Pennsylvania Game News - April 2012 - 23

or wait till he gets to the road?” “Let him come out. Where do you want me?” he replied. I directed him to a location on the road where I guessed the guy would come out. He was traveling much faster now. No way I could keep up with him on foot. I detoured from him, heading cross country in the direction of my truck. In the dark, I was stumbling and trying to protect my face from unseen branches. I attempted to call WCO Donatelli to tell him he was on his own until I could get to my truck and catch up with him. As the phone began to dial, the lighted screen went black. My battery was dead. So much for communication. Arriving at my truck, gasping for breath and stinging from the many scratches from the multiflora rose, I threw on my red light and took off up the road. Cresting a small hill I saw the lights of an ATV on my right on the other side of a cut cornfield heading toward the farm house. Knowing I couldn’t beat him to the house traveling by the roads, I steered from the highway and took a shortcut. What a disappointment when I stopped the ATV and discovered it wasn’t the right one. The driver did tell me that he saw another ATV being chased by a vehicle with a red light. Heading in that direction, I soon saw the headlights and red light of a vehicle on a farm path off the main road in the creek bottom. Arriving, I was pleased to see the doe, the correct ATV, and the suspect in the custody of WCO Donatelli. Taking me aside, Jim told me the suspect was claiming the doe in his possession was shot about 20 minutes before quitting time. I advised him that I recognized the hunter from seeing him in the headlights of the ATV. “Sir,” Jim said to the guy, “you’re saying you shot this deer before quitting time, approximately an hour ago?” The
APRIL 2012

hunter concurred. “Well, this officer has something to tell you.” “Sir, I was standing about 20 yards behind you when you shot this deer from your ATV,” I said, pointing to the still steaming doe. The hunter lowered his head in silence. Once the paperwork was completed and the deer loaded onto WCO Donatelli’s deer rack, we sent the hunter on his way and were able to review the events of the past couple of hours. Just as WCO Donatelli was not aware of my actions after my phone shut down, I didn’t know how events played out for him in stopping the ATV. Jim was able to add some humor to the evening when he described seeing the first lights he suspected were from the ATV and the suspect making his getaway. Jim described racing down the road, pursuing the lights of the vehicle, emergency lights flashing and siren screaming, only to discover when he caught up with the vehicle that it was an Amish buggy. Fortunately, he didn’t spend much time explaining to the driver what was happening, and soon spotted the correct vehicle and was able to stop it. Although no one was ever found hunting from any of the illegal stands on Valley Farm, not giving up on working the area led to the apprehension of a more serious violator. The use of illegal hunting methods and devices is not uncommon throughout the state. Without the help of property owners and hunters reporting illegal activity to authorities, many deer, turkeys, bears and other wildlife would be unlawfully taken that should have been available to hunters. Many thanks to those who get involved in protecting our hunting heritage. 
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Pennsylvania Game News - April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - April 2012