He was with a guide who by his own admission attempted to destroy the collar upon follow up. That is surely a crime in itself regardless of intent or knowledge at the time of the initial hunt.
Thanks for pointing that out, I forgot to include it. You are right, the guide did try to destroy the collar when he found it. That part is certainly a crime, but on the part of the guide, not the hunter. I’m not sure if the hunter knew about that detail. He may have known, may not have known...