Kirt Darner, known for being an avid mule deer hunter, guide, author of several books and holding the most Boone and Crockett records for mule deer, faces several game violation charges.
Some of the charges lodged against Darner, who was 66 at the time of the original indictment, are two counts each of transporting stolen livestock, receiving stolen property, conspiracy to transport stolen livestock and tampering with evidence. His wife, 49 at the time of her indictment, was charged with six felony and 13 misdemeanor charges.
Rumors have flown for several years about Darner’s claim to have shot and killed so many trophy mule deer in his lifetime. Some have claimed that nobody could have done what he did.
In September 2006, a Grand Jury indicted Darner.
In February 2006, the grand jury indicted Darner for illegally drugging and moving up to four wild elk, three of them state-owned, on a 40-acre Lobo Canyon ranch to Pancho Peaks Ranch and Game Park, owned by Steve W. Lewis of Artesia in 2004. Lewis was indicted on two felony counts of conspiracy involving controlled substances to sedate a large bull elk for transportation.
Darner has a bit of a storied past.
Darner is no stranger to law enforcement. Once the advertising face for Remington bolt action rifles in the ’70s and ’80s, had his license revoked by wildlife authorities in Colorado for three years in 2001 after it was discovered that a hunter Darner was guiding shot illegally at an elk decoy from the window of a truck. The hunter Darner was guiding at the time also did not possess a permit for that particular hunt unit.
But there’s much more to this story than you’ll find in this newspaper article. Darner recruited one-time chief editor for Outdoor Life magazine, Rich LaRocco, to write two of his books. LaRocco spent a great deal of time on these projects but began hearing stories and actually received verbal warnings from some to steer clear of Darner. LaRocco wanted proof.
This set of a string of investigations and confrontations with Darner, until LaRocco finally found enough proof to convince him that some of the claims that Darner had about the trophy deer he shot, were fabricated. It was time to set the record straight about his relationship with Darner.
At his website, Hunts.net, LaRocco shares with readers and anyone else interested in the years of history of Darner, LaRocco and others, including Jim Zumbo, in a lengthy but informative story. He includes photographs that prove his contentions. Well, worth the time to read it.
I would like to thank J.R. Absher for providing the links to the stories.
Tom Remington
