Park County man receives lifetime suspension of hunting, fishing, trapping privi

For Immediate Release
6/21/2019

Jason Clay
CPW NE Region PIO
303-291-7234
or by cell 303-829-7143

A Park County man receives lifetime suspension of hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for repeated wildlife exploitation

DENVER - A Colorado Parks and Wildlife investigation into illegal hunting and trapping activities led to a felony conviction of a Park County man thanks to the persistence of wildlife officers.

Jeff Bodnar, 46, of Hartsel, Colo., was arrested and charged with 22 crimes stemming from the investigation. Bodnar would later plead guilty on May 7 to possession of a weapon by a previous offender, a class 6 felony, and unlawful possession of two black bears and a mountain lion.

Bodnar was fined $4,593.50 and sentenced to 10 days in jail, which has been suspended pending successful completion of probation.

At its June meeting, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a lifetime suspension of Bodnar's hunting, fishing and trapping privileges in Colorado and the other 48 states in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. With the lifetime suspension, he would face fines ranging between $1,000-10,000 and up to 90 days in jail if he is detected in any hunting, fishing or trapping activity in the future.

Bodnar's hunting, fishing and trapping privileges have been suspended twice previously.

"Mr. Bodnar appears to possess a complete disregard for Colorado's hunting laws and a total indifference for wildlife," said wildlife officer Ian Petkash. "We take these investigations seriously because of the toll someone like this can take on local wildlife populations.

"The illegal exploitation of wildlife will not be tolerated and we will continue to aggressively investigate wildlife crimes in this state. It is important to note that these type of actions are those of a poacher, not a hunter, and it is good to bring somebody like this to justice."

Wildlife officers have investigated reports of illegal hunting and trapping activity by Bodnar for years. In 2008, he was convicted in federal court of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, a federal felony for attempting to sell illegally taken bobcats across state lines. He received 27 months in federal prison for the 2008 case.

The most recent investigation broke in 2014 when a report was received that Bodnar had resumed hunting and trapping while under his suspension. Wildlife officers initiated a multi-year investigation that culminated in the execution of arrest and search warrants.

"At the end of the day, without the cooperation and support of local prosecutors, the hard work that wildlife officers do to bring poachers to justice would go unanswered," Petkash said. "District Attorney Molly Chilson was very supportive during this investigation. This sends a clear message that wildlife crimes are not going to be tolerated in Park County and that the district attorney's office is working with CPW to protect wildlife and the interests of legal sportsmen and -women of Colorado."

Photo Caption: Jeff Bodnar at a trap site out of season.

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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.

Absolutely nothing was done to this dirt bag. He should have been sent to a federal prison for a min. of 5 years & fined $50K, & had a lifetime ban on hunting, fishing & trapping, then maybe, just maybe, other yahoos like this guy would think twice about violating hunting laws.

These types get off with suspended sentences, with practically no fines. Enforcement & punishment of wildlife laws is why poaching is so rampant in this state, & elsewhere. Until the judicial system takes these crimes seriously, nothing will ever change.