SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Director Jim Karpowitz has been fined $138 after pleading guilty to a hunting violation.
Karpowitz said he requested that his law enforcement officers cite him after he realized he had illegally shot two sage grouse Sept. 29 at the Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch.
Karpowitz had a permit for Rich County but shot the birds in Morgan County. The county border is unmarked on the ranch property. He immediately called his officers and asked that he be issued a citation for hunting outside the legal boundary of his permit.
The birds were confiscated and a citation was issued.
Karpowitz, a hunter for 44 years, acknowledged the mistake in an e-mail to his roughly 500 employees.
"This incident demonstrated to me how easy it is to unintentionally violate a law while hunting," he wrote. "I can tell you that even though this is very embarrassing, it feels good to have taken responsibility for the error I made and to hold myself accountable. I apologize if I have caused embarrassment to any of you, the division or the state of Utah."
Utah Department of Natural Resources Chief Michael Styler said Karpowitz informed him immediately of the infraction and handled the situation properly.
"We all make mistakes," Styler said, "and what you should do when you make a mistake is exactly what Jim Karpowitz did. He faced the consequences rather than trying to hide the mistake."
Karpowitz, who entered the guilty plea this past week, has been with the wildlife agency for more than 30 years and has been its chief for five years.