In August, 2000, a conservation officer in Michigan's Alcona County received information that a group of individuals were illegally killing and selling various game animals, primarily black bears and bobcats. Members of this group were avid houndsman and regularly hunted and killed animals during the closed season. The informant indicated that this group had killed at least nine bobcats during the 1999 season, and later intelligence indicated that this group may routinely kill every bear that they tree during the training season.

This information was turned over to the Michigan DNR Wildlife Resource Protection Unit, Special Investigations Section, which consists of four detectives and a supervisory D/Sgt. After evaluating the information, together with information gathered in years past by an unsuccessful attempt to infiltrate this group, a decision was made to initiate a deep cover covert operation. Information indicated that a person closely associated with this group wrote a monthly column for the hound hunting magazine 'Full Cry', which is published in Illinois. This writer had an affinity for Blackmouth Cur dogs, which inspired the operation name.

The detective assigned to the case procured a bear permit for the area in which the suspects lived and hunted. Bear permits are issued on a lottery basis in Michigan. The detective contacted the magazine writer, who booked a hunt with the suspect. During the trip north with the writer, the conversation eventually focused upon the sale of wild game, and a deal was made for the detective to sell the writer two deer at a time, for $125.00.

The detective and the writer made the initial trip to the home of one of the suspects, who on the first evening waved a pistol and a large knife in front of the detective, in an apparent attempt at intimidation. Two unsuccessful hunts were conducted, and numerous illegal activities were observed, which included the sale of the detective's bear permit to a suspect. An agreement was reached that the party would continue hunting, even during the closed season, and eventually they killed a bear that was sold to the detective.
Two days after the close of the bear season in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, the main suspect, Daniel Vance, and others ran and killed a 450 lb. (205 kg) bear, which the detective then purchased for $750.00. Immediately after the detective tagged the bear with his tag, he told the group “He felt better now that the bear was tagged.” One suspect, a business owner from the Detroit area said, “We feel a lot better knowin' that you ain't the man.”

The suspects then all proudly posed with the bear and the detective for numerous photographs. This transaction seemed to cement the relationship between the detective and the group. Within the next four months the detective made numerous trips to the Vance house, ultimately buying six illegally killed bobcats, one wild turkey, one badger, and three more black bears. Vance killed the bobcats by leaving deer carcasses within shooting distance of the roadway and then shining the carcasses at night. Traps were also set around the carcasses. Michigan law prohibits hunting at night with a light and trapping bobcats in the Lower Peninsula. The limit on bobcats in the Lower Peninsula is one.

As the case progressed the Wildlife Resource Protection Unit was meeting all of the case objectives except for one-- a subject from Alpena County named Tony Linton. Vance, in numerous conversations captured on a hidden video camera, often told stories of the blatant poaching that Linton participated in, calling him crazy and “too bold.” Vance told of a time recently when Linton, who lived within 40 miles (64 km) of Vance, made a trip to the Vance home, illegally killing and transporting six deer and four turkeys on the way. On several occasions Vance intended to introduce the detective to Linton but the opportunity never seemed to materialize. The detective later theorized that once he began to do business with Vance, Vance did not want Linton to do direct business with the detective, as this would cut into Vance's profit as a 'middleman'.

Vance's opportunity to become the 'middleman' happened in February 2001. The detective received a phone call from Vance, indicating that a “guy he knew” found a bear hibernating, and wanted to know if the detective would be interested in buying it. After negotiating through Vance with the second party, a price of $600.00 was agreed upon, as the bear in question appeared to be quite large, and obviously very prime. At approximately 10:00 p.m., the detective made the 2 ½ hour trip to the Vance home, where they talked and waited on Vance's friend to deliver the bear. During these conversations, which were again recorded on hidden video, Vance told numerous stories about his past poaching exploits. During one conversation he stated that he was thinking about all of the deer that he had killed. He figured that he had killed about 2,000 deer in his lifetime and only one was legal. Upon further thought, he realized that he was trespassing at the time.

