Alleged Bear Guide Faces More Than A Dozen Hunting Charges
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A northern Minnesota man faces thousands of dollars in fines and the possible loss of hunting privileges if convicted of numerous illegal bear and deer hunting charges, the Department of Natural Resources said.
Keith Slick, 32, of Baudette, was charged last Friday with a laundry list of counts following an investigation by a DNR officer.
The conservation officer found Slick, an alleged bear guide, during the fall hunting season at his bear bait station. When conflicting statements prompted a search of Slick's home, the officer found many bear skulls and capes, along with six deer antler sets.
No possession or registration tags were found with any of the bears, and it did not appear that site tags were attached to the bears' ears at any time.
Only two of the six antler sets had site tags on them, but were all from hunters other than Slick. One of the antler sets belonged to a road kill deer. It's unknown where the other antler sets came from, the DNR said.
Additionally, Slick has not registered an adult male bear or deer in the last 10 years, DNR records showed.
Cell phone pictures seized in the investigation showed images of Slick with a dead bear. Many text messages also showed Slick told people that he shot the bear. Other messages said Slick had shot seven bears in his lifetime.
The DNR seized a gun and a bow from Slick.
If convicted, Slick could face $4,500 in fines and restitution, and his hunting privileges could be revoked for three years. He's slated to appear in Lake of the Woods County Court next month.
The following is the list of charges facing Slick as they appeared in a DNR press release: "two counts of possessing an over limit of bear, three instances of unlawful possession of deer, two charges of unlawfully transporting a bear (gross misdemeanor), failure to register a second bear, failure to tag a second bear, illegal possession of a car-killed deer, untagged big game animal, no bear outfitter/guides license, unlawful transfer/lend or borrow of license, failure to register bear bait stations, hunting within 100 yards of an unregistered bear bait station, and placing bait for bear without a license. There were other violations, but the statute of limitations had expired on them."
Baudette is on the Canadian border, about 300 miles north of Minneapolis.
