Pennsylvania Game News - December 2009 - 16

Good People, Bad Judgment By Daniel P. Schmidt Forest County WCO “H EY, OFFICER SCHMIDT, do you have a minute?” “Sure.” I said, not knowing who I was talking to at the local convenience store. “My name is Joe,” he said, as he stuck his hand out to shake mine. We shook hands and he started with his story. He explained he was hunting on the first day of the rifle deer season and saw a guy shoot a massive 3x3 whitetail in a 4-point to one side WMU. Joe went on to say he could understand why someone would shoot such a big buck because it was so impressive, but was upset because the guy didn’t show any intention of turning it in as a mistake kill. I assured him I did not receive a mistake kill on a large 6-point. Joe said he saw the buck once when scouting and thought it would make a junior hunter very happy, but that was not to be. Joe showed me where the buck had been field-dressed, but there wasn’t much left as it had been more than a week since the deer was killed; I was actually impressed that Joe could find the spot. I collected a small piece of flesh for possible testing later. Joe also gave me two hunting license numbers. The first from the hunter who killed the deer and the other from his partner who helped him cart it off with his ATV. I thanked Joe for the information and told him I’d be in contact if I had any questions. He was happy to help and said to call anytime. I called the PGC’s License Division in Harrisburg to help me track where the licenses had been purchased. This would help me find the address and other important information needed to find the two hunters. The name of the hunter who killed the deer was Bill, I learned, a nonresident from Illinois who bought his license online, through the PGC’s website. This was not good news, I thought. I always like to interview suspects face to face, not over the phone, and it’s also beneficial to be able to visit the suspect’s house, in case the person refuses to take an officer’s phone call. Fortunately, the second hunter, Lance, bought his license at the local sporting goods store and a quick visit there supplied me with his name and address. I lucked out this time; he was a Pennsylvania resident living in a nearby town. The plot thickened when I encountered a member of the local volunteer fire department that sponsored a big buck pool. He mentioned that a hunter who had entered a large 6-point won the contest and took home a Weatherby rifle. I asked him how a 6-point could win the contest, and he said it was based on the deer’s weight, not antler size. I then contacted the VFD president and asked him if he was familiar with this situation. He was and said he wasn’t at the weigh station, but verified that Bill had won the contest and felt certain Bill had changed the WMU on his harvest tag, but couldn’t prove it. Things got even more interesting as I heard from several other community members concerning Bill winning the contest and taking the gun. They were furious! After gathering as much information as I could, I figured it was time to make my first move, contact Lance to see what he had to say. I pulled into his driveway around GAME NEWS

Pennsylvania Game News - December 2009

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