A 55-year-old Conroe man has pleaded guilty to running an illegal waterfowl guiding business out of Walker County, federal prosecutors announced.
Richard Lee Bowers admitted in federal court that he charged people to hunt ducks over a baited pond on his property, known as the Pull Two Ranch. His clients shot and harvested several species of ducks over the feed. Under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, hunters cannot use bait to attract wild ducks.
State and federal wildlife agents began watching the ranch on Nov. 18, 2023. During that surveillance, officers spotted duck hunting blinds set up right next to a pond filled with freshly scattered corn visible beneath the water surface.
Officers returned the following morning and stopped Bowers alongside a group that was actively hunting over the baited area. When questioned, Bowers told investigators the corn had been put out for wild hogs, despite the grain sitting entirely underwater.
Interviews with several paying customers later revealed that dumping corn in the pond was routine practice at the ranch. According to court records, when one client asked Bowers about the illegal feed, Bowers replied, “that’s how we get all the ducks.”
Records show Bowers works as a taxidermist and has a prior history of state-level fish and game violations.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. accepted Bowers’ guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for Nov. 9. Bowers faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He remains free on bond until his sentencing date.
The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Johnson is handling the prosecution.
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