Man hit with stiff penalty for hunting one of the fastest animals in North America: 'We have zero tolerance'

A California man is paying the price for illegally poaching North America's fastest land mammal, the pronghorn, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported.

The CDFW and the Modoc County District Attorney's Office levied a strict punishment on Ernest Davis of Clayton, California, which included a $3,000 fine, one year of probation with no hunting, forfeiture of the animal's meat, and a mandatory hunter education course.

The investigation began in August 2024, when CDFW got an anonymous tip of a man shooting a pronghorn with a bow on private property. Davis became a person of interest, and wildlife officials submitted a formal complaint after meeting with him. Davis pled no-contest at his January 30 arraignment and agreed to the settlement.

"We have zero tolerance for poaching and those who would cheat the system and undermine the opportunities Californians have to legally hunt pronghorn antelope in this state," declared CDFW Chief of Law Enforcement Nathaniel Arnold.

Pronghorn hunting is closely guarded in California to help conserve the species. The CDFW revealed that only 137 tags were offered in 2024, and that it can take decades for hunters to get one.

The news on pronghorns' viability in the U.S. is mixed. Conservationists at Yellowstone celebrated a resurgence in the animal's herd in the park in October. On the flip side, 150 of the animals were killed in just a few days the following month due to collisions on snowy roads in Colorado, per USA Today.

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There's also concern that human developments are continually moving the herds out of their habitats, as Southern Colorado's KOAA News5 noted. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has gotten proactive in efforts to conserve pronghorns by strategically trapping and reintroducing members of the herd elsewhere.

CDFW's anti-poaching efforts are to be commended, and new methods of the practice include using dogs and next-gen technology to take on rogue hunters. In this case, the tried-and-true method of anonymous tips led to justice.

Commenters responding to KRCR TV's coverage of the story thought the hunter got off lightly for his crimes, though.

"They should have [taken] his bow too," one wrote. "Along with binoculars and boots, or any other gear he used to spot, stalk and hunt it."

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Another seasoned hunter added: "It took me 5 years to draw an antelope tag. Davis should be banned from hunting for at least 5 years. $10,000 fine is about right."