By Four men have been sentenced on multiple poaching-related charges after a lengthy investigation involving the Spink and Beadle county sheriff’s offices and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks.
All four men admitted to multiple counts involving illegally hunting deer dating back to Dec. 1, 2020. They were all sentenced this summer.
Cody E. Wipf, 30, of Frankfort was the top offender, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty to charges in both counties.
In Spink County, Wipf admitted to:
- Three misdemeanor counts of unlawful possession of big game.
- Four misdemeanor counts of hunting big game out of season.
- Four misdemeanor counts of hunting without a license.
On each charge, he received a 30-day suspended jail term. He was fined a total of $2,711 on the 11 counts.
In Beadle County, he pleaded guilty to:
- Felony possession of a controlled weapon. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, and had a two-year term term suspended. He was also fined $1,617.
- Three misdemeanor charges of hunting big game out of season, unlawful possession of big game and not having a hunting license. He received the same sentence on all three charges — a 10-day suspended jail term and a $297 fine. He also had his hunting privileges suspended for a year.
Spink County State’s Attorney Vic Fischbach said the investigation started after authorities received an anonymous tip through the Turn In Poachers Hotline.
“Our public in Spink County is very good on giving tips on poaching, which is good for wildlife and our sportsmen,” he said.
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The other men — Michael J. Waldner, 31, of Huron; Judah J. Waldner, 28, of Huron; and William D. Wollman, 33, of Huron, — only pleaded guilty to Beadle County charges.
Michael Waldner pleaded guilty to:
- Possession of a controlled weapon, a felony. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, and a two-year suspended prison term. He was fined $1,617.
- Three misdemeanor charges of hunting big game out of season, unlawful possession of big game and not having a hunting license. He received the same sentence on all three charges — a 10-day suspended jail sentence and a $297 fine. He also had his hunting privileges suspended for a year.
Judah Waldner pleaded guilty to:
- Possession of a controlled weapon, a felony. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, and a two-year suspended prison term was suspended. He was also fined $1,617.
- Three misdemeanor counts of hunting big game out of season, unlawful possession of big game and not having a hunting license. He received the same sentence on all three charges — a 10-day suspended jail term and a $297 fine. He also had his hunting privileges suspended for a year.
Wollman pleaded guilty to:
- Three misdemeanor charges of hunting big game out of season, unlawful possession of big game and not having a hunting license. He received the same sentence on all three charges — a 10-day suspended jail term and a $297 fine. He also had his hunting privileges suspended for a year.
Fischbach said the cases involved “a pretty sophisticated investigation.”
The men killed deer in southern Spink County and northern Beadle County on multiple occasions during the last three falls, he said.
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“They knew GFP had an airplane up because they were watching it with an app on their phone,” Fischbach said of the airplane used to investigate a report of poaching.
“The waste in this case here was also appalling. The impact on the population of deer in that area was very significant. That’s why no charges were dismissed against Wipf,” he said.
While the airplane didn’t crack the case, there was some obvious evidence, Fischbach said.
“They were posting pictures online,” he said. “Then people turned that in — what they were posting on social media. A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Brown County men sentenced on misdemeanor poaching charges
In Brown County, two men from Aberdeen were sentenced on misdemeanor poaching charges earlier this year.
The case is unrelated the the case in Spink and Bowdle counties.
Chad A. Weiszhaar, 56, and Scott Stewart, 62, both pleaded guilty to the same three charges stemming from incidents between 2019 and 2022, according to court paperwork.
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Weiszhaar admitted to two counts of unlawful possession of game, two counts of not having a hunting license and one count of not tagging big game in transport.
Stewart pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of game, one count of not having a hunting license and one count of not tagging big game in transport.
In March, the same sentence was imposed for all of the violations — a 30-day suspended jail term, the suspension of hunting privileges for a year and a $347 fine.