Federal judge shuts down southern Illinois hunting club for baiting ducks
A waterfowl hunting club was ordered by a federal judge to close down for two years and pay fines after its owner admitted to illegally baiting ducks during hunting season.
Hugh Burns, 67, is the owner of Burns Hunting Club. Court documents say he pleaded guilty to a single count of unlawful sale of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act in the U.S. District Court for Southern Illinois on March 27. The penalties against his club were handed down in a federal courtroom in Benton Monday.
According to court documents, during the 2020 to 2021 hunting season Burns and a co-defendant, Michael McKinney, 52, who pleaded guilty to the same charge on April 17, knowingly scattering corn to bait waterfowl onto club property.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 makes it unlawful to hunt any migratory bird over a baited area if it was known the area was baited, court documents say.
Agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources learned the club had been baiting on Jan. 9, 2021, when they observed McKinney distributing corn into hunted areas, the documents said.
On Jan. 11, 2021, members of the club were guided to the baited hunting pits, after which at least seven migratory birds were hunted, documents say.
Burns was ordered to pay $11,000 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for violating the Lacey Act and an additional $50,000 in restitution to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. He was also ordered to serve two years of probation, during which he cannot hunt or provide guiding services for hunts, according to a release from the federal court.
“Hunting and fishing are cherished traditions in Southern Illinois, and our office stands firmly behind sportsmen and women who enjoy those activities,” U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said in a written statement. “But let’s be real: baiting a duck hunting landscape is like other forms of illegal poaching, which disadvantages honest hunters and violates federal law. The district court’s order to close this club demonstrates a commitment to protecting ethical and legal hunting practices.”
In 2020, former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Danny Cox and Seth Speiser, the mayor of Freeburg, were investigated and charged by the the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for allegedly baiting deer and providing hunting permits to out-of-state hunters. Both cases remain in litigation.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 10:23 AM.
