Story at a glance
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife has permanently suspended the hunting privileges of a Colorado Springs man for poaching.
- The decision to indefinitely suspend his hunting privileges effectively bans Kapu from hunting in 47 other states.
- “Mr. Kapu’s crimes against wildlife are the essence of what defines a poacher by taking wildlife without regard for the laws protecting them,” a Colorado Parks and Wildlife official said.
A 28-year-old Colorado Springs man will likely never legally hunt again in 48 states after going on a poaching spree in several Colorado counties.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has permanently suspended the hunting privileges of Iniki Vike Kapu for illegally killing 12 deer, 2 turkeys and a bighorn sheep in Teller, Fremont and Chaffee counties since 2018.
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Kapu pleaded guilty to misdemeanor poaching charges in 2019 and illegal possession of a bighorn sheep in February of 2020. He also pleaded guilty to illegal possession of three or more big game animals, according to CPW. He was fined $4,600 and sentenced to six months in jail with three years of supervised probation.
He was also forced to surrender the weapons he used for poaching.
Last week, CPW made the decision to indefinitely suspend his hunting privileges, effectively banning Kapu from hunting in 47 other states. That’s because Colorado is a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact which means the ban also extends to every state except Hawaii and Massachusetts.
“Mr. Kapu’s crimes against wildlife are the essence of what defines a poacher by taking wildlife without regard for the laws protecting them,” Steven Cooley, CPW hearing examiner, said in his decision to suspend Kapu’s hunting privileges.
“Iniki Kapu is viewed as a serious threat to Colorado’s wildlife and his violations are among the worst. The severity and level of indifference for wildlife in this case are rarely seen and cannot be tolerated.”
CPW said Kapu declined to participate in the hearing and has 35 days to appeal the lifetime suspension.
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