Seven people charged in illegal hunting scheme in Carter County

After a six-year investigation, seven people have been charged in connection to an illegal hunting scheme centered around a ranch in Carter County. While most of the defendants in the case are from out of state, at least one is a Carter County resident. The alleged incident took place on ranch land owner by Tyree O'Connor in Carter and Powder River Counties.

Both O'Connor and an associate of his, Larry Bergman, are accused of operating as an unlicensed outfitter on the O'Connor ranch. Bergman has been charged with one count each of unlawful possession, shipping or transportation of game animal by common scheme, a felony; outfitting without a license by common scheme, a felony; and license, permit or tag offenses by common scheme, a misdemeanor. O'Connor was also charged with one felony count of outfitting without a license and one misdemeanor count of license, permit or tag offenses but received a misdemeanor count of unlawful possession, shipping or transportation of game animal.

The remaining defendants in the case include John Gabriel Hubbard, Steve Craig Buchner, Robert Jon Dickson, Allan Edward Ruzek and Gregory Lynn Kimm, all from Minnesota. Each of these defendants is charged with one count each of unlawful possession, shipping or transportation of game animal by common scheme, a felony; hunting, fishing or trapping without a license by common scheme, a misdemeanor; and license, permit or tag offenses by common scheme, a misdemeanor.

Bergman, O'Connor, Buchner and Kimm were all arraigned in Sixteenth Judicial District Court in Carter County on June 20. Ruzek and Dickson were arraigned in the same court on July 25. All defendants have pleaded not guilty to their respective charges.

According to court documents, the charges stem from an investigation that began in 2017 when Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks received information that an unlicensed outfitting scheme was possibly in operation in Carter County, allegedly organized by Bergman. An investigation into the matter was opened, during which time it was determined that Bergman was not, at that time or any time during the pendency of the investigation, a licensed outfitter or hunting guide in the state of Montana, according to Department of Labor records.

It was determined early in the investigation that the alleged illegal activity was occurring on and around ranch land owned by O'Connor in Carter and Powder River Counties.

In March 2018, two undercover agents with FWP got permission from O'Connor to hunt coyotes on his ranch. That following April, they asked about turkey hunting and were referred to Bergman as O'Connor described him as "his hunting guy," according to court documents, and were provided with Bergman's contact information.

The agents contacted Bergman and arranged a turkey hunt at the expense of $400. The hunt occurred in May, with the agents meeting Bergman and then being transported to an area of the O'Connor ranch where they were told turkeys roosted. Bergman also offered to arrange an antelope hunt for that fall at the cost of $500 per hunter, which the agents accepted.

The antelope hunt was scheduled for Oct. 8, 2018, with the agents being accompanied by Bergman and his wife. During the hunt, antelope were spotted and Bergman encouraged the agents to shoot from the truck, according to court documents. He even allegedly re-positioned the truck multiple times as the antelope moved over hills and out of view to provide opportunities to shoot from the truck. The next day, Bergman allegedly encouraged the agents to shoot a mule deer buck even though it was out of season, saying it was "a deer no hunter would turn down," according to court documents.

The investigation continued for several years, with investigators using a variety of tools to locate information and possible suspects. These included search warrants for Bergman's cell phone and property, as well as cell phone record warrants, publicly available information and interviews of multiple suspects in various other states with the help of each state's respective conservation law enforcement authorities. Suspects identified through this process included Hubbard, Buchner, Dickson, Ruzek and Kimm. In total, approximately 136 individuals were identified as having hunted on the O'Connor ranch between 2017 and 2021, according to court documents.

In a series of interviews with the suspects and other people of interest, investigators learned that some of them had hunted on the O'Connor ranch multiple times, up to several years for some individuals, allegedly organizing their hunts through Bergman or O'Connor directly. Many of the people interviewed reported buying tags from Bergman, including ones that would supposedly have his wife's name on them. Other individuals reported that they would hunt animals and Bergman and O'Connor would put their own tags on them, court documents state.

Trial dates have not been set yet. Omnibus hearings for all of the defendants are scheduled for Aug. 23 where trial dates are expected to be set.

Hunter Herbaugh can be reached at hherbaugh@rangerreview.com.