Colorado Parks and Wildlife convict man of illegally hunting and outfitting

A Jefferson County man was convicted of a felony for the illegal hunting and outfitting thanks to the persistence of Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers.

Andrew Pashley, 35, of Evergreen, pled guilty to the illegal sale of big game wildlife and illegal possession of a mountain lion on Nov. 8.

CPW wildlife officers have investigated reports of illegal hunting and illegal outfitting activity by Pashley for years and discovered he had never been registered as an outfitter in the state of Colorado.

A case opened up on Pashley in January 2017 when a hunter presented a mountain lion for mandatory harvest inspection to CPW staff. After an investigation, officers located Pashley’s kill site for the mountain lion and interviewed him. They were then able to confirm suspicions Pashley had lied to CPW officers about the details of his mountain lion hunt kill.

Pashley has been sentenced to two years of supervised probation and court-ordered suspension of all hunting, fishing, and trapping related activities across the state of Colorado.

According to a press release from CPW, Pashley is also restricted from possessing a firearm or other weapon, even for hunting purposes. HIs conviction makes him eligible for up to a lifetime suspension of all hunting, fishing and trapping in Colorado and the other 47 states in the Interstate Wildlife Violator.

As part of the conviction, Pashley had to forfeit the truck he used for an illegal outfitting business, cash that was paid to him for the illegal mountain lion hunt, and all the hunting equipment he owned for his hounds.

“We investigate crimes like this both to protect the wildlife of the state, but also to protect the interests of legal and ethical hunters and outfitters in the state,” said CPW Wildlife Officer Joe Nicholson said in a press release. “That is really important. We have a strong heritage in Colorado of hunting, fishing, and trapping, that is what pays for wildlife conservation, but only when it is done right.

To read his full conviction, click here.