HOISINGTON — Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks game wardens Brian Hanzlik of Hoisington and Phil Kirkland based out of Stafford County played an integral role in the investigation of James and Marlin Butler, two men recently convicted in a deer poaching scheme.
The investigation has led to James Bobby Butler, Jr., 42, and his brother Marlin Jackson Butler, 36, receiving prison sentences earlier this month. James was sentenced to 41 months in a federal prison and a fine of $50,000. Marlin was sentenced to 27 months in prison and will pay $20,000 in fines.
Both men have indicated they will appeal the sentences given by the federal court in Wichita. The judge postponed sending the brothers to prison, depending upon the outcome of their appeals.
The brothers of Martinsville, Texas, operated a guiding service and hunting camp near Coldwater called Camp Lone Star for out-of-state hunters to hunt and kill white-tailed deer and mule deer. At the camp, hunters killed deer in excess of annual bag limits, hunted deer without permits or with permits for the wrong deer management unit, killed deer using illegal equipment, and hunted using prohibited methods such as spotlighting. The hunts were sold for between $2,500 and $5,500 and resulted in the killing of trophy-sized buck deer.
These deer were not shot for meat, said Hanzlik. The illegal hunters were only interested in trophies.
"It comes down to greed and money," Hanzlik said.
"The investigation is still ongoing," he said."Throughout our investigation, we spent a lot of nights sleeping in vehicles with night vision goggles."
Hanzlik’s trained dog, Alley, also played a role in the investigation as well. She would find the carcasses of deer that had been left in the field to rot. This was her last big hunt, though. Alley retired the first part of June.
The sting operation took a lot of manpower, and there was a minimum of 5-6 officers constantly involved as well as other individuals, Hanzlik said. Not only was there a lot of legwork, there was computer work as well, looking for permit fraud.
"Forty-one months is the longest sentence given for big game violations," said Hanzlik. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. The stack of dominoes is coming apart."
The brothers made no efforts to follow the rules. "It didn’t matter if you had a tag," the game warden said. "They came out here to shoot the best. It is one of the biggest wildlife cases in the state of Kansas."
He said there is always a multitude of these kinds of cases going on. Stake-outs aren’t easy, though. "It’s cold, it’s long, but when you’re not there, everything happens. You’re dealing with guys with a gun.
"It was serious business."
Hanzlik enjoys his job as a game warden with its diversity. "I do like being able to catch poachers, giving everybody else a chance for a fair chase opportunity," he said. The job also involves educating the public and sporting events.
This case is not done. "We’ll still be busy over the next few months," said Hanzlik. He said that KDWP game wardens investigate drugs, murders and bank robberies if they involved KDWP property.
