IA: Two men plead guilty to poaching Iowa deer

Two men plead guilty to poaching Iowa deer

December 17, 2010

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Two men were cited Wednesday for illegally poaching deer in Iowa.

Paul McCulley, 67, of Greenwell Springs, La., and Michael McCulley, 36, of Brandon, Miss., each pleaded guilty to unlawful taking of deer and to not having a valid deer tag.

The McCulleys had been hunting during Missouri’s rifle season in November and did not report their harvest of one buck and two does, as Missouri law requires. They went home and then returned for Iowa’s first shotgun season.

On Dec. 3, the day before Iowa’s shotgun deer season opened, the McCulleys shot three does and one buck in Missouri during the antlerless deer only season, and butchered the deer in a garage in Blanchard, Iowa.

Iowa State Conservation Officer Deb Smith received an anonymous call that there were does and a buck being butchered in the garage and she contacted Missouri Conservation Agent Eric Abbott.

While under surveillance, officers witnessed the men butchering additional bucks in the garage.

Officers made contact with the McCulleys on Wednesday while they were in the field east of Clarinda and brought them back to the residence near Blanchard. Consent was given by the owner of the garage and the owner of the residence for officers to search.

Officials seized three deer racks, three large coolers packed with the meat of seven deer, two shotguns and used Iowa and Missouri deer tags.

Paul McCulley and Michael McCulley were fined $1,689 and assessed $15,000 in civil damages for the deer in Iowa.

They, along with Marc McCulley, 40, of Denham Springs, La., and Daniel Mayeux, had 17 violations in Missouri resulting in eight citations for illegally shooting two bucks and five does.

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