On August 28, a Texas man pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act after federal investigators busted an illegal duck hunting operation over a baited pond in Walker County. Richard Lee Bowers, 55, of Conroe, Texas, admitted to running paid duck hunts at Pull Two Ranch, where hunters were taking migratory birds over corn scattered in and around the water.
The case dates back to November 2023, when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents began investigating Bowers’ hunting operation. On November 18, 2023, agents surveilled Pull Two Ranch and discovered several duck blinds positioned around a pond where freshly scattered corn was visible beneath the water. Investigators returned the following morning and encountered Bowers and several hunters actively hunting ducks over the baited pond.
When confronted by investigators, Bowers claimed the corn was placed there for hogs.
However, interviews with hunters told a different story. According to federal prosecutors, hunters said baiting the pond with corn was a common practice at the ranch, and one hunter even had a photograph of Bowers carrying bags of corn near the pond. One witness also told investigators that several hunters confronted Bowers about the corn, to which Bowers allegedly replied, “That’s how we get all the ducks.”
Additionally, Bowers wasn’t offering the hunts for free. According to the Houston Chronicle, he charged hunters $100 per day to hunt ducks at Pull Two Ranch.
Because ducks are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), hunting them with the aid of bait is illegal under federal law. Enacted in 1918, the MBTA protects migratory birds and regulates how protected species can legally be taken. Bowers was initially indicted for violating the MBTA for the baited hunts.
However, the paid nature of Bowers’ operation brought another federal wildlife law into play—the Lacey Act. The act prohibits the sale of illegally taken wildlife, including wildlife taken during paid guiding or outfitting services.
Bowers was ultimately charged with violating the Lacey Act, which carries a stiffer potential prison sentence than the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He pleaded guilty to the charge on August 28 and now faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
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