SUAMICO, Wis — In southwestern Wisconsin’s Vernon County, sentences have been handed down to five men convicted of deer poaching.
The DNR believes in that situation as many as forty deer were killed before the suspects were arrested. The man handed the most significant penalty was 29-year-old Jacob Menne, who was fined more than $12,000 and also had his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges revoked for fifteen-years.
In light of this case NBC26 spoke with a Game Warden from the DNR and hunters, to find out more about the consequences of an illegal hunt.
At the Nicolet Rifle Club in Suamico, hunters are reassuring themselves that they haven't lost their touch or their accuracy, over the past year.
"I came out to site in a rifle and make sure it was still on," says Eric Johnson of Suamico who is a lifelong deer hunter.
Most of these hunters are fast to admit they've never encountered someone taking a deer illegally, but the majority knows that it is a reality.
"I haven't run into it personally myself. But you sure hear stories about it," adds Johnson.
The DNR says that's why they have Wardens working around the clock during the next couple of weeks, to make sure that all hunters are playing by the same rules.
"Nine day gun deer season for most Wardens is busy. It’s always busy," says Gaven Brault a Conservation Warden with the DNR.
Brault says his department will be looking for the types of activities that most hunters, do not get into. He says most of the time his fellow Wardens are making sure that hunters have the right apparel and licenses but sometimes, they have to deal with much more difficult situations.
"From poaching cases, people shooting from the road, spot lighting deer at night. I have run into people shining deer late with loaded cross bows, loaded guns in their vehicles."
If you do get caught illegally hunting in Wisconsin, one of the prices to pay could be a criminal offense on your record. But there is also the potential for hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of property used in the hunt, to be confiscated as well.
"Potentially anything involved with that incident could possibly be seized and then confiscated by the courts," says Brault.
And while the monetary consequences for an illegal hunt can vary from hundreds to thousands of dollars, one of the most severe consequences for many is when the DNR and courts are forced to revoke your hunting and fishing privileges.
"We don't just go out there to do that to people. We don't like to do that. We want people to go outside and enjoy the outdoors,” says Brault.
"It's not that individual’s property and it's not their resource, it's everyone’s. So they're taking away from you, me and everyone else that's trying to enjoy that experience," says Johnson.
The DNR cannot patrol everywhere at once, and that’s why they say they rely on hunters to report any suspicious activities they may encounter out in the woods.
The DNR asks that if you see something suspicious, that you do not approach the other hunters. They say you should rather gather information like the time, location, and potential license plate numbers of the hunters that you believe are doing something suspicious. You can call your Game Warden with that information or you can call or text the Wisconsin DNR tip line at 1-800-TIP-WDNR.
