Man accused of interfering with lawful hunt

PRIEST RIVER — A Bonner County man was cited for destroying live trees on state land and gathering firewood without a permit after allegedly interfering with a lawful elk hunt north of town.

Michael Devery Haddeland is scheduled to be arraigned on the misdemeanor offenses on Feb 12 in Bonner County Magistrate Court. He was warned about interfering with a lawful hunt, but was not cited for the offense, court records show.

The charges stem from an Oct. 10, 2020, confrontation on state land at Peninsula Road and Evergreen Lane. Haddeland is accused of firing off gunshots and driving an all-terrain vehicle in order to deter two Washington state hunters from hunting on state land adjacent to his property, according to an Idaho Department of Fish & Game probable cause affidavit.

The hunters, one of whom was a minor, told a conservation warden they felt Haddeland was attempting to threaten them into ceasing a lawful elk hunt. Haddeland is further accused of cutting down a half-dozen live trees on state land and placing them across an ATV trail the hunters were using.

Haddeland, 49, denied cutting down the trees and accused the elk hunters of lying, in addition to driving elk in order to place them in the hunters' crosshairs, the affidavit said. Haddeland also cursed out the conservation warden who cited, him, court records indicate.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.