Two Men Hunted Eagles in Illegal ‘Killing Spree,’ U.S. Says

Federal prosecutors in Montana have charged two men with illegally shooting about 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, in a “killing spree” that fueled a black market for tail feathers and preyed on a symbol of the nation.

The men, Simon Paul, 42, of St. Ignatius, Mont., and Travis John Branson, 48, of Cusick, Wash., were each indicted Thursday on one count of conspiracy, 13 counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and one count of violating the Lacey Act, a federal law that prohibits the trafficking of illegally taken wildlife.

From January 2015 to March 2021, prosecutors said, the two men would venture out to the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana, where mountains reflect off the streams and lake that cover the land, and fire their weapons at the eagles soaring above the prairies.

“The defendants then illegally sold the eagles on the black market for significant sums of cash across the United States and elsewhere,” prosecutors said in court records.

One chart posted in court records shows that the men had sold at least one pair of bald eagle wings, four golden eagle tails and one whole golden eagle.

The purposeful hunting of eagles appeared to be a convenient business for Mr. Paul, who lived near Ronan, Mont., which is on the Flathead Indian Reservation, and acted as a “shooter” and “shipper” in the scheme, prosecutors said. Mr. Branson would travel to the reservation from Washington State.

When Mr. Branson arrived, Mr. Paul would meet him and “help kill, transport and ship bald and golden eagles for future sales on the black market,” prosecutors said.

On Dec. 17, 2020, for example, Mr. Branson sent a photo of a golden eagle tail set to a buyer, court records state. The buyer purchased the set, prosecutors said, and Mr. Branson then mailed it to Texas.

Mr. Paul and Mr. Branson appeared to have a tactic for hunting the eagles, according to court records. For example, on March 13, 2021, the men used a previously killed deer to “lure in eagles,” prosecutors said. One golden eagle was killed that day, court records state, and after the men cleaned it, they placed it, and several other golden eagles, in a vehicle to deliver later.

Prosecutors obtained messages that showed how Mr. Branson would tell buyers that he was “on a killing spree” to obtain eagle tail feathers for sales.

In another message, prosecutors said, Mr. Branson admitted that he was out “committing felonies.”

Mr. Paul and Mr. Branson could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday, and calls placed to phone numbers listed as belonging to them were not returned. Online court records did not list lawyers for both defendants.

If convicted on the conspiracy charge, they would each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The rare killings of bald eagles, America’s national bird, jolted the Montana authorities, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case and arguing that the men were motivated by a hunger for money.

Prosecutors did not say exactly how many eagles the men killed, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana declined to comment.

The case came as the bald eagle, whose resurgence is considered one of the greatest conservation stories of the 21st century, faces a new threat: lead poisoning.

All but a few hundred bald eagles were presumed dead by the mid-20th century, killed off largely by the widespread use of the synthetic insecticide DDT. A ban on DDT in 1972 and conservation efforts helped the bird’s population to rebound. The bald eagle was removed from Endangered Species Act protection in 2007, and its estimated population had increased to 316,700 by 2019.

But researchers found last year that of the 1,200 eagles they tested, nearly half had been exposed repeatedly to lead, which can lead to death and slow population growth. Scientists believe that the primary source of the lead is spent ammunition from hunters, who shoot animals that the eagles then scavenge.

Wind farms have also posed a threat to eagles. In April 2022, ESI Energy, a wind energy company, pleaded guilty to killing at least 150 eagles at its wind farms and was ordered to pay $8 million in fines and restitution.