This is exactly the situation subscriber Russell Wangen found himself in back in September of 2006 when he hunted with Kevin Sears of Southern Divide, booking agent Rick Sears of Apache Park Trophy Hunts. Wangen hunted with Kevin Sears, for elk and mule deer on private property. After three days of elk hunting, he learned from a Game and Fish officer that he was hunting the wrong property in violation of the law and could be charged with illegal hunting. Eventually, Wangen was cleared of any wrongdoing, as he was relying on a guide working for Kevin Sears. Turns out his guide did not have to be licensed, and neither did Kevin Sears who had just lost his outfitter's registration in New Mexico on September 28, 2006, according to Seidel.
Wangen says many things went wrong on this hunt, including many miscommunications on where to meet his guide. He says the hunt was unorganized, he was never taken to sight-in his rifle and his guide was unfamiliar with the area. He also says that there seemed to be a lot of hunting pressure on the property he hunted, and game was scarce. When he tried to complain to Game and Fish, he learned there was nothing they could do except charge the guide with illegal hunting because he was not on the property where he was contracted as........(continued)
