WI DNR Busts Massive Deer Poaching Operation


WIwhitetailhunter

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Found this while purusing the news tonight.

What a waste!!

BARABOO, Wis. -- Four Sauk County men, all family members, face multiple counts for deer poaching -- Michael Huebsch, 23; Daniel Draves, 21; Kenneth Ellestad, 47; and Blaine Maybee, 47.

State wildlife officials said they have been unable to comment on the deer killing spree in Sauk County until now because charges had not been filed. For the past couple of years, many residents had a sense that the solitude of the countryside was being violated after dark near Baraboo.

Information trickled in to DNR wardens, until enough tips came in to make a case.

"Some of (the deer) were laying on a garage floor, have been laying there for months, and some of them were in a camper trailer that was out next to the garage," said Mike Green, DNR conservation warden. "I mean, it's a sad sight. I've never seen this many deer in anything that I've worked on before, and it's too bad."

The four men were cited after dead and spoiling deer were found at a home outside Baraboo. One of the deer was a buck with a nine-point rack of antlers, at least 19 inches wide. Wardens recovered 16 deer, several wild turkeys, two spotlights and a rifle with a home-made silencer.

"They were shooting them to shoot them," Green said. "After they got into the story, it was more of a bragging story than anything."

The four men face multiple counts for deer poaching, involving thousands of dollars in fines and revocation of hunting privileges.

"This is not hunting," said John Buss, DNR conservation warden "It's poaching, and it's thrill killing. Most of these deer were shot from the road, out of vehicles, out of windows of cars. There are other roads around. There were other houses. There are people. There's a huge safety aspect. We're really thankful nobody got hurt."

Owners of the land where the deer were shot told wardens the alleged poachers are lucky they weren't caught in action. As Wisconsin learned last fall when a man is alleged to have shot several hunters in northern Wisconsin, trespassing can be deadly business.

"I mean the landowners that have contacted Mike and I, and the landowners we have talked to about this, after this case broke are extremely upset," Buss said. "A couple of them said to us, 'You're lucky that I didn't catch them out there.'"

Many had a sense something terribly wrong was happening, but serenity has now returned.

The wardens said they could not have put this case together without citizen help and hope it will serve as a deterrent to others who might think about poaching.

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Go to channel3000's website for photos and more:

http://www.channel3000.com/news/4267400/detail.html

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Guest bronco_mudder

Re: WI DNR Busts Massive Deer Poaching Operation

Unfortunately the revocation of hunting rights doesn't mean much to this type of people. What they were doing wasn't hunting anyway, so if given the chance, unless severe enough other penalties are levied, then it is likely they will do it again. I feel that maybe their rights too own firearms should be revoked, making poaching alot harder.

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Re: WI DNR Busts Massive Deer Poaching Operation

Lock em up for a few years, and fine them, and take away their vehical, guns, gun rights, hunting rights, etc.

Glad they got caught, but our courts are too weak. They will get charged with all these fines, but probably never pay a cent and taking away their hunting priviledges, never stopped a poacher. frown.gif

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Guest buckchaser

Re: WI DNR Busts Massive Deer Poaching Operation

MY HAT'S OFF TO THE CO'S AND THE PEOPLE WHO CALLED IN THE TIPS GREAT JOB GETTING RID OF MORE SLOB HUNTERS! mad.gif

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Re: WI DNR Busts Massive Deer Poaching Operation

Scumbags is too nice of a word for the criminals. The fact that they had a home made sliencer on a rifle should bring the BATF into this case. Hope they put them where they can pound rocks with a hammer for a long time.

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