258 protected geese killed. Man behind the hunt is fined, has to stop hunting temporarily

The hunters stand, holding their guns, in front of their kill: birds, by the hundreds. The photo from the U.S. attorney’s office shows the animals lined up, carcass after carcass, some with wings protruding. The 258 snow geese and white-fronted geese were protected birds, officials say.

Now the Northern California man who organized and participated in the 2018 goose hunt has been sentenced. His penalties: a $1,000 fine and a three-year hunting ban.

Carlos T. Ortiz and nine other hunters shot and killed the geese near California’s Sutter National Wildlife Refuge, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney.

Snow geese and white-fronted geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, an international treaty that prohibits the killing, capture, sale, trade or transportation of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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If a person receives a permit, the birds must have a tag attached that is signed by the hunter, has the hunter’s address, the total number and species of birds, and the date the birds were killed if the birds are left somewhere other than the hunter’s home or at other exemptions.

None of the 258 birds were tagged, according to the release.

After entering a guilty plea to transporting and receiving untagged migratory game birds, Ortiz was sentenced to a three-year hunting ban, three years of probation and a $1,000 fine in federal court.

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The prosecution originally charged him with three counts, but the third count — leaving a game bird in his possession to go to waste through carelessness and neglect — was dismissed, according to court documents.