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Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

Louisiana --(Ammoland.com)- A New Iberia man was sentenced in Federal Western District Court in Lafayette on Dec. 21 for illegally killing a Louisiana black bear.

Federal Judge Patrick J. Hanna sentenced Cory R. Ronsonet, 39, to three years of supervised probation, three years of no hunting privileges, a $3,000 fine and 300 hours of community service. If the fine is paid and community service completed within six weeks, then the probation will be reduced to unsupervised.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents initiated the investigation during the 2008-09 hunting season after receiving a public tip that a black bear had been shot then skinned and stored in a fashion to mount it in the future. Agents then found a black bear skin and its decapitated head on May 19, 2011 off of Daniel Lane near a subdivision in New Iberia.

During the investigation, Ronsonet admitted to LDWF Enforcement Division agents on May 31, 2011 of taking the black bear in question. Ronsonet pleaded guilty for violating the federal endangered species act for illegally taking a black bear in Federal Western District Court in Lafayette on Aug. 17.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joe Mickel and Howard Parker prosecuted the case. LDWF Senior Agent David Boudreaux was the lead investigator on the case and was assisted by Sgts. James Rhodes, Mitch Darby, Brian Theriot and Senior Agent Jason Romero. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Phillip Siragusa also assisted with the investigation.

The bear had been a part of LDWF’s black bear program and was first tagged in 2000 when it was estimated to be six years old. The passive integrated transponder implanted during the initial capture was left in the hide when the bear was skinned and provided positive identification. LDWF had never received a nuisance call about this older male bear that lived mostly in the Weeks Island area of lower Iberia Parish.

The Louisiana black bear has been listed on the Federal Threatened and Endangered Species List since 1992. Citizens are reminded that killing a Louisiana black bear is a violation of both state law and the federal Endangered Species Act.

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Jim LePeak (center) of Munith was named the 2011 Michigan Hunter Education Instructor of the Year at a recent Natural Resources Commission meeting. Congratulating LePeak are Natural Resources Commission Chair Tim Nichols (left) and Department of Natural Resources Director Rodney Stokes (right).

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- The Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Natural Resources Commission recognized Jim LePeak of Jackson County as the 2011 Hunter Education Instructor of the Year at the commission’s Dec. 8 meeting in Lansing.

A resident of Munith, Mich., LePeak has volunteered his time to the DNR’s Hunter Education program since 1999, serving as an instructor as well as a coordinator – equipping and providing training to other instructors – for Jackson and Hillsdale counties.

“Volunteer hunter education instructors like Jim LePeak are vital to developing knowledgeable, safe and responsible hunters, and we are grateful for all that they do,” said DNR Director Rodney Stokes. “Jim goes above and beyond in his efforts to carry on Michigan’s rich hunting heritage.”

LePeak volunteers his time as a proctor for the annual Michigan Youth Hunter Education Challenge and participates as an instructor and range safety officer for the DNR’s weeklong Hunter Education Academy each year. He also helped in facilitating a first-aid and CPR class for hunter education instructors in Jackson County.

“Jim tirelessly promotes the hunter education program – participating in local parades and community events, providing incentives to students who take his class and even including information about upcoming classes on his answering machine,” Stokes added. “He has also recruited many new instructors to the program, including his two sons and his grandson.”

LePeak serves as treasurer of the Michigan Hunter Education Instructor Association and was instrumental in the dissemination of donated computers to instructors throughout southern Michigan. He is also certified as an International Bowhunter Education Program instructor, offering his knowledge and expertise to prospective archery hunters in his area.

Hunter education in Michigan has taught thousands of people safe hunting techniques, firearm handling and hunter ethics and has had a dramatic impact on reducing hunting incidents in our state. To learn more about the DNR’s hunter education program, visit www.michigan.gov/huntereducation.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

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