A Mississippi wildlife commissioner has been cited by the identical company he was appointed to supervise for illegally looking wild turkeys over bait. The Mississippi Division of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks confirmed with Super Talk Mississippi News Monday that it was investigating the allegations in opposition to Leonard Bentz, Jr. At the moment, the company confirmed with the identical supply that Bentz was cited on account of their investigation.
Bentz acknowledged the quotation on Tuesday, however mentioned he was unaware that the sphere he was looking had been baited with crickets by the landowner.
“Underneath the regulation, regardless that I used to be instructed by officers that they knew I used to be not conscious the crickets had been on the property, I’m in violation as a result of I hunted the property the place the crickets had been positioned,” Bentz wrote in a press release.
MDWFP director of selling and communications Jeremy Bass tells Outside Life that the company can not touch upon the investigation, which is ongoing. Bass additionally didn’t deny the details that had been reported by Tremendous Discuss Mississippi.
MDWFP’s investigation into the commissioner revolved round allegations that Bentz and his two sons had been with a bunch that was looking wild turkeys over bait on personal land in Holmes County. Responding to an nameless tip about these allegations, conservation officers with MDWFP went to the looking property on Friday, the place they spoke with Bentz together with the landowner.
The wildlife commissioner and former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives instructed reporters earlier this week that his group was approached by conservation officers round 7 a.m. Friday. He mentioned the officers instructed them that the landowner and caretaker had purchased and launched crickets onto the 500-acre plot they had been looking days earlier than their arrival.
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Bentz, who was first appointed to the wildlife fee by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves in 2021 after which reappointed in July 2023, denied having any information of the crickets being there.
“The tip that I or any of my visitor [sic] had been caught baiting turkeys is unfaithful,” Bentz instructed Super Talk Mississippi News. “The reality is, my visitor [sic] and I had been looking on a bit of property owned by a good friend of mine who assured me that there was not bait on the property.”
Bentz added that he had inspected the roads and feeders on the property earlier than their hunt to make sure there was no bait within the space. (Mississippi rules permit using bait for deer looking however not turkey looking.) He mentioned he had the officers communicate with the landowner, who claimed that he, the landowner, had no prior information of any crickets being launched onto the property and mentioned he didn’t understand it was unlawful to put bugs on his land within the first place.
“The officer responded, saying they had been going to collect all of the proof, take the landowner’s data, and citations for the landowner and caretaker would greater than doubtless be forthcoming as soon as they determined the suitable statute violation,” Bentz mentioned.
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Utilizing bait (together with bugs) to assist within the taking of a wild turkey is a transparent violation of Mississippi’s wildlife code, which dictates that “any particular person taking a turkey out of season, and any particular person baiting turkeys is responsible of a Class II violation.” The punishment for that violation is a $100 to $500 tremendous and potential jail time.
It’s unclear what punishments Bentz may face, if any. However the quotation comes at a precarious time because the state Senate is predicted to vote on confirming Bentz’ re-appointment to the wildlife fee this month. His seat isn’t assured, and a few hunters have not too long ago called out Bentz for not taking the specter of continual losing illness critically sufficient. This contains Will Primos, the founding father of Primos looking, who wrote a letter to Gov. Reeves and different legislators in March asking them to dam Bentz’ affirmation.