Poacher faces year in prison

CODY (WNE) — A Michigan man who poached multiple deer and one cow over the course of a year has been sentenced to nearly a year in prison.

Joshua Wielhouwer was convicted on eight misdemeanor counts of taking a deer without a license and one charge of knowingly taking antlered or horned big/trophy game, by Circuit Court Judge Joseph Darrah. The killings occurred near the Park County Complex last fall.

For his killing of a cow on the Mooncrest Ranch, District Court Judge Bill Simpson ordered Wielhouwer to pay $3,000 in restitution to the ranch.

In total, Wielhouwer was sentenced to 292 days in prison, with credit for the 73 days he has already served, and $20,000 in fines. Additionally, the bow and arrow he used were seized and forfeited to Wyoming Game and Fish.

Wielhouwer was first arrested last September after G&F wardens Spencer Carstens and Grant Gerharte heard him shoot his bow at the Park County Complex.

Although Wielhouwer evaded the wardens by fleeing on foot, he was tracked down after the wardens spoke with the owner of the car seen on security footage in the area. The car’s owner told G&F that he was out of town and that Wielhouwer was watching his house and using his car.

Later last fall, a charge of felony property destruction was filed against Wielhouwer for the 2023 killing of a cow owned by Mooncrest Ranch. The charge was filed after G&F personnel conducted a search of Wielhouwer’s car and found broadheads which “appeared to be the same as the broadhead originally recovered in this case,” according to an affidavit prepared by G&F warden Travis Crane.

Additionally, a hunter who was in the area on the day the cow was killed reported seeing a car that matched the description of the vehicle Wielhouwer was determined to be driving at the time.

This story was published on July 15, 2025.