A poaching case that began with a tip from observant hunters last November ended last month with the plea agreement for a Buffalo man. As part of the agreement, Ray Ludwig was ordered to pay $5,000 in fines and restitution for poaching four cow elk and harassing big game from a vehicle. His hunting privileges are suspended for five years in Wyoming and 46 other compact states.

According to a release from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Buffalo Game Warden Jim Seeman was contacted by two concerned hunters who not only witnessed, but recorded, a vehicle chasing a group of elk south of Buffalo. The pair also reported hearing gun shots coming from the vehicle.

“What happened next was probably the biggest cover-up and conspiracy that I have seen in my 27-year career,” Seeman said in the statement.

Seeman was able to identify the vehicle and interviewed Ludwig by phone the same night the incident was reported.

Ludwig told the game warden several of his friends with licenses were in the vehicle with him and had killed three elk.

During the course of the investigation, Seeman contacted a total of six residents, three from Wisconsin, two from Wyoming and one from Nebraska, who Ludwig said were with him on the day in day in question.

“The group of subjects all had been coached on what to say and not to speak with a game warden if asked,” said Seeman.

Each told Seeman the assembled group had killed three elk in Hunt Area 35 and two in Hunt Area 34.

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Their statements, however, did not match the video evidence or the timeline provided. Further investigation, along with assistance from authorities in Wisconsin and Nebraska, revealed that two Wisconsin residents who claimed to have shot elk in Wyoming were not even in the state. One of the Wyoming residents who reportedly tagged an elk was at home during the incident.

Seeman was eventually able to determine that Ludwig was the only vehicle occupant at the time of the poaching and did not have an elk license for Hunt Area 35. At the same time, two Wisconsin residents, one Wyoming resident, and one Nebraska resident were all 2 miles away on foot. When the group shot at the elk, the herd ran toward Ludwig.

The other five involved in the case pled guilty to accessory by taking big game animals without a license and were collectively fined $2,375.

“If it were not for concerned hunters, who care about ethical hunting practices, this case would never have been made,” said Seeman. “Their willingness to report what they saw and provide video of the event was critical to determining what happened.”

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