MO: Two Scotland County men sentenced for federal wildlife violations

October 19, 2010

Two Scotland County men sentenced for federal wildlife violations

St. Louis, MO: The United States Attorney's Office announced today that two Scotland County men have been sentenced on multiple federal wildlife violations, including illegally shooting a bald eagle and illegally trapping and shooting a great horned owl, and trapping a yellow shafted flicker. Agents discovered eight, six-foot tall poles sunk into the ground, five of which had steel leg hold traps, on land owned by Douglas Byrn. Of the five poles that contained steel leg hold traps, four of them contained dead birds that are protected under the Migratory Bird Act, including two red-tailed hawks, a great horned owl, and a yellow shafted flicker.

According to court documents at the time of their pleas, between March 1, 2009 and April 10, 2009 Douglas Byrn trapped and Logan Byrn shot a Great Horned Owl in Scotland County. During that same time period, Douglas Byrn also trapped a Yellow Shafted Flicker.

Douglas Lecen Byrn, 45, Memphis, MO, was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine on two violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Logan Douglas Byrn, 19, Downing, MO, was sentenced to one year of probation and a $250 fine on one violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and one count of aiding and abetting the violation of the Bald Eagle Act.

In addition to the probation and fines, each defendant was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and reminded that during their probation, they are forbidden to hunt with weapons of any type, or possess firearms.

Both defendants appeared before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry, in St. Louis.

This case was investigated by Missouri Department of Conservation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Return to Hunting Accident Index

Fair Use Notice: This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. We believe that this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

C.A.S.H.
P.O. Box 13815, Las Cruces, NM 88013
Phone: 575-640-7372
E-mail:

C.A.S.H. is a committee of Wildlife Watch, Inc.
a 501(c)3 Not-for-Profit Corporation.
Contributions are tax-deductible.