Kirt Darner – The Rise and Fall Of A Legendary Trophy Mule Deer Hunter
Kirt Darner and his wife Paula go on trial in January for several Big Game related violations, one of which is for tranquilizing trophy Elk in New Mexico and then transporting them to a Ranch where huge fees would be charged for hunting them.
This seems to be the end of the line for the once popular "legendary" big game hunter and guide. I say "legendary" simply because now all his Big Game kills are questionable, even if they were legitimate. Hunters can be an unforgiving crowd, and rightly so. Fool us once, shame on you - fool us twice, shame on us. Many of us don't give game law violators a second chance.
Whether found guilty or innocent, it seems the final hand has already been dealt by the Boone & Crockett Club when the removed his Non-Typical Mule deer from the books.
When the B&C club notified Darner that they wanted a hands-on examination of the rest of his B&C entries, Darner notified the Club to remove them all, which they did.
The big Mule Deer in questions had already been listed in the B&C Club, it was killed back in the 40's.
I remember when the articles first started coming out about Kirt Darner. At the time, I had a subscription to Outdoor Life and soaked up every story I could find about Kirt. I, like many other deer hunters I'm sure, dreamed of one day getting a chance to take one of those big racked Mule Deer.
Kirt Darner's claim to fame at the time was that he'd killed more B&C Mule Deer than anyone else.
He appeared in ads for Remington's Model 700 and made the Outdoor show circuit giving seminars and lectures. If memory serves me correctly, he had a few deer hunting products that he pitched also.
It's sad if you stop and think about it. Many people who actually knew him claims the guy really does know a lot about trophy Mule Deer. From all accounts I found, the guy could have been a genuine Trophy Mule Deer expert and probably made a living by consulting and selling products. Unfortunately for Mr. Darner, not many of us will believe him or want to have anything to do with him nor will any company want to endorse him or his products after this.
Rich LaRocco, the Outdoor Writer who penned both of Kirt Darners books, has distanced his self from Darner. Can't say that I blame him. According to this article about Kirt Darneron LaRocco's website, Mr. LaRocco actually had a hand in bringing some of the discrepancies in Darner's stories to light. This led to closer scrutiny of Darner's claims which finally led to the truth about his B&C entries and their delisting from the Record Book.
Kirt Darner now joins another club in the Outdoor industry, one that isn't quite as rosy. The members of this club have names such as Noel Feather, Tink Nathan and Roger Rothaar to name a few. It's the Club of Famous Hunters who let their ego and greed bring them down. We as Hunters turn our backs on such a club and rightfully so. We need to be the ones policing our own sport. If we don't, then the general public will.
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It is always sad when people who are respected and who serve as role models turn out to have feet of clay. I’ll be interested to see how this all turns out.
How do people let their lives turn into such a mess? Is it, possibly, that they don’t really love the outdoors and our sport? Are there ‘bad’ reasons to hunt?
I believe it’s the desire for fame and money. In short, greed. Pure and simple.
Once these people reach a little level of fame for killing big deer, or any other animal/fish, they have to maintain that level or increase it. If they don’t, the risk being labeled as a flash in the pan and their incomes can go away. That’s why many turn to illegal activities.
Don
Not that it matters but I am one of Kirt’s sons. It’s a funny thing to speculate on the rise and fall of the king of Mule Deer hunting. I spent 17 years of my adult life trying to build a realtionship with the man. I moved from Omaha to Montrose in 1982 after I grduated from Highschool. I had never really hunted before as I was not around in the falls due to school. However many of my teeange summers were spent with Kirt, going to the mountains to check on timber sales that were in progress. Kirt, was forester for a lumber company in Montrose. I started guiding for him on a private sheep ranch just outside of Montrose. It was on the national forest just above that ranch, that he once let a hunter, that he was guiding shoot an elk that was not in the unit they were supposed to be hunting in. Turns out it was a D.O.W. decoy and the hunter and Kirt were both charged and given citation for violation of Colorado game laws. I was not guiding for him the fall that it took place. So I had to find out about it via the Pueblo Chieftan ( an news paper in Pueblo Colorado). Man was I ever shocked and dissapointed. Mainly because I had to find out about it third hand. I called him out on it and that was really the last time we have talked with each other. I think that was either 1999 or 2000. I have tried to keep up with his lastest fiasco. It is a shame because he truly is a great hunter. He really loved to be in the mountains scouting and looking at all kinds of game. As for Paula (his wife) I feel really bad for her because she is a kind woman, who is one of if not the biggest animal lovers I’ve ever met. However, Kirt can be a very intimidating person and I am sure that he convinced her that the money they would make from the sale of these elk was worth the risk. I can only imagine how they are both now rethinking that train of thought. I am not trying to justify what they did, As I like all you other hunters find it dispicable. They both par took in a criminal activity and should suffer the consequences. I am currently working on a book that is about him and his life. It is diffcult as we do not speak to each other anymore. who knows I might very well get someone to publish it!
