It doesn’t take long for two duck hunters to fill a limit when the conditions are right. Seven birds per person can come together quick, especially on a good morning in Montana.
John Carullo of Simms and Matthew Krekelberg of Bozeman didn’t stop at a daily limit, or even a possession limit. The two are now facing felony charges for allegedly killing and stockpiling 223 ducks on the Sun River in January, according to court documents first reported by the Billings Gazette. That’s roughly ten times the legal possession limit.
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks game warden Per Wolfisberg was granted permission from a landowner to check two duck hunters who had set up on private land along the river on Jan. 14. Wolfisberg watched the pair shoot several mallard drakes before he approached them.
The hunters, identified as Carullo and Krekelberg, both had valid hunting licenses and were carrying two shotguns apiece. Wolfisberg also found piles of dead ducks on the ground. When he was done counting them out, the sum total was 66.
The daily bag limit in that part of Montana is seven ducks per hunter, with species restrictions layered in. The possession limit, which applies anywhere you have unprocessed birds stored, including a cooler or freezer, is only 21 birds.
Krekelberg admitted that he had lost count of how many ducks he’d killed. He also admitted to exceeding the limit because he wanted the meat to last all year, according to court documents. Carullo told investigators he had hunted the Sun River Valley 20 to 25 times that season.
Wildlife officials later searched Carullo’s shop and found even more ducks, some freshly killed, others already butchered. In total, MFWP officers counted 223 ducks, 120 of which had been killed over two days in January.
There probably isn’t a waterfowl hunter alive who hasn’t worried about limits, counting birds, and carefully identifying species to make sure they’re on the right side of the line. When limits are ignored on this scale, it probably isn’t because of a moment of poor judgment or simple misidentification.
Both men have been charged with felony unlawful possession, shipment, or transportation of game birds and face fines up to $50,000, up to 5 years in prison, and loss of their hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges for up to 3 years.
Under Montana law, each duck is valued at $25. With 223 ducks, the value of Carullo and Krekelberg’s stockpile reaches $5,575. Most of the ducks were seized as evidence. MFWP allowed each man to keep the 21-duck possession limit.
Carullo and Krekelberg are scheduled to appear in Lewis and Clark County Justice Court on May 1.
Note: Feature image does not show the actual ducks taken in this case.
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