough, move to another state.

Steve, aka "previous Kirt Darner Neighbor in Montrose"