Some folks hunt for the meat and some for the racks while others hunt for the fame and glory. Whatever the reason behind your hunting make sure it’s all legal and the world will think highly of you for your efforts. Me myself I’m a meat and potato man so I naturally hunt for the meat but I like to see a new rack on my walls ever ten years or so but their all legal and I still have the tags and license for them. Even though tags and license don’t mean your game is legal there’s still a certain ethic real outdoor hunters follow and these guys have diffiniently crossed the line. Anyone who crosses the ” Hunters Code of Ethics ” and gets caught will be doing time + fines as I’m sure these guys will be doing.
I don’t know if Mr. Darner is guilty or not. If he is he will have to take responsibility for his actions. After reading Keith Darner’s post I am hopeful that he will stop grinding his axe just long enough to pick up the phone and give it another try. This is really none of my business so if I get scolded for sticking my nose where it does not belong then I apologize to Keith. It is that it goes against the grain for me to see his son going out of his way to throw some fuel on the fire.
chs.
I grew up reading about articles about and by Kirt Darner and I simply couldn’t get enough of those words and photographs. He was a hero to me in so many ways and I lived vicariously through his published exploits. I have actually killed quite a few big bucks in my life by employing some of the tactics he used so I can’t say that this guy didn’t know his stuff. I still “buttonhook” large mulies after I jump them and have to say that this move works more often than not. I am writing this the day after Mr. Darner plead guilty to reduced charges here in New Mexico and have to say that his situation really made me think. In addition to becoming a convicted felon, he has agreed to never hunt, fish or possess a weapon for THE REST OF HIS LIFE and given up his chances to ever guide in the states of New Mexico or Colorado again. Like most people who grew up around and were party to the lifestyle of hunting, I’ve known people that bend the rules from time to time, known still others that have downright broken them in pursuit of trophy animals. I cannot say that I have always been perfect in everything I’ve ever done but we all learn with age and hopefully limit, reduce and eliminate the mistakes that we make in the field. The best guideline I’ve found for my actions when hunting is knowing that I will act/react exactly the same, every single time and in every situation, no matter who is around me, (especially if no one is with me to witness what I do). I know that the responsibility of teaching my son to hunt made me rethink small details and regulations and to follow them without question or variation. I pay attention to these rules and a sense of right and wrong even more knowing that he pays attention to me.
