Star-Tribune Editorial Board

One hundred days is a long time to cool your heels in jail. That stiff but deserved sentence should give a 23-year-old Tennessee man plenty of time to think about his crime.

Last week, Tori Stephen Bowman pleaded guilty to the wanton destruction of a big-game animal. He shot a doe antelope several times with a semiautomatic rifle in Sweetwater County. In addition to the jail time, he was ordered to pay $6,000 in fines and restitution.

Let's hope that others will see the severity of the penalty and realize Wyoming officials are serious when they say they value wildlife.

The Bowman incident is the latest example of what state game officials say has become a disturbing trend: energy workers destroying Wyoming's wildlife for "fun." Last year a gas field worker from Rock Springs was convicted of deliberately driving into a herd of antelope and ordered to pay $6,000. The man probably would have gotten away with the crime if he hadn't posted photos of the dead animals on the Internet and bragged about the killings.

Crimes against wildlife don't often result in jail time. Fortunately, Magistrate Stephen K. Palmer recognized the need to send a message to others by locking up Bowman, taking away his AK-47 and revoking his hunting and fishing privileges for five years.

Many oil and gas companies say they respect Wyoming's values. Some have taken steps to educate their employees - especially those from out of state - about obeying Wyoming's hunting regulations. In light of the actions of Bowman, it would be wise for all companies to spread the message.

As Rock Springs Game Warden David Hays said, "These are not sportsmen; these are people out here with little or no values when it comes to wildlife." It doesn't take any skill to kill an antelope with an AK-47. Hays recovered 18 cartridge casings at the scene and said it appeared that the doe was shot five times.

In Bowman's case, there was a witness to his senseless behavior. It makes you wonder how many other crimes against wildlife are committed by other energy workers left alone with too much money and too much time on their hands.

Certainly these two men are the exception among those who work in the oil and gas fields. But what happened is a black mark against the industry that companies should actively try to erase. There's no way to bring back the antelope, but Wyoming residents would at least like to be assured that the industry is doing everything it can to discourage such wanton killing of our precious wildlife.

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