American bald eagle. (Beth Clifton photo)
Sentence raises questions & eyebrows
HALLWOOD, Virginia––Who is William Custis Smith, 74, of Hallwood, Virginia, population 206, and why did he get away with just one day in jail, two years on probation, 50 hours of community service, and a fine of $9,800 for allegedly killing at least 20 bald eagles and other birds of prey?
How many raptors has William Custis Smith actually killed?
What we know is that Smith in March 2025 pleaded guilty in U.S. District Count to a single count of unlawfully taking a bald eagle, after having earlier admitted to killing 20-plus with pole traps and poison.
What is also known is that there are approximately 30,250 men named William, Willie, Bill, Billy, and other variants of “William Smith” in the U.S., around 1,000 of whom live in Virginia, making identification of the alleged eagle and hawk poacher exceptionally difficult.
(Beth Clifton collage)
Washington state perp got almost four years
What is further known is that Travis John Branson, 49, of Cusick, Washington, believed to have poached more than 3,600 bald eagles, golden eagles, and hawks of multiple species, was on October 31, 2024 sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen to serve 46 months in a U.S. federal penitentiary and to pay $777,250 in restitution to the federal government.
(See Biggest ever eagle poaching case: Travis Branson gets 46 months.)
Branson, fined approximately $213 per bird of prey killed, got off proportionately lighter than William Custis Smith, who was fined $490 per bird of prey he reportedly admitted killing.
But Branson had a pecuniary interest in his killing.
“From 2009 until 2021, Branson made from $180,000 to $360,000 by selling eagle feathers and parts for profit, the government estimated,” reported Daily Montanan deputy editor Keila Szpaller when Branson was sentenced.
(Beth Clifton collage)
Just so he could kill more ducks
William Custis Smith apparently killed birds of prey just so he could kill more ducks.
The William Custis Smith case came to light when on May 27, 2025 the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources “announced the conclusion of what it called a months-long investigation into the illegal killing of numerous bald eagles and hawks on the Eastern Shore,” reported Sean Curtis of WBOC television in Salisbury, Maryland.
“The investigation began during the 2023-2024 waterfowl season,” Curtis said, when the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources “received an anonymous tip about a pole trap located near a waterfowl impoundment in Hallwood owned by William Custis Smith.
“Pole traps are used to attract birds of prey to land and then ensnare them,” Curtis explained.
“Upon locating the pole trap,” Curtis continued, “investigators say they discovered the body of a juvenile bald eagle.”
Red-tailed hawk.
(Beth Clifton photo)
Red-tailed hawk was victim too
Virginia Conservation Police master officer Brian Bratton sent the remains to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Forensic Laboratory for toxicological testing.
“Investigators then set up cameras near the pole trap to potentially record any future raptor kills,” narrated Curtis. “According to court documents obtained by WBOC, subsequent visits to change out the camera’s memory cards and batteries revealed dead animals in the area.
“On one occasion, investigators said they noticed a pile of fish heads nearby surrounded by dead flies.
“A video recording captured on February 19, 2023, showed a red-tailed hawk becoming ensnared in the pole trap, court documents read. Investigators said the bird struggled for hours before Smith was recorded bludgeoning the bird to death.”
(Beth Clifton photo)
Carbofuran
Eventually the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service confirmed that the dead juvenile bald eagle picked up Virginia Conservation Police master officer Brian Bratton had been poisoned with carbofuran.
A neurotoxic farm pesticide formerly marketed as Furadan, carbofuran was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2009, but remains easily and cheaply available in much of the world.
“This particular poison acts so quickly that nine times out of 10 when an eagle, hawk or whatever eats something [laced with carbofuran], it acts so quickly that the bird dies with whatever the bird was eating still in the bird’s claws,” Bratton told media.
Summarized Curtis, “Finally, on March 31, 2023, investigators interviewed William Custis Smith. Authorities said in their report that Smith freely admitted to using the pole trap and to poisoning fish heads with carbofuran to kill in excess of 20 bald eagles and hawks, mostly red-shouldered hawks and red-tailed hawks.”
(Beth Clifton photo)
“We were fairly familiar with the guy”
Said Bratton via the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources website, “We were fairly familiar with the guy. We’d dealt with him before on some waterfowl violations. He showed us what was going on and told us what he was doing and why he was doing it.
“He was killing the hawks and eagles because they were killing all the ducks he was attracting to his impoundment. It was the time of year when hawks are migrating through. And in very late winter, the food supply really gets short, so these birds are looking for prey.
“He was very aware it was illegal,” Bratton acknowledged, “but in his mind, the ends justified the means, because he was getting rid of the predatory birds to protect the ducks.”
So maybe William Custis Smith got away with just one day in jail as a duck-hunting good old boy.
“That many hawks and eagles is pretty significant,” Bratton assessed, “so I feel like it’s a win for protecting the resource from further loss.”
(Beth Clifton collage)
“A one-day sentence is no deterrent at all”
Disagreed Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, “A one-day sentence for killing 20 bald eagles and hawks is no deterrent at all for people who disregard our wildlife protection and conservation laws. This is a pathetic response to a serious case of poaching and cruelty.
“Prosecutors and judges must do better,” Pacelle opined, pledging that “Animal Wellness Action is urging the U.S. Department of Justice and lawmakers to revisit enforcement standards and sentencing guidelines for wildlife crimes.
“Stronger penalties and consistent prosecution are essential,” Pacelle said, “to deter future violations and to honor the public’s investment in species recovery and conservation.”
(Beth Clifton collage)
Carbofuran banned but still accessible
Part of the story behind the story is that similar carbofuran poisonings of bald eagles and other raptors have been frequent along the Eastern Shore for more than a decade.
Donna Cole of WNAV radio in Annapolis in 2016 became aware of seven similar cases, going back to 2013. Gathering information from retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Special Agent Frank Kuncir, a 32-year wildlife crime investigator, Cole used Freedom of Information Act requests to document the carbofuran poisonings of 18 bald eagles, a raccoon and a fox.
Cole and Washington Post reporter Dana Hedgpeth exposed the poisoning in 2018.
“It is illegal to use carbofuran,” wrote Hedgpeth, “but even though stores are banned from selling the pesticide, some people still have it stored and use it.”
And bootleg it in from duck hunting destinations in Latin America, notably Mexico and Argentina.
(Beth Clifton collage)
Duck-hunting politicians
“Carbofuran came under harsh criticism 30 years ago,” Hedgpeth continued, “after it was said to have killed as many as two million birds a year, according to federal experts. That came at a time when bald eagles were struggling as a population,” leading to the carbofuran ban, and contributing to the national recovery of eagles and many other raptor species.”
Following up in 2019, Cole noted that at least 35 more bald eagles had become carbofuran victims along the Eastern Shore since she and Hedgpeth published their first exposés.
The other part of the story behind the story is that duck hunting is big business around the Eastern Shore and on Chesapeake Bay. Proximity to Washington D.C. attracts quite a few duck-hunting politicians, political appointees, and other well-placed high mucky-mucks.
Beth & Merritt Clifton.
(Gene Chontos photo)
Who is William Custis Smith? Who does he know?
ANIMALS 24-7 does not know, but to kill at least 20 bald eagles and get off with just a one-day sentence in a case the chief investigating officer calls “pretty significant” suggests he is not just an old guy who shoots ducks.
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The post Why did William Custis Smith get just a day in jail for killing 20+ bald eagles? appeared first on Animals 24-7.