That being said, Mr. Darner did something that is far beyond shooting five minutes before legal hunting hours or chasing a wounded animal onto private property without first obtaining the landowners’ permission: He stole publicly owned elk and sold them to be shot on a game farm for his own profit. This is not an excited young man or woman shooting over a fence that their pounding hearts didn’t want to allow their eyes to see. The dumb mistakes that too many of us made as youths, while still wrong, are so different than going out and trying to defraud all of our fellow sportsmen and women for the purpose of gaining more money. I do believe that there are very few of us who have lived in our glass houses that have the right to cast that first stone, (Just recently, the DIRECTOR of our Game and Fish Department was put on probation for hunting on private property without permission). I just feel that it is much easier to accept and forgive the small, dumb judgement errors because we’ve all been there. I once saw an experienced, knowledgable hunter knock down two near-twin bucks because he thought he’d missed his first shot and never saw the deer fall. When the second buck stood, he dropped the hammer on him believing him to be the first deer he’d observed-unharmed. After speaking with some of the hunters who went out with him on an annual basis and seeing his reaction, I was convinced without a doubt that this was an honest, dumb mistake. (In spite of the letter of the law, their group tagged both deer and made sure that neither animal was wasted. Yes, he should have called a game warden but being as freaked out as he was, tried to do the best thing in a bad situation. One of his buddies had to give up his deer tag for the year and the hunter sure seemed to be doing a more than adequate job of punishing himself). I think for the most part that us hunters are a forgiving group. Also, let’s face it-The business of hunting is one of the most serious around-there simply is no calling back a bullet or arrow once they’ve been sent on their way. With time and experience we all learn just how severe and unforgiving circumstances can be and hopefully take that extra five seconds to ensure that we are not about to do something stupid. I still regret shooting a sky-lined buck at the age of eighteen and even though there were no adverse consequences for my actions, would never squeeze on that shot again. We owe it to ourselves, our fellow sportsmen and most of all, the animals that we hunt to become better at what we do everytime we’re in the field. These actions make us deserving of understanding and patience from our brothers and sisters and more often than not, serve as teaching tools to more than the individual making that dumb mistake. (I learned to always assume that my shot had connected until I had absolute proof to the contrary, thanks to the unfortunate hunter I described earlier in this writing, so I know for a fact that more than one person can learn from a mistake). Knowing that the field can be a harsh teacher, I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt- I’m not the first guy on the cell phone every time I witness somebody doing something stupid.
But.
This is not Mr. Darner’s first brush with the law. He got in trouble with Colorado authorities when he was driving a vehicle and guiding a hunter who shot from that vehicle, at night, at a decoy being operated by DOW. The hunter didn’t have a permit for the unit where he fired at the mechanical elk, (although that seems like nitpicking when you’re spotlighting animals from a truck-rules obviously weren’t that important to them). Granted, Kirt didn’t fire himself but I find it very hard to believe that he didn’t give consent for the hunter to do so. It seems pretty damn hard to shoot an animal seen from a moving vehicle at night if the driver doesn’t stop and shine his headlights on that animal, I would think. If Mr. Darner had simply continued driving, there’s no way in the world the hunter could have chambered, much less fired at an elk that night. Even while trying to give people the benefit of the doubt, it’s difficult to believe that he wasn’t an accomplice to his hunter in that instance.
The new charges against Mr. & Mrs. Darner and the other landowner basically accuse the three of them of trapping large, wild bull elk, tranquilizing them and releasing them into captivity for the sole purpose of them being shot and killed by well-heeled shooters, (I won’t get into the ethics of THAT situation, neither will I call them ‘hunters’). The elk were not released into a large area for a hunt, they were released into a high-fence pasture, (not sure that would make a difference, one way or the other). These people went so far as to obtain the narcotics and antidote required to tranquilize the bulls for transport. Knowing the legal wrangling that has already ensued in this case, I can daresay that if the state of New Mexico’s case were difficult to prove, he wouldn’t have pled out before the trial. The Darners have been fortunate enough to have great legal representation throughout this. I seriously doubt that they would not have fought the charges if there were any chance of winning.
The last accusation that I read about, while extremely sad, is probably the most understandable. It shows Kirt Darner to be as egocentric and flawed as so many of us are in our youths. The co-author of two of Mr. Darner’s books has alleged, and provided photographic proof of, that he took credit for a deer killed by another man in Arizona in 1948, (Kirt claimed that he killed the deer in the late 70′s). This deer is a non-typical monster and was actually entered into the Boone & Crockett record books twice-once under the original hunter’s name and a second time under Kirt Darner’s name. While still sad, this is probably the most understandable of Kirt’s lapses in judgement. However he got hold of the enormous rack, I can under stand him claiming that he killed it. A young man, a monster deer that no one knew he hadn’t harvested, ego and a story that snowballed beyond belief is a mistake that, while unforgiveable, I GET. All of the animals on my walls were harvested by me, but I cannot know for a fact that had I come into possession of such an animal as a young man that I wouldn’t have been tempted to claim credit.
