Posted on Wed, Mar. 09, 2005
Associated Press
CLEVELAND, Miss. - Three hunting clubs have offered a $2,000 reward to
help track down those responsible for slaughtering nine deer found stacked
near the Mississippi River south of Beulah.
State wildlife officers said out-of-season slaughter was the work of
poachers. Only the prized tenderloin and back straps were taken from the
deer.
Lee Ellington, a conservation officer with the Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, said not only was the act "unlawful,
but it was immoral."
"It's immoral to be so wasteful with this game," Ellington said. "We're
not going to tolerate this."
Because the poaching occurred on their adjoining properties, members of
the Merigold Hunting Club, Catfish Point Hunting Club and the Caulk Island
Hunting Club offered the reward.
Ellington said these deer had been "headlighted," which
is when poachers hunt at night using car headlights or a spotlight
to temporarily blind deer.
Headlighting, which is illegal, can carry a minimum fine of $2,000 to
maximum of $5,000. It also carries a three-year hunting license revocation
and a five-day mandatory jail sentence.
Information from: Bolivar Commercia
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