Feds charge 2 men with airborne hunting in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa—   Two men charged with violating a federal ban on hunting from the air are expected to appear in court.

Craig T. Martin and Paul W. Austin were indicted last week for one count of violating the Airborne Hunting Act. They're due to be arraigned in federal court Wednesday in Des Moines.

The indictment says the men used planes Nov. 16 in Polk County "for the purpose of harassing birds, fish and other animals." A spokesman for prosecutors says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case.

Federal prosecutors are seeking to seize their single-engine planes. One is registered to Martin's company, Des Moines-based Wisecup Willows Aviation, and the other is registered to Austin.

Martin didn't immediately return a phone message, and contact information for Austin could not be found.

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