A number of hunters with ties to Pike County could be charged with federal crimes for allegedly breaking the law while shooting.
Multiple waterfowl hunters in western Pike County, near Pleasant Hill, have been reported to the Illinois Conservation Police for breaking the law.
The hunters have been sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be charged with federal crimes such as illegal baiting and crop manipulation, according to the Pike Press.
It is said that the hunting techniques were looked into over the course of about a year on several thousand acres of land. Every year, several hundred acres of that land are flooded for hunting waterfowl.
It is said that Illinois Conservation Police found that fields and crops were changed in ways that are considered illegal baiting by the federal government. This goes against fair chase principles and other generally accepted hunting ethics.
People from both inside and outside of Illinois are said to be among the shooters. There were no names in the story. At a later time, more evidence is said to be made public, and charges may be brought in federal court.