An Oconto County bear hunting guide was banned from hunting for a year and ordered to pay $3,000 after being convicted in federal court of illegal bear baiting in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
Timothy Collar, 64, commonly plans and guides hunts in the Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest in northern Oconto County, according to an U.S. Department of Justice news release. Collar pleaded guilty Aug. 15 in the Eastern District of Wisconsin federal court in Green Bay to setting illegal bear baits, according to court records.
In preparation for the 2023 hunting season, Collar placed several oversized plastic bait barrels in multiple locations in the forest, the news release said. The barrels were uncapped, close to public roads and “significantly oversized.”
Placing, using or hunting over bait contained within metal, paper, plastic, glass or wood is illegal under Wisconsin law. Collar violated federal law by hunting in a way that violated the state laws.
After pleading guilty, Collar was ordered Aug. 15 to pay a $3,000 fine and was banned from hunting for one year.
Vivian Barrett is the public safety reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at vmbarrett@greenbay.gannett.com or (920) 431-8314.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Oconto County hunting guide banned from hunting for one year after placing illegal bear baits
Reporting by Vivian Barrett, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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