Today: October 12, 2005 at 17:28:27 PDT
By SANDRA CHEREB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RENO, Nev. (AP) - Two California hunters have been arrested on
suspicion of deliberately hunting in the wrong area in Nevada and
illegally killing a buck deer, officials said Wednesday.
Jon Warren, 69, of Redding, and Alan Jeffers, 53, of Anderson, were
arrested Monday at their camp in remote Nye County near the Lincoln
County line, said Rob Buonamici, chief law enforcement officer for the
Nevada Department of Wildlife.
"We caught them basically right after they shot it and got it back to
camp," Buonamici said.
The deer had four-point antlers that measured about 30 inches wide,
officers said.
Warren and Jeffers were booked in Nye County on suspicion of illegal
possession of a big game animal. Formal charges are pending a review by
the district attorney's office and additional counts are possible,
authorities said.
Harvesting a big game animal without a legal license ranges from a
gross misdemeanor to a felony, with possible penalties of up to one to
four years in prison and a fine up to $5,000.
Public records show Warren and Jeffers successfully obtained
nonresident buck tags for an area encompassing parts of Churchill,
Pershing and Lander counties in northern Nevada.
Officials said they were hunting about 150 miles to the southeast.
Game tags in Nevada are specific to certain areas, and hunters must
designate the location when they apply for the annual draw.
Investigators said evidence suggests the hunters applied for tags in
an area where they had better odds of drawing a permit in the annual
lottery, but intended to hunt in the other one that has a reputation for
big deer.
"Our investigation indicates this has gone on for a while," Buonamici
said. "This isn't the first time."
He declined to discuss further details.
