Two men charged for trespassing on Wildlife Management Area near Seeley Lake

Two men were penalized for illegally searching for elk antlers on the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area, south of Seeley Lake, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials. 

Ivan Yarmolich, from Missoula, and Logan Baston, an Anchorage, Alaska resident, allegedly trespassed in the refuge on March 22, 2022 during a closed season, according to an FWP news release. The two were reportedly looking for shed antlers. 

“Yarmolich and Baston were trespassing on the WMA nearly two months before the public opener to hunt for elk shed antlers,” FWP Criminal Investigator Justin Singleterry said in the news release. “Antlers can weigh anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds on average and fetch about $15 to $20 per pound from an antler buyer.”

On June 20 of this year, Yarmolich pleaded guilty to a criminal trespass charge in Missoula County Justice Court, the release stated. He was fined $585 and barred from hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for two years. He’s also banned from WMAs for two years. 

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“This was not the first time Yarmolich has been caught trespassing to steal antlers,” Singleterry said in the release. “He was federally charged and prosecuted

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