Trophy deer poacher convicted, fined

A Chewelah, Washington, man and host of the former cable TV hunting show “Trophy State of Mind” has been convicted and fined $12,215 for trespassing and illegally hunting deer and elk in Montana.

Matthew Alwine, 28, was sentenced Wednesday for hunting violations on private property in the Crazy Mountains east of Clyde Park from 2010 to 2014, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officers.

The largest portion of the fine, $8,000, was for killing a trophy white-tailed deer last year. The photo of the illegally killed buck was still the lead image on Alwine’s Facebook page Thursday.

“Some of these people are celebrities on video and social media, but here’s the reality: The animal was taken illegally,” said Chad Murphy, MFWP regional investigator.

Alwine was contacted by The Spokesman-Review but declined to comment on the case.

He pleaded guilty in Park County Justice Court to five counts of failing to obtain landowner permission while hunting game animals. He also was convicted of illegally killing elk and deer, including the trophy deer. Restitution fees related to other illegal kills were significantly lower because those animals weren’t considered trophy status.

“The whitetail buck had a Boone and Crockett gross score of 162, which puts it over Montana’s threshold of 140 points for trophy status,” Murphy said, referring to antler measurements used for trophy record-keeping. Trophy animals have high value to the state and other hunters, he said.

In addition to the fines, Alwine will be banned for four years from hunting, fishing and trapping in Montana as well as in Washington, Idaho and 41 other states that have reciprocal agreements, Murphy said.

Alwine pleaded guilty Sept. 2 in Missoula County Justice Court and was fined $1,035 for illegally obtaining Montana resident hunting licenses in 2014.

“A Montana resident pays about $90 for those licenses while he should have paid the nonresident fees of $970,” Murphy said.

Alwine also had to forfeit the animal parts seized during the investigation, including the antlers of five elk and three deer.

The yearlong investigation began with an anonymous tip, Murphy said. Some of the illegal hunts on a private ranch without landowner permission were featured on “Trophy State of Mind” and in other videos Alwine produced, Murphy said. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers assisted with the investigation. Alwine was involved in a Washington investigation in 2010, said Dan Rahn, Washington Wildlife police officer.

Other suspects charged in the investigation include Dalton Harum, 18, of Wenatchee, and Zach Samek, 20, of Deer Park. Harum was fined $170 for failing to obtain landowner permission and forfeited antlers from an elk he killed in 2014. Samek was fined $185 for trespassing.

“Those two guys were following Alwine’s directions,” Murphy said.

“Greed and ego are generally the driving forces behind those that commit multiple wildlife violations,” Murphy said. “That was especially evident in this case with Alwine boasting about his kills within the same day on his social media sites.”