Oconto County Hunting Guide Banned from Hunting for Illegal Bear Baiting

Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 15, 2025, United States District Judge Byron B. Conway ordered Timothy J. Collar (age: 64) to pay a $3,000 fine and banned him from hunting for 12 months after Collar was convicted of illegal bear baiting on federal property.

Collar is a bear hunting guide who commonly planned and guided hunts on federal property in the Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest in northern Oconto County, Wisconsin. Court records indicate that in preparation for the 2023 bear hunting season, Collar unlawfully placed numerous oversized plastic bait barrels in several locations in the Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest. The barrels were placed there for the purpose of baiting bear, and they were uncapped, close to public roads, and significantly oversized. Collar also damaged natural resources for the purpose of gaining access to the bait sites.

The hunting ban will prevent Collar from hunting on federal property during the 2025 Wisconsin bear hunting season that runs from September 3, 2025, to October 7, 2025.

This case was investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the United States Forest Service.

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For further information contact:

Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero

(414) 297-1700

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