I honestly don’t believe that Kirt had any way of knowing how this could come back to bite him, (both B & C entries have since been disqualified, as were several other animals entered by Mr. Darner) especially when he started bragging about this deer as a kid, maybe even after a couple of beers. I do think the line was not only crossed but stomped on quite seriously when he put this particular mulie on the cover of one of his books.
Just the same, it’s easy to see how a stupid mistake can take us down an unfortunate path. What’s sad is that some of us can use those errors as tools to learn from and become better people as we continue our hunting adventures yet others only seem to be drawn deeper into the dark side of our sport. That these mistakes brought Mr. Darner from what was, I’m sure, a young, avid, enthusiastic sportsman to the end of his hunting career is beyond sad. He seems to have lost all of the passion and love for the sport and its’ creatures somewhere along the line, turning these magnificent animals that we spend weeks pursuing and years learning about into a shortcut to profit. That, in my book, is the unforgiveable part. I can get past so many screw-ups and still see the good in my fellow outdoorsmen and women. I will never be able to understand the fact that he trapped, drugged and transported these glorious animals to a place to be slaughtered like mere sheep. Somehow, during the outdoor shows and book-signings, the seminars and endless profits, he started buying into his own hype. He turned something beautiful and priceless into the bottom line, the almighty dollar. This is his biggest crime, the largest sin that we can commit. (I am not speaking about people that make their living hunting or guiding, I’m talking about stealing from every single hunter out there to line his own pockets). I hope that I will have the sense to hang up my bow long before my heart stops pounding when I see my quarry, years before I no longer get dry-mouthed when I can see and smell the fresh animal sign all around me. I never wish to stop being enthralled and amazed by everything I see in the outdoors. If that day ever comes, I hope to walk away from this sport with many beautiful memories and having made it better than when I first fell in love with it.
Perhaps that’s just what Kirt should have done.
In responce to C.Schutte reply. I am not grinding an ax with anyone. As I said, Kirt is a very accomplished hunter who took his craft very serious, however he did get caught up in his own hype. So……. C. Shuttle you really should not tell other people what to do when you have no idea the details of what has happen in the past. So that everybody understands where I am coming from. I have long ago given up on having a relationship with Kirt, as when I needed him he was not there for me or my brother. When he did make an effort to be there, it always came with a condition, the man has NO idea what unconditional love is. I was raised by my mom who is an incrediable person and taught me the difference between right and wrong, Something Kirt obviously has no concept of.
Keith,
I knew that my nose did not belong there so you are right. At the time I thought that you were using the forum to vent. Again, my mistake. Who knows? Maybe someday he might reach out to you. Thanks and I would be interested in your book when finished. chs
Amazing what Pride,Fame and Fortune can do to a person. No glory now.
Have any of you read what the judge did, the judge was on top of things:) The DOW was pissed, how cool is that!! The Division of Wildlife has too much power, any law that can harrass you for 10 years without ever having to show anything from there investigations is crazy, I can see why Kirt pladed Guilty, he did the right thing, and in a few years he´ll be back in the mountains where he belongs!!! So any of you jealous pups who just can´t kill a big muley, get over it and let the man move on with his life:) Kirt is a great guy!!
FUNB
I HAVE HUNTED MULE DEER FOR 40 YEARS. LOTS OF DIFFERENT STATES. I ALL THAT TIME I MAY HAVE SEEN 1 BUCK THAT MAYBE COULD GROSS 200 NONTYPICAL.
A LOT OF KIRTOLOGY MAKES SENSE-I GUESS, IN THE END, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY-WHAT A SHAME.
I have harvested one 4 point mule deer as well as elk, before I read kirts books. He describes a very similar technique of glassing that I used. He knows what he talks about, thats why I bought the books. I have helped my sons successfully harvest mule deer in the mountains. I have long ago given up hero worship before I ever heard of Kirt Darner. I believe his books have value as instructional material, if you look at them in that context.
I will not criticise him. As for throwing another stone at the Darners, Let he who is without sin be the first to throw one.