TEXARKANA, Ark–Court documents unsealed this month in a Texarkana federal court accuse three men of violating federal law by putting corn in a pond to lure migratory game birds last year.
Carter Ryan Rivas of Fayetteville, Ark., Carter Brenden Faulkenberry of Ashdown, Ark., and Hadley Keith Philamlee of Gillham, Ark., have been charged with illegally baiting ducks on a pond on land in Horatio, Ark., on Jan. 20 and Jan. 29, 2024, according to court records unsealed recently in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas.
All three defendants were summoned to court and released on $1,000 unsecured appearance bonds following hearings last week before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant, court records show.
A federal wildlife officer observed corn in the water in an area near Burke Slough Road in the Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 14, 2024, according to court records. The officer allegedly observed a silver Toyota Tacoma with duck hunting gear in the bed that returned to Rivas leaving the area.
The officer returned to the area Jan. 28, 2024, and observed feathers floating on the pond’s surface, decoys still in the water and a decoy bag. The officer also noticed corn floating in vegetation in the water.
The next day, the officer returned and set up surveillance on the pond which reportedly was owned by the Rivas family, court records state. At about 6:30 a.m., the officer allegedly observed the silver Tacoma entering the area.
The officer approached the pond after the Tacoma and observed two people wearing camouflage waders, holding shotguns and using duck calls, according to court records. The officer allegedly heard Rivas tell Philamlee, “You were never here,” and, “We weren’t duck hunting, just scouting for pigs.”
The officer called for a second game warden to assist as he questioned the two men. One of the defendants allegedly told the game warden that they had baited the area between Jan. 20 and Jan. 22, 2024, with four to five bags of corn.
If convicted of illegally baiting migratory birds, the defendants face possible fines and other consequences, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission website.
