Multi-year wildlife investigation in Wyoming ends in conviction of Idaho Falls man – East Idaho News

AFTON, Wyoming — A years-long wildlife poaching investigation involving multiple counties in western Wyoming ended this fall with the sentencing of an Idaho Falls man who illegally obtained resident hunting licenses and killed trophy big game animals across the state.

Rodney Gilstrap was sentenced Sept. 24 in Lincoln County Circuit Court after losing an appeal challenging his earlier convictions.

The case began in 2019, when Afton Game Warden James Hobbs received anonymous tips that Gilstrap had been fraudulently claiming Wyoming residency to buy resident deer, elk, black bear, and fishing licenses while actually living and working in Idaho, according to a news release from the Wyoming Fish and Game Department.

Wyoming Game and Fish wardens, working with Idaho Fish and Game, launched a multi-year investigation that uncovered a pattern of illegal hunting stretching from 2018 to 2021 across Lincoln, Sublette, and Teton counties. Officers executed search warrants at Gilstrap’s Idaho Falls home on March 18, 2022, seizing four large mule deer heads, two bull elk heads, and a pronghorn head. Investigators later confirmed the animals had been taken in Wyoming using illegally obtained resident tags—or without any license at all.

Gilstrap was ultimately charged in three counties with 22 wildlife crimes, including making false statements to obtain resident licenses and killing mule deer, elk, and pronghorn without proper permits. The illegally killed animals included four trophy-class mule deer measuring 180–220 inches and three large bull elk, according to investigators.

On Aug. 1, 2024, Gilstrap accepted a plea agreement in Lincoln County. He pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements to obtain resident licenses and three counts of taking wildlife without a proper license. He received a 540-day jail sentence with 519 days suspended, leaving 21 days to serve, along with three years of unsupervised probation. He was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and $17,905 in fines, lost his hunting privileges for 18 years in all Wildlife Violator Compact states, and forfeited all seized antlers and heads.

Sixteen additional charges across Lincoln, Sublette, and Teton counties were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Gilstrap’s attorneys appealed, arguing the district court committed procedural errors, relied improperly on comparisons to similar cases, and abused its discretion by imposing jail time and restricting shed-antler hunting during probation. On June 10, 2025, District Court Judge Joseph Bluemel upheld the original sentence.

A subsequent request for a sentence reduction was denied Sept. 24 by Circuit Court Judge Gregory S. Corpening. Gilstrap is scheduled to report to the Lincoln County Detention Center on Nov. 7 to begin serving his 21-day sentence on a modified work-release schedule, finishing in September 2026.

Wildlife officials say the case highlights the lengths some offenders will go to exploit Wyoming’s resident licensing system, where nonresidents must accumulate years of preference points to draw the same tags. They credited concerned citizens for reporting Gilstrap’s activities and emphasized the importance of public tips in stopping poaching.

Wildlife crimes can be reported by calling a local game warden, 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847), or 307-777-4330 for out-of-state callers. Tips can also be sent by texting “WGFD” and a message to 847-411.