In a wild Somerset County caper, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wrapped up a monthslong deer-chasing drama that kicked off in November of last year. As part of some good police work, game wardens have since nabbed five suspects, slapped them with 31 summonses, and snagged four deer from their clutches. From midnight hunts to tossed venison in tote-tastic stream dumps, this crew’s antics kept wardens busy to say the least.
The star of this chaos is, as of right now, an unnamed Somerset County man who has now racked up 23 charges for a plethora of wildlife violations. Some of his long list of charges include night hunting, sunday hunting violations, hunting without a license, over bait, from a car, plus a side of criminal trespass, theft, littering deer guts and a side order of illegal animal transport.
With more than enough to execute a search warrant, authorities later found a deer they say was illegally killed at night over bait on a Sunday, hanging in the suspect’s garage. The individual initially resisted arrest, barricading themselves inside the house before being taken into custody.
And it gets better.
Wardens later learned that our boy was allegedly also running a side hustle, stealing and selling hunting gear like treestands, game cameras, and more - all under a fake name. Wardens scooped up the loot from Unity, Palmyra, and Corinna, along with a stash of firearms and crossbows. Disturbingly, some illegally obtained deer meat was also found discarded in a local stream, stuffed in trash bags and plastic tote containers. Following additional findings, the suspect, who had been released after the initial arrest, was arrested again and booked into Somerset County Jail.
Discarded deer meat | MDIFW
And while this fella most definitely seemed to have stolen the show, investigating officers also implicated four other individuals, receiving eight summonses for offenses including theft, night hunting, exceeding the deer bag limit, and using bait to entice deer. One deer was seized after being killed by one of the individuals who had already reached their tag limit and was falsely registered by another person.
The investigation resulted in the seizure of four deer and the return of thousands of dollars worth of stolen hunting equipment to their rightful owners. The primary suspect, who failed to appear in court for civil offenses, has been fined $2,300, with criminal charges still pending.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife encourages the public to report suspected illegal activities related to Maine’s wildlife and natural resources.
“Thank you to the community member who alerted the warden service to this suspicious activity,” the Department said in a Facebook post. “Poachers are not hunters, they are unethical thieves who take away opportunities from law-abiding outdoor enthusiasts and negatively impact our natural resources.”
