MISSOULA, MT (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Washington man accused of shooting thousands of eagles pleaded guilty in Montana’s U.S. District Court Wednesday.

Defendants Travis John Branson and Simon Paul allegedly killed approximately 3,600 birds – primarily golden and bald eagles – on the Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere. Branson and Paul intended to sell the birds’ tail feathers on the black market.

While the feathers are illegal to sell, Native Americans widely use the feathers in ceremonies and powwows. In a 2016 text message quoted by prosecutors, Branson appeared to acknowledge that shipping eagles internationally was illegal, adding, “I just get em for 99 cents… price of a bullet.”

In another text exchange, Branson was negotiating an eagle feather sale when he allegedly wrote, “I don’t get em for free though….out hear (sic) committing felonies,” according to the court filings.

In an indictment, a Jan. 2021 text message from Branson of Cusick, Washington says he was going on a “killing spree” for the eagle tails. That same Dec. 2023 indictment alleges Branson and Paul trafficked eagles for their parts on 11 occasions between Dec. 2020 and the stop of Branson by law enforcement on March 13, 2021.

Specifically, according to court documents, Branson sold two sets of golden eagle tails for $650 in March 2021 to an online purchaser. Less than a couple weeks later, law enforcement stopped Branson with his truck that held the feet and feathers of a golden eagle he had shot near Polson, Montana. Prosecutors say that Paul had “cleaned” the eagle’s carcass and investigators found it in a nearby field.

Paul of St. Ignatius, Montana, remains at-large despite an arrest warrant issued in Dec. 2023 when Paul did not show to an initial court hearing.

Branson faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy charge, the most serious charge. U.S. Attorney’s Office lawyers say the plea deal will let them seek to remove additional trafficking charges and lessen sentencing guidelines for a less severe punishment for Branson.