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Anti-wolf activist Tony Mayer is taking on the government in court but not to fight over wolves. Mayer is now fighting to keep the privilege to hunt the elk he has sought to protect from wolves.

Mayer was charged Wednesday in Blaine County with felony charges of "flagrant unlawful killing and/or possession of a trophy bull elk.” The 59-year-old Twin Falls activist also was charged with hunting without a tag, hunting without an archery permit and unlawful possession of protected wildlife, all misdemeanors, the Mountain Express reports.
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Mayer faces five years in prison and revocation of his hunting license for life for the felony charges. The other charges carry six month in jail penalties and revocation for three years.

Mayer’s attorney entered plea of not guilty and said he will ask for a jury trial.

Authorities say Mayer shot the huge elk near Alturus Lake in the Sawtooths Oct. 3 after the archery season had closed Sept. 30.

Mayer founded Saveelk.com , which highlights particularly gruesome pictures of dead elk killed by wolves.

Already the sides are lining up in the case Outdoor Life Magazine’s Andrew McKean said in a column Friday: “Media reports indicate that Mayer intends to fight the poaching charges. Let’s hope he’s on the right side of the law on this one.”

While over at Field and Stream’s Field Notes blog they report “an anti-wolf activist may not need to worry about what wolves are doing to elk because he won’t be hunting them anyway...”


Read more: http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2010/10/08/rockybarker/antiwolf_activist_faces_felony_charges_illegally_killing_trophy_#ixzz12S3pynyg