Poaching, whether it be night hunting, hunting out of season or otherwise, can cause serious damage to the wildlife of Arkansas. It can also be a very difficult crime to catch, often requiring many nights of patrols in areas of poaching activity by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Yet, the story of one poacher who was caught despite all difficulties can serve as a reminder of just how seriously the AGFC takes poaching.
In Aug. 2020, Senior Federal Wildlife Canine Officer Cpl. Branden Kieffer observed several wildlife violations at the Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge. Late one evening, he pulled over a suspicious vehicle belonging to Jimmy Hobbs Jr. of Bald Knob. A search of the vehicle revealed that he was in possession of a suppressed, loaded .308 caliber rifle equipped with a thermal rifle scope, a forward-looking infrared handheld unit, an AR-style rifle with four loaded 30-round magazines and a 9mm handgun.
All of these items were seized as evidence and a warrant was obtained for the memory card contained in the scope, allowing law enforcement to view any electronic evidence it contained. In doing so, 57 videos and images of suspected illegal night-hunting activity were discovered.
Cpl. Kieffer also obtained warrants for Hobbs’ residence and cellphone, by which law enforcement learned that Hobbs had illegally killed up to 22 deer over a three-year period on both public and private land. At least 15 of these were bucks, and two had even been entered into a big buck contest where Hobbs received a monetary award.
Hobbs was charged with 54 wildlife violations that carried a combined $700,000 in potential fines and significant potential jail time. In Oct. 2021, he pleaded guilty to six counts of night hunting in White County District Court and was sentenced to pay $15,000 in fines, forfeit the two confiscated rifles, suppressor, scope and forward-looking infrared, and 30 days in jail. In Woodruff County, he was prosecuted for similar charges and was sentenced to pay $630 in fines and court costs.
Hobbs’ hunting licenses were suspended for seven years. He attempted to appeal the suspension, but an AGFC Administrative Judge upheld it, noting that it was one of the worst deer poaching cases he had seen in his tenure.
Patrol Capt. Brandon Bland, who supervises USFWS Division of Refuge Law Enforcement operations in Arkansas, stated, “We are extremely proud of Cpl. Kieffer and the officers of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Refuge Law Enforcement whose devotion to the protection of our natural resources made this investigation successful and gave a voice to the voiceless.”
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