The defendant in a criminal poaching case has been sentenced to a lifetime ban of hunting and fishing privileges. Jerry “Trey” Truitt III, a resident of Tennessee, has a prior history of violations. The crimes in question occurred in western Montana.
Charges included two counts of unlawful possession of wildlife—a turkey and sandhill crane, and hunting without a license, criminal trespassing and hunting out of season. Sentencing on April 2, 2026, builds on the prior convictions related to separate poaching incidents. The defendant was convicted in April 2025 in Ravalli County for killing an antlerless elk and an antlerless white-tailed deer without a license. Additionally, he pleaded guilty in 2025 to obstructing justice, using another’s license and violating commission regulations in Lake County, Mont.
This appears to be an individual who has repeatedly demonstrated a disrespect and disregard for the hunting laws that act as a valuable protection of our hunting heritage. While Truitt’s offenses occurred in Montana, his ban will also spread to Tennessee, as both states are members of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. This compact states explicitly “any person whose license privileges are suspended in a member state would also be suspended in their home state.”
“We would like to thank both county attorney’s offices for all of their work through the years on these cases,” said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 2 Warden Captain Kyle Miller. “The Ravalli County Attorney’s Office, and particularly Deputy County Attorney David Lakin, dedicated a lot of time and energy to these cases, and we appreciate his extra efforts.”
Game wardens say tips from the public often play a key role in solving wildlife crimes. Anyone with information about suspected violations can report them through the state’s TipMont system here.