They’ll also pay thousands of dollars in fines.

Spanish Fork resident Chad Beus recently pleaded guilty to poaching and tampering with a witness charges. The charges stem from an elk poaching case that happened in 2005 on the Crab Creek Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit in Spanish Fork Canyon.

Beus and Arizona resident Michael Moore own the CWMU, and Beus operated it. Moore also is a co-defendant in the case.

Beus will pay $15,000 in fines and will not be allowed to hunt in 24 states, including Utah, for the next 11 years.

In addition, he may not accompany anyone who is hunting and he cannot possess weapons of any kind, including firearms and ammunition.

Moore, his co-defendant, pleaded guilty to attempted poaching, which is a class A misdemeanor. Moore was fined $8,000, and he also will not be allowed to hunt for the next 10 years.

The poaching incident began on Sept. 29, 2005, when Moore used a rifle to kill a trophy bull elk on the Crab Creek CWMU. The next day he returned and shot a second bull, a trophy, with archery equipment. Moore had only one bull elk tag.

Beus helped Moore cover up the incident by providing a tag for one of the bulls. The tag was issued to Beus’s brother, an Idaho resident, who was drawn into the conspiracy by agreeing to tell investigating officers a fabricated story.

The break in the case came through an anonymous tip provided to the Division of Wildlife Resources on the agency’s Help Stop Poaching hot line.

Investigators also discovered that Beus was involved in the illegal killing of a bull elk within Yellowstone National Park 11 years ago.

In April 1995, he pleaded guilty to unlawful acquisition and transport of wildlife, and unlawful attempt to corrupt a witness in federal court. Those charges are felonies that restrict Beus from possessing dangerous weapons, including firearms and archery tackle. Beus also pleaded guilty in February 2005 to harassing protected wildlife by chasing deer with a helicopter above the Wallsburg Wildlife Management Area in Wasatch County.

DWR Investigator Jerry Schlappi says a major factor in solving the Moore and Beus case was the call a concerned citizen made to the Help Stop Poaching hot line, which is monitored 24 hours a day.

Those who observe or know about wildlife crimes can call 1-800-662-DEER (3337).

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B2.