BRUNSWICK, GA. | An avid Long County hunter is headed to federal prison for 2½ years having been caught near — but not in — his own trap.

Robert Junior Stanfield, 49, showed up on Georgia Department of Natural Resources ranger’s game camera on Dec. 27, 2016, checking his traps, one of which had an opossum in it. The camera caught images showing he was obeying a Georgia law requiring trappers to carry a small caliber rifle to humanely kill any prey caught in their leg-hold traps.

In carrying that 7 mm rifle, Stanfield was violating another law, one that forbids felons from possessing firearms.

After his arrest by Georgia DNR Ranger Patrick Gibbs, a federal grand jury indicted Stanfield on a single count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He pleaded guilty in June and U.S. District Judge Lisa…