The Senate fails to reconfirm Bentz as wildlife commissioner because of an illegal hunting investigation

Embattled Mississippi Wildlife Commissioner Leonard Bentz Jr. will not be reinstated to his post after being investigated for illegal turkey hunting in Holmes County.

The capital’s lawmakers concluded the 2024 legislative session on Saturday, but a vote to confirm Bentz’s reappointment never took place. The reason for this, according to sources, is that Republican Gov. Tate Reeves never filed a nomination for Bentz to keep his seat on the commission.

SuperTalk Mississippi News reached out to the governor’s team several times to review the matter but never received a response.

Bentz felt the security of his position as commissioner was at risk back in March after he confirmed to us that he had been issued a citation for hunting on land attracted by crickets – but he claims he was unaware that the insects were on the hunting grounds had been distributed to attract the wild birds.

The commissioner’s confirmation came after sources told us that Bentz and at least one of his sons were among a group of hunters who allegedly violated a state law that says it is illegal to take wild animals or wild birds Help to hunt or catch bait. Bentz said conservation officials said the landowner and manager of the 500-acre property released the crickets onto the property days before the commissioner and his crew arrived.

Bentz also said that he personally inspected the roads and access roads before the hunt began and that conservation officers on site were vocal in exonerating him of any intentional wrongdoing.

“Although the officers told me that they knew that I did not know that the crickets were on the property, I violated the law because I hunted the property where the crickets were housed,” Bentz wrote in an email.

Law enforcement authorities have not confirmed to us that the Commissioner has been cleared of any willful negligence. Despite requests for comment, wildlife officials have also not released further details about their investigation into the incident.

The subpoena issued to Bentz was the icing on the cake for outdoor enthusiasts who strongly argued that the commissioner was unqualified to oversee wildlife regulations and policies in the state. Ahead of the turkey-baiting investigation, noted outdoorsman Will Primos called on lawmakers to block Bentz’s confirmation, citing allegations that he has consistently made anti-science decisions and dangerous statements about chronic disease areas in Mississippi.

Bentz previously served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2004 to 2006 before winning the post of public service commissioner for the state’s Southern District. He held this position until 2013. In 2021, Reeves appointed him to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Commission before reappointing him in July 2023.

Reeves has not commented on who he will appoint to fill the vacant seat. At the time of publication, Bentz was no longer listed as a commissioner on the MDWFP’s official website.