Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation *DE

That's what I was wondering too. It's obviously stupid, unsporting, and host of other bad things, but I can't quite figure out where the illegality part comes in???

[clayman]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation *DE

The illegality comes from reporting the kill, and tagging it, as a wild animal, and then shipping the illegally tagged animal parts across state lines.

[BowJoe]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation *DE

I hope nobody here is convicting him based on a Liberal media bias. We don't need to convict anybody without video proof or his own testimony which the liberal idiots know won't come out until long after they have bashed him and hunting for months. That's how they work. But if you try to keep them from talking then it's an infringement on their rights. I was always taught to believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see. We know nothing of what the land looks like or the size of enclosure whether it was 10 acres or 10,000 acres. This is a hot topic and one I think will see both sides of the situation. Jimmy Houston was guilty and we saw video. Wait til we see the video.

[wtnhunt]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation *DE

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The illegality comes from reporting the kill, and tagging it, as a wild animal, and then shipping the illegally tagged animal parts across state lines.

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Says who, have heard quite a bit on this story, and that is the first I have heard he shipped the bear across state lines This story seems to me to make less and less sense the more I hear about it.

[buckee]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

Post by BowJoe, in another thread

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Even though I wasn't there, I believe (if anything) he was duped by the owner/guide into thinking this was legal, otherwise I don't think he would do something he thought would have legal ramifications. JMO.

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Here's the letter:

To Montgomery Gentry Friends and Fans:

You are probably aware of the allegations made against Troy Gentry in a federal indictment filed in Duluth, MN yesterday. Unfortunately, the false accusations made against Troy in the indictment have been reported in the media as a statement of fact.

These charges are very serious, and the potential penalties are very severe. Troy has hired the best trial lawyer in the state of Minnesota to represent him in this manner. Accordingly, Troy's attorney has advised him not to make any statements about the facts of this case.

Since Troy cannot speak for himself, I feel it is important to give you some perspective on this case that has not yet been reported in the media. Troy is accused of conspiring with a professional hunting guide to improperly fill out a hunting tag. To back up this charge, the indictment claims that Troy shot a tamed bear in a cage, then made a video to appear that he did not shoot the bear in a cage, but in the wild. These claims are wildly inaccurate.

The bear in question was never in a cage or pen; not when it was killed or at anytime prior to that. This wild bear occupied its own habitat (consisting of several acres of woodlands) on a game preserve owned by the codefendant. Troy shot the bear with a bow and arrow from a tree stand mounted on the private game preserve. Troy did video tape this hunt for his personal use, but did not edit it to make it appear anything other than what it was. He did not distribute the video for commercial use or intend to use it to mislead anyone.

Troy is an avid environmentalist and hunter who supports and follows all game laws. Before he killed the bear he was told by the bear guide that it was proper and legal to kill the bear which again was not a tamed bear and was never in a pen or cage. Troy reported the kill to the wildlife authorities and tagged the bear per the guidance of his professional guide. This all occurred in October 2004.

Troy is disheartened that he has been falsely accused, and looks forward to speaking with the US Attorney's handling this case. A press release regarding the indictment was serviced to the media by the US Attorney's office in Minneapolis immediately following the arraignment. Although they were aware of Troy's legal counsel, they did not include his contact information in their press release as is customary. Thus the media ran with the false information on Tuesday evening without contacting anyone on Troy's behalf.

The result is that Troy has been convicted in the court of public opinion without fair representation. A true travesty of justice for a guy who truly loves God's creation, treats it with respect, and obeys the laws designed to preserve and maximize its splendor.

Please continue to support Troy and Montgomery Gentry in this time of crisis.

Sincerely,

Johnny Dorris

Hallmark Direction Company

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I'm surprised they didn't mention anything about or address the issue of Troy buying a tame bear, and explaining where that so-called, tame bear is now ? Did he buy a tame bear and dispose of it somehow, or didn't he ?

I'm on nobodies side right now, until I hear all the evidents.

[wtnhunt]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

Funny how the media can twist a story around eh?

[Guest indianahunter1]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

no wonder the animal right's are coming down on use so much. and i like that group too not no more. thank's for info. god bless.

[BowJoe]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

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no wonder the animal right's are coming down on use so much. and i like that group too not no more. thank's for info. god bless.

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Nice to see you're unbias. Don't convict him based on the media hype. A Liberal media preys on the ignorant. Do you think they wait for things like this to pop up to hate us? They are against us as long as we hunt or breath. They hate our kind and this is just another excuse to try and recruit bunny huggers. Don't be fooled into thinking they wouldn't attack us if something like this wasn't in the news.

