Family charged with years of poaching

SALT LAKE CITY — Five members of a family who are accused by law enforcers of illegally hunting wildlife in Utah for 18 years have been charged with 19 felonies and one misdemeanor.

The family members are accused of using a method they called "hack-a-rack" — killing the animals solely for the purpose of taking their antlers.

"This is one of the largest (poaching cases) I've worked with in 18 years of working wildlife," said Division of Wildlife Resources law enforcement director Mike Fowlks.

Robert Tyler Jensen, 19; Robert L. Jensen, 45; Angela D. Jensen, 43; Gerald D. Jensen, 47; and Gerald D. Jensen Jr., 22, were charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity with enhancements for working with two or more people; 17 counts of felony and misdemeanor aiding or assisting in the wanton destruction of protected wildlife; drug production; and witness tampering.

In court documents, prosecutors outlined numerous cases of mounted trophy mule buck deer and antlers seized by investigators on Jan. 3, mostly from the home of Angela and Gerald Jensen. The animals were killed out of season, according to court documents.

A total of 90 deer, four antelope and one elk that were believed to have been illegally taken were seized by officers, court documents stated.

In several cases, family members said they killed a deer, abandoned it and returned later to collect the antlers.

"They did what they had done numerous times; they retrieved the antlers by a method they all referred to as 'hack-a-rack,' a process by which they initially abandon the killed animal, only later to return to hack off the antlers from the animal," according to court documents.

"This is a culmination of a case we've been working on for a little over a year," Fowlks said.

The Jensens allegedly illegally hunted deer in the Cedar Mountains and Scofield West Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit, court documents stated.

Officers serving a search warrant at the house of Angela and Gerald Jensen on Jan. 3 also found marijuana growing in a gun safe and four firearms.

After that warrant was served, Gerald and Tyler Jensen made a threatening call to a woman "whom they mistakenly believed had informed police about their poaching activities," court records state.

During a second search warrant served Feb. 5, officers seized a shotgun found in the kitchen, according to court filings.

The investigation started thanks to a tip from the public. Fowlks encouraged the public to use the wildlife division's poaching hotline, at 800-662-3337, if they know of illegal activity.

e-mail: preavy@desnews.com