5 poachers killed so many deer it’ll take years for herds to recover, VT officials say
A group of five alleged poachers illegally killed so many white-tailed deer that it’ll be years before the herds fully recover in a Vermont county as a result, according to the state’s Fish & Wildlife Department.
The five men are facing 78 criminal charges in total in Vermont, including charges of hunting deer during closed season, after a poaching investigation by the state’s Warden Service, a news release said.
They appeared in court on April 26 and two of the men pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them after the group was accused of hunting “14 illegal deer” in the fall of 2021, Fish and Wildlife said. The accusations of poaching occurred in Windsor County.
Meanwhile, three of the men pleaded guilty to hunting deer during closed season, according to the news release.
“It will take 3-4 years for the deer population in Windsor County to recruit additional mature bucks and replace those that were illegally taken this fall,” Fish and Wildlife Department Director Mark Scott said in a statement.
“Poaching at this scale is a blow both to the local deer herd, and to Vermont’s culture of fair and equal access to public trust wildlife.”
State game wardens were notified of poaching in Windsor County from “conservation-minded hunters” and began investigating the five men, Vermont Game Warden Detective Sgt. Robert Currier said in a statement.
“Their actions and ethics highlight the contrast between true hunters and poachers,” Currier said of the hunters who reported poaching.
The five men face more criminal charges in neighboring New Hampshire where they’re accused of killing more deer illegally, according to the news release
The charges filed against them in Vermont are as follows, according to the state wildlife officials:
taking deer in closed season
possession of illegal deer
transportation of illegal deer
failure to report big game
failure to tag big game
obstruction of justice
false information to police officer
feeding deer
Windsor County is located in eastern Vermont.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 2:53 PM with the headline "5 poachers killed so many deer it’ll take years for herds to recover, VT officials say."
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