Vance also told stories about the 'guy' who was bringing the bears, and what a crazy, wild poacher he was. The detective was beginning to gather information that indicated that the 'guy' was indeed Tony Linton. During another videotaped conversation, Vance, after bragging about all of the poaching that he had done, and all of his chases with the game warden, looked directly at the detective and stated: “Knock on wood, I have never been caught by the DNR!”

At approximately 2:30 a.m. a vehicle pulled up to the Vance home. This vehicle appeared to be a white Ford truck, similar to the truck owned by Linton. Vance told the detective to stay inside while he went out to talk to the guy in the white truck. The detective looked out of the window, and immediately recognized the driver as none other than Tony Linton. After a few minutes, Vance returned to tell the detective an incredible story.

Vance stated that his friend had been rabbit hunting, and found the bear den. After recognizing that there were at least two bears in the den, he stuck a .22 caliber rifle in the den, and began shooting. Ultimately, this subject, and his 17-year-old nephew, pulled a sow and two 60 pound (27 kg) cubs out of the den. A third cub was found and left asleep in the den as the group needed a live bear for dog training purposes. The next day several men went to the den in an attempt to capture the cub, but it had other plans. The cub clawed up the clothing of several subjects, and escaped into a swamp.

At this point Vance and the detective negotiated a price of $600.00 for all three bears, while Linton and his nephew, Johnny Kantner, waited in the driveway. Vance promised to help the detective sell the meat, claws, teeth, and galls. The detective paid Vance, who then went out and helped Linton and Kantner load the bears. Vance received $250.00 for his negotiating fee and Linton received $350.00. After Linton left Vance helped the detective by supplying two jugs of hot water to wash the blood from the bumper of the detective's vehicle. Vance warned that if a patrol vehicle spotted blood on the bumper the detective might get pulled over.

After the purchase of the sow and cubs from Linton the Wildlife Resource Protection Unit agreed that the case objectives had been met and began to plan the takedown. Vance had indicated that he could supply the detective with “anything he wants,” including eagles. The department felt that it was important that the case be brought to a conclusion as soon as possible, to save the slaughter of other animals.
Charges were sought against five people, in four different counties. Due to the multiple defendants and the geographic complexities, a decision was made to ask the Michigan Attorney General to prosecute the case. In the weeks following, arrest warrants of 54 counts were issued in four counties, and search warrants were prepared for three different locations. In April, 2001 a total of 24 officers and supervisors participated in the simultaneous arrest/search warrant takedown which also resulted in the seizure of a truck and a four wheeler. The charges filed against these five suspects include the following: conspiracy, killing animals during the closed season, killing over limits of animals, unlawful hunting with dogs, and the sale and purchase of protected wildlife.
Out of the five people charged, only one, Lionel Jefferson, the writer for 'Full Cry' magazine, went to trial. Jefferson was charged with the purchase of one deer, found guilty in Muskegon County, sentenced to 200 hours of community service and fined $4,390. His hunting privileges were suspended for three years.

The following people plead guilty in plea bargain arrangements and were sentenced as follows:
Daniel David Vance, 54, of Barton City, MI, was sentenced to 6 months in jail, and fined $15,815. His hunting privileges were suspended in Michigan for 10 years.
Tony Lee Linton, 27, of Lachine, MI, was sentenced to one year in jail, and fined $11,330. His hunting privileges were suspended in Michigan for 12 years. The presiding judge in this case, excluding the Jefferson case in Muskegon county, was the Honorable Judge Thomas Noble, who stated at the time of sentencing, “There is no question in the courts mind that what Linton did was an act of cruelty-- in all honesty, this judge is a sportsman, and it sickens me”.
David A. McDonald, 24, of Almont, MI, was sentenced to seven days in jail, and fined $3,933. His hunting privileges were suspended in Michigan for three years.
Kenneth E. Watson, 62, of Westland, MI, was sentenced to seven days in jail and fined $3,708. His hunting privileges were suspended in Michigan for three years. Watson is a successful businessman who has taken animals in hunts all over the world.
Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm stated that “Killing a bear and her cubs in their den is butchery under anyone's definition”, and that “Poaching is an insult to the millions of hunters in this state who consistently play by the rules.”

Text and photos submitted by Detective Bruce Borkovich, Michigan Wildlife Resource Protect