As a result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the owner of Shady Grove Kennel and Hunting Preserve, a commercial hunting facility in Remington, Virginia, pleaded guilty in June for his role in the baiting of mourning doves and the subsequent sale of a guided dove hunt over baited fields.
Richard Neil Selby pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia to one count of violating the Lacey Act. Selby was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Nachmanoff to pay a $15,850 fine and complete a three-year term of probation. During those three years, Selby may not host, be involved with, or be present at any dove hunt and may not allow any dove hunt to be held on lands he controls or manages.
Service special agents in 2016 observed exposed wheat seed spread on top of numerous disked strips of soil at Shady Grove. In the days prior to an annual dove hunt, Selby directed employees at Shady Grove to spread wheat seed in the disked strips for the purpose of attracting doves. On the day before the hunt, Selby utilized a tractor and a disk plow to till the exposed seed under the soil and conceal the presence of bait.
Once the field was baited, Selby hosted approximately 80 hunters at Shady Grove and collected more than $13,000 from paying clients. Service special agents learned that on the day of the hunt, Shady Grove staff directed hunters to hunt near the disked strips as they were known to attract doves. Service agents and conservation police officers from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries subsequently seized approximately 97 dove carcasses from Selby’s hunting clients.
The 2016 hunt was the 25th annual dove hunt hosted by Shady Grove. Selby admitted to preparing his dove fields in the same fashion for nearly all of those hunts.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will continue to work with our partners, in this case, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, to protect our nation’s wildlife from unlawful exploitation,” said Special Agent in Charge, Honora Gordon of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“We hope the conviction from this illegal hunt will send a strong message to the hunting public that you will get caught if you violate the laws that are there to protect our wildlife and our hunting traditions,” said Major Scott Naff of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
The mourning dove is a migratory game bird protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Placing or directing the placement of bait for the purpose of allowing a person to take migratory game birds by the aid of bait is prohibited by federal law. The Lacey Act prohibits the sale of wildlife taken in violation of federal law.
