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FARMINGTON — Two men turned themselves in to wildlife officials after planning to illegally harvest ducks, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Services.
Officials received a report about two men attempting to shoot ducks from inside their car within Farmington city limits on April 24. The DWR sent out a news release about the case Thursday and the men called to turn themselves in Friday after seeing a description of their car on multiple news outlets.
"While I was talking to them they had a handful of phone calls coming from their friends asking them why their vehicle was on the news and what they were involved in," said conservation officer Wyatt Bubak.
Bubak said he sat down with the two men, who he described as being in the late teens or early 20s, to hear their side of the story after they called him. They told him they had planned to poach the ducks, but left the scene when they saw another car in the area.
While I was talking to them they had a handful of phone calls coming from their friends asking them why their vehicle was on the news and what they were involved in.
–Wyatt Bubak
The person who reported the incident thought they had heard a gun shot, but Bubak said the noise was actually the sound of the car door closing.
"No law was broken, but only because someone was right there to witness it," he said.
The initial report claimed the two men attempted to harvest two ducks out of season and fired a pellet gun from inside of their vehicle, investigators said. The incident occurred on Foxglove Drive, directly east of Smith's grocery, according to the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources.
The hunting season for ducks started in September and ended in the middle of January. It is also illegal to shoot a firearm from a vehicle or in Farmington city limits.
Bubak said no charges will be filed against the men. He said he thinks in this case having the information about their vehicle posted all over the news was as much of a punishment as getting a ticket because what they intended to do didn't end up happening.
"They had their embarrassment and we saved some animals and educated some younger individuals," he said.
Contributing: Dave Cawley
