During the deer archery season, State Wildlife Officer Chad Grote, assigned to Marion County, was dispatched to Morrow County based on a Turn In a Poacher (TIP) call about a man shooting a deer with a rifle.
He spoke with the complainant who had witnessed a man shoot a deer with a gun during archery season. The complainant stated that the deer was about 15 yards from where he was hunting in his tree stand when he heard a shot and watched the deer react.
A short time later, a man walked by the hunter’s tree stand, threw the deer over his back, and walked away. The complainant believed he knew where the deer was taken and showed Officer Grote on a map. Officer Grote and State Wildlife Officer Maurice Irish, assigned to Delaware County, went to the residence with a Morrow County deputy and spoke with the suspect and two other men at the house.
Further investigation revealed that the deer had been shot with a .22 rifle and brought back to the house where it was processed by the three men. The deer was not tagged and the man who shot it did not have a hunting license, a deer permit or permission to hunt where he shot the deer. The man who shot the deer was issued 3 summonses and the other two men were also each issued a summons for aiding in the violation.
All were found guilty in Morrow County Municipal Court and ordered to pay a total of $800 in fines and court costs. Their hunting licenses were revoked for two years and both the deer and firearm were forfeited to the ODNR Division of Wildlife.
