A Wyoming man is serving 96 days in jail after he was convicted and sentenced on eight charges of wildlife violations this fall in Fremont County, according to a recent statement from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Dakota Jordan of Lander, who was found guilty of poaching deer, elk, and moose since at least 2021, now owes the state $18,000 in restitution. He has also forfeited the animal parts, firearms, and two vehicles used in his poaching sprees — a truck and a Jeep. Finally, Jordan lost his hunting and trapping privileges for life, a penalty that applies in all 50 states.
“I do think the penalties are appropriate for his complete disregard for wildlife,” Jon Desonier, WGFD game warden and access coordinator tells Outdoor Life. “We take this stuff seriously. Guys aren’t just getting slapped on the wrist for serious wildlife crime.”
Desonier, who was named wildlife officer of the year in 2025, started investigating Jordan after a man came to his office with information about an illegally killed elk cow and calf in November 2024. Word of a poached moose and deer were already on Desonier’s radar, but the dots weren’t connecting. That changed during an aerial deer survey. A crew counting wildlife from the air spotted the headless carcass of an elk.
“We [had] spent a day walking around trying to find it and had no luck,” Desonier says. “We were not far, maybe 200 or 300 yards off, but they had a much better view from the air so it was easier to see.”
DNA from that kill site matched evidence found at Jordan’s property. Further DNA evidence proved damning: DNA from four other poached animals traced back to Jordan, thanks to a DNA database at the state-maintained forensics lab. Those hits included ivories from one elk, the leg bone of a second, meat from a third, and the European mount of a deer.
“I’m so thankful for our forensics lab in Laramie,” Desonier says. “They held on to DNA evidence and analyzed a ton of evidence for us. If it wasn’t for them, we would not have success in this case.”
Before the department could proceed with seizing the moose Jordan had poached, officials needed to determine if he’d killed it on state, federal, private, or reservation land. Using photos and GPS data from Jordan’s cellphone, investigators found the bones of a moose killed in 2022 and determined it had been poached on private land. The background of his photos included utility equipment, which was also key.
“We drove around looking for the transformer in the photo,” Desonier says. “A High Plains Power lineman saw the photo and sent us right to the kill site.”
Investigators suspect Jordan poached more animals than those in his conviction, but they focused on the cases with the strongest evidence
“In my opinion, this guy shouldn’t be hunting,” Desonier says. “He doesn’t have the mindset to respect wildlife. That’s how we got here.”
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Jordan’s father also lost his hunting privileges as a result of the poaching investigation. He is banned from hunting for five years and also owes Wyoming $5,370. At least two additional suspects are currently under investigation in a multi-state operation.