[stevebeilgard]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

i'm not going to convict just yet. lets see how this plays out. i'm with troy right up until they prove he did it. then, he's on his own.

[Guest Troy Gentry]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

Well it has been a busy week of defending myself but thanks to great people on great sites like you all on here, I think the majority knows it wasn't me!

Before I make a comment on the matter he is going to have to be convicted of the crime. I still believe in innocent until proven guilty.. If it turns out that he is then it will probably turn my stomach!!

Thanks to all who made sure that others knew there was 2 Troy Gentry's!!

The other Troy Gentry

[wtnhunt]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

Pretty sad how the media puts there spin on things. Last night on the news here a goose was shown looked like in a park or something with an arrow half through it. Looked to me like something a kid who has crappy parents probably did. Of course the media says something to the effect of why would a HUNTER(putting an emphasis on hunter) shoot this poor goose with an arrow and let it to suffer like this. Sadly some of those mis or uniformed folks out there use this type of mis information to help them draw their conclusions that hunters would do this type of thing, when in reality it was most likely not a hunter who did it at all.

[Guest IBO_bowhunter]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

Money and fame can sometimes make even bigger idiots.

[DSGB]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

Gentry caught in bear trap

The country singer and avid outdoorsman finds himself in trouble with the law on some very dubious charges.

Dennis Anderson, Star Tribune

Last update: August 19, 2006 – 5:42 PM

Dennis Anderson: The legendary country crooner and ex-con David Allen Coe apparently had it wrong. The perfect country song doesn't speak only of Momma, trains, trucks, prison or gettin' drunk, as Coe claimed.

Now such a tune needs Momma, trains, trucks, prison, gettin' drunk and trumped-up indictments, big headlines and bears named Cubby.

Which is one way of saying: Free Troy Lee Gentry.

Last week, with the Mideast on fire and Alaskan oil pipelines leaking, news of a real crisis arose when the feds uncorked a two-year investigation of Gentry, one-half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry.

The charge against Gentry is that he conspired to falsely register a bear he killed near Sandstone, Minn., in October 2004, and subsequently shipped the bear's hide to Tennessee.

For that, the U.S. attorney in Minneapolis wants to convict him of violating the century-old Lacey Act, a felony.

Not because the bear was killed. That, apparently, was done legally (otherwise, why wasn't he charged?). But because, in part, state lines were crossed when Gentry allegedly sent the hide of his ill-registered bruin to his home.

Much about this case, and all it suggests, smells. But very little of it has to do with Gentry, an avid outdoorsman who apparently has had no prior run-ins with wildlife officials.

Let's first look at the indictment and news release about the case from the U.S. Attorney's Offices, copies of which can be found at www.startribune.com/outdoors.

Whoever wrote these can work for the tabloids, should their legal careers tumble.

The indictment speaks of shooting a "tame" bear in a "pen," also Gentry's alleged filming of the animal's demise (by bow and arrow) and -- transgression of transgressions -- the subsequent editing of the video.

None of which matters, because none of it involves anything illegal.

Moreover, the bear, named Cubby (at least it wasn't Smokey!) wasn't tame. Semi-domesticated, yes. And captive. But bears, penned or not ( this one was in a three-acre enclosure when killed ) aren't tame.

If you doubt that, stand in a pen with one.

Additionally, Gentry owned the bear. He bought it, fair and square, paying about $4,600 for it. It was, therefore, his lawyer says, his to do with as he pleased.

And Gentry's preference -- distasteful and unsporting as it might be to some people -- was to shoot the bear. And to videotape the shooting.

And, yes, according to Gentry's attorney, Ron Meshbesher of Minneapolis, Gentry and/or his agent subsequently edited the video to remove the "dead time" and focus instead on the kill.

Meshbesher said the video was for his client's personal use -- and perhaps someday might have been included in a music video.

But the video apparently hasn't surfaced in the two years since it was taken. And it's possible the U.S. attorney's office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents who worked the case never would have known about the tape had a copy not been found when the agents busted Lee Marvin Greenly, owner of Minnesota Wildlife Connection in Sandstone, where the bear was killed.

(Greenly has other legal problems, including, allegedly, guiding bear hunters on a national wildlife refuge closed to hunting.)

[wtnhunt]

Re: Troy Gentry indicted for hunting violation

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Additionally, Gentry owned the bear. He bought it, fair and square, paying about $4,600 for it. It was, therefore, his lawyer says, his to do with as he pleased.

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That was kind of what I figured, even though it was not very sproting, it was probably not in any way illegal as the media has tried to make it out to be.