Lifetime Hunting Ban For Man Who Admitted To Poaching Charges

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — A Colorado Springs man has been banned from hunting in 48 states more than a year after he pleaded guilty to several poaching charges.

Iniki Kapu is "viewed as a serious threat to Colorado's wildlife and his violations are among the worst," Colorado Parks and Wildlife hearing examiner Steven Cooley said last month in announcing the decision to permanently suspend Kapu's hunting privileges, according to a report from The Denver Channel.

The 28-year-old pleaded guilty to a number of poaching charges in 2019 and 2020, including illegal possession of wildlife, according to the report. Kapu was accused of illegally killing 12 deer, two turkeys and a bighorn sheep ram across three Colorado counties.

“Mr. Kapu’s crimes against wildlife are the essence of what defines a poacher by taking wildlife without regard for the laws protecting them,” Cooley said. “The severity and level of indifference for wildlife in this case are rarely seen and cannot be tolerated.”

Colorado's inclusion in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact means Kapu's lifetime hunting ban is intact in the 47 other states that are part of the group. Unless he appeals and the decision is reversed, Kapu will only be allowed to hunt in Hawaii and Massachusetts.

The ban can be considered a warning to anyone poaching in Colorado, Frank McGee, CPW area wildlife manager in Colorado Springs, said.

“Colorado Parks and Wildlife aggressively pursues anyone who illegally takes wildlife. When you poach, you are stealing from all residents of Colorado," McGee told The Denver Channel. "And your acts are an insult to all the hunters who follow the rules, who buy the licenses that pay for wildlife management, who respect the hunting seasons and abide by principles of fair chase.”

Kapu had been reached, but did not immediately respond to a request for comment.