A Montana Father And Son Just Lost 24 Years Of Hunting Rights

Montana Poaching Investigation Costs Father And Son 24 Years Of Hunting

While the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign was originally meant to help stop terrorism, here in Montana, it helped catch an animal poacher.

Two bowhunters in central Montana saw something that didn't look right, so they reported it, according to Yahoo! News. Their decision eventually led to a father and son losing a combined 24 years of hunting privileges.

Montana Bowhunters Help Game Wardens Find Poached Elk

It all started back in September 2025, when the two hunters witnessed a man shooting a large bull elk with a rifle during archery-only season in the Little Belt Mountains.

They reported what they saw to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and helped game wardens locate the animal. It turned out to be a trophy 6x6 bull elk that had been left to waste.

Authorities later identified the man as Billings resident Michael Letasky during a traffic stop, but that wasn't the only wildlife violation investigators uncovered.

During the yearlong investigation, game wardens found evidence that Letasky had also shot another bull elk with a firearm during archery season in 2023. They also discovered he had an unreported black bear in his possession.

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Investigation Uncovers More Montana Wildlife Violations

Things got even worse when investigators found that Michael's son, Kolton Letasky, of Austin, Texas, had killed a mule deer buck in 2024 and a bull elk in 2022, both without the proper permits.

Both Michael and Kolton pleaded guilty to multiple wildlife violations earlier this month.

The father faces more than $12,000 in fines and restitution, along with the loss of his hunting privileges for 20 years. His son faces more than $3,000 in fines and restitution and will lose his hunting privileges for four years.

Montana FWP Game Warden Diego O'Brien says tips from people out in the field are often an important part of wildlife crime investigations.

If you suspect a wildlife violation, you can report it to FWP at 1-800-TIP-MONT or through TipMont.