IDNR Conservation Police Make Arrests in Deer Poaching Case
Giant buck valued at $35,000…
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Charges have been filed against three individuals after an 11-month investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Law Enforcement in a deer poaching case. The three men were cited for numerous Wildlife Code violations including the illegal take of a potential state-record whitetail deer, and now face charges through the Grundy County State’s Attorney’s Office.
“Our Conservation Police Officers are tasked with the mission of protecting the public and our natural resources and they do it effectively and vigilantly,” said IDNR Director Marc Miller. “I am proud of the hard work of the IDNR law enforcement staff and have a warning to those who choose to hunt illegally: We are watching.”
“The IDNR Office of Law Enforcement has zero tolerance when it comes to poaching matters,” said IDNR Conservation Police Chief Rafael Gutierrez. “Our Conservation Police will continue to protect our natural resources so that legal sportsmen get every opportunity they deserve.”
The investigation focused on the unlawful harvest of a 36-point non-typical deer scoring 261 5/8 and valued at $35,000. Charges were filed after a thorough investigation with assistance from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Alberta Sustainable Resources Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The following individuals were cited on charges related to unlawfully taking a total of 24 deer in Illinois and Canada over a 10-year period. Specific charges were filed as follows:
Christopher Kiernan (age 45, of Minooka, IL)
11 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge, 19 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer, 5 counts of hunting with invalidated permit, 5 counts of unlawfully taking of deer, 2 counts of falsifying harvest records, 1 count each of: Failure to report harvest on the same day as killed, Fail to tag deer as required.
Garret Armstrong (age 31, of Avon, NY)
9 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge, 8 counts of hunting with an invalidated permit, 4 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer, 2 counts of unlawfully taking of deer, 1 count each: Failure to tag deer as required, failure to report harvest as required, Falsifying harvest record.
Larry Smith (age 49, of Williamsburg, Ontario, Canada)
1 count each of the following: Hunting without permission of landowner, Hunting with invalidated permit, Failure to tag deer as required, Unlawful possession of illegally taken deer, Unlawfully taking of deer, Failure to report harvest as required, .Falsifying harvest record
