As we’ve reported, State Senator Jake Chapman is leading a charge at the capitol to limit the power of DNR Conservation Officers to enter private property and seize property without a warrant from a judge.

Head of the House Public Safety Committee and member of the House Natural Resources Committee, State Representative Clel Baudler says the legal questions regarding DNR officers stems from a well-known incident in October, 2014. “Because of this big buck that Joe Franz shot on video in 2014, in Marion County, I hear that buck’s antlers could be worth upwards of $40,000. When the antlers were taken from Franz, it was ambiguous as to whether it was a legal hunt and whether he was baiting the deer.”

A former law enforcement officer himself, having served as an Iowa State Trooper for over 30 years, Baudler isn’t sure DNR officers should be acting without a warrant. “Going on private property without a warrant, that is questionable. If they remove anything while on private property, then they really could have problems.”

We’ll hear more about the issue from Baudler today on Let’s Talk Guthrie County. It airs during the 9 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. hours on K107.9 and www.raccoonvalleyradio.com.