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30 plead guilty so far in largest poaching case in Nebraska history

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A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

Editor's Pick Alert

30 plead guilty so far in largest poaching case in Nebraska history

1 of 2

hiddenhillsrodowenmuledeersept2017

Big-game hunter Rod Owen with a giant mule deer was posted on Facebook page Sept. 25, 2017, and the caption said it was taken at Hidden Hills Outfitters. According to Owen's plea agreement, on that date, a Hidden Hills guide fatally shot a mule deer that Owen had wounded the day before with a bow and arrow. He also acknowledged that meat from the animal "was needlessly wasted and abandoned."

huntanimalheads

Mounts seized by federal wildlife authorities during the investigation into Hidden Hills Outfitters. Sometimes, the poachers were only after a trophy. They cut off the heads of some animals, and left the carcasses to rot.

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By Nancy Gaarder Omaha World-Herald

The hunters came from at least 21 states to the deep-cut canyons and Sandhills of Nebraska to bag trophies for their walls back home.

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9-year-old Seward boy dies in hunting accident, Lancaster County Sheriff's Office says

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Guns seized during the investigation. The poachers often used firearms during archery season and used noise suppressors to avoid detection.

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE/

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Nebraska outfitting company owner sentenced

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Jacob Hueftle, co-owner of Hidden Hills Outfitters, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. His company had at least 118 clients, who paid thousands of dollars to hunt in the Sand Hills.

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20190714_new_sandhills_pic13

The sun crawls below the horizon as a thunderstorm rolls along near Alliance, Nebraska.

A prairie dog peaks from a burrow on the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge near Valentine.

An American bison stands on the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge near Valentine, which is home to a bison herd of approximately 350.

Cattle graze in a field near Dunning.

A rolling thunderstorm illuminates the sky near Alliance.

Train engine lights streak on a long exposure of a thunderstorm near Alliance

An American bison stands on the Fort Niobrara refuge.

lightning cracks through the sky during a storm as the sun sets near Alliance.

A prairie dog stretches in the sun on the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge near Valentine. Prairie dogs are native to Nebraska and considered an ecological keystone species.

An American Bison on the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge near Valentine.

A dragonfly comes to rest on a barbed wire fence south of Dunning.

The sun crawls toward the horizon near Kearney, heralding the end of another long summer day

Bales of feed await distribution in a field south of Dunning.

Photos: A quick trip through the Nebraska Sand Hills

20190714_new_sandhills_pic13

The sun crawls below the horizon as a thunderstorm rolls along near Alliance, Nebraska.

A prairie dog peaks from a burrow on the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge near Valentine.

An American bison stands on the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge near Valentine, which is home to a bison herd of approximately 350.

Cattle graze in a field near Dunning.

A rolling thunderstorm illuminates the sky near Alliance.

Train engine lights streak on a long exposure of a thunderstorm near Alliance

An American bison stands on the Fort Niobrara refuge.

lightning cracks through the sky during a storm as the sun sets near Alliance.

A prairie dog stretches in the sun on the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge near Valentine. Prairie dogs are native to Nebraska and considered an ecological keystone species.

An American Bison on the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge near Valentine.

A dragonfly comes to rest on a barbed wire fence south of Dunning.

The sun crawls toward the horizon near Kearney, heralding the end of another long summer day

Bales of feed await distribution in a field south of Dunning.

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hiddenhillsrodowenmuledeersept2017

Big-game hunter Rod Owen with a giant mule deer was posted on Facebook page Sept. 25, 2017, and the caption said it was taken at Hidden Hills Outfitters. According to Owen's plea agreement, on that date, a Hidden Hills guide fatally shot a mule deer that Owen had wounded the day before with a bow and arrow. He also acknowledged that meat from the animal "was needlessly wasted and abandoned."

Mounts seized by federal wildlife authorities during the investigation into Hidden Hills Outfitters. Sometimes, the poachers were only after a trophy. They cut off the heads of some animals, and left the carcasses to rot.

Guns seized during the investigation. The poachers often used firearms during archery season and used noise suppressors to avoid detection.

Jacob Hueftle, co-owner of Hidden Hills Outfitters, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. His company had at least 118 clients, who paid thousands of dollars to hunt in the Sand Hills.

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