Cop jailed for using real estate license to poach trophy deer
Hyatt Voy was convicted of killing the deer during an unauthorized visit to a main character’s ranch property.
A Montana real estate agent with a history of hunting violations has been found guilty of a misdemeanor count of unlawful possession of a trophy mule deer and of hunting without the landowner’s permission, a misdemeanor.
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According to investigators, Hyatt Voy, who was working as a broker at Live Water Properties at the time, used his license to gain access to a ranch property belonging to a lead without the landowner’s permission. Once he entered the property, he killed a trophy mule deer. When the landowner complained to authorities, Voy admitted to the crime.
This was Voy’s third such violation since 2017; he has gaming violations dating back to 2015 in surrounding counties.
The deer kill took place in 2024. According to LinkedIn, Voy then left Live Water and moved to an agent role at Bill Bahny & Associates Ranch Real Estate Brokers. According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Voy’s salesperson license is still active.
Voy was given a four-year suspended sentence by the Department of Corrections, with 102 days left to serve, and will have to pay fines plus $8,000 in restitution. Hunting, fishing and trapping privileges will also be suspended for seven years in Montana and the 48 other states that are members of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Voy previously served 10 days of his sentence and is expected to report for the remaining 92 days in September, which coincides with the start of Montana’s fall hunting season. According to court documents obtained by The MissoulianVoy has appealed his case to the Montana Supreme Court.
In her ruling, Judge Heather Perry wrote: “Hunting without permission and lying about it results in a negative appearance for all professional agents who work very hard to maintain both their reputations and the trust of their clients and potential clients. Likewise, responsible hunters are very careful to treat the opportunity to hunt on private land as a privilege, so landowners continue to allow hunting.”
Email Christy Murdock
