Indiana hunter freezes 'buck of a lifetime' to avoid poaching charge.

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  • AtTheMurph

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    [h=1]Indiana hunter freezes 'buck of a lifetime' to avoid poaching charge. It didn't work.[/h]A Holland, Indiana, man has been convicted of illegally killing what many hunters would consider a "buck of a lifetime," according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
    Mark Gill, 56, harvested a non-typical, 20-point buck with more than 200 inches of antler during the 2016 season after he had already taken a buck earlier in the season, the DNR says. This is a violation of Indiana's one-buck rule, which limits hunters to one antlered deer per hunting season, according to Joe Haywood of the DNR.
    Gill froze the buck until the 2017 season, and then checked it in with the state to make it appear that he killed the buck during the 2017 season, Haywood said.
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    As part of a plea agreement with the Dubois County prosecutor’s office, Gill's hunting license will be suspended for two years, he will serve 100 hours of community service, serve 540 days of probation and pay $741 in fines. He pleaded guilty to unlawful taking of a white-tailed deer and providing false information to a check station, both misdemeanors.
    d3614be4-b2e0-4c5a-b5fc-122e072da518-Gill_Buck_1.JPG
    This is the 20-point buck with more than 200 inches of antler that the DNR says 56-year-old Mark Gill killed illegally. Gill had the deer mounted. (Photo: Provided by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources)


    The buck has now been forfeited to the state, Haywood said, and will likely be displayed for educational purposes. Gill previously had the deer mounted, Haywood said.
    Law enforcement, he said, learned of Gill's actions through the Turn In a Poacher (TIP) program, which gives money to people with information that eventually leads to an arrest. To make a report, call 1-800-TIP-IDNR or submit an online form. TIP received 277 reports in 2018, according to the DNR.

    https://www.indystar.com/story/news...time-department-natural-resources/3080388002/
     

    Lilboog82

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    Lol, I bet he’s trying his best to remember who all he told about his “trophy” before the new season rolled around!
     

    AtTheMurph

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    Guys like him are why you don’t see them in your words. Sentence should have been lifetime ban from hunting.

    It should have included a lifetime ban and a much, much larger fine.

    I had a monster buck poached off of one of my properties this fall. Turns out the convicted felon neighbor did it. Warden confronted him and found it hanging in the shed and also found another deer hidden underneath a car on his property.

    180' class typical rack, maybe bigger. MFer.
     

    Ark

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    Noob to deer hunting here. How would DNR have caught him? Would someone have had to report him?
     

    Leadeye

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    Making a guess, but I would imagine that a taxidermist can tell the difference between something shot and something shot then frozen for a year.
     

    AGarbers

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    Noob to deer hunting here. How would DNR have caught him? Would someone have had to report him?

    I doubt he kept his mouth shut. Loose lips sink ships. Many avid hunters have multiple game cameras out and monitor what's in their area. The antlers on this deer are like fingerprints. It is possible someone was watching and waiting for this deer in 2017, only to have it disappear, then reappear in 2018 on Facebook, a newspaper, brag board, etc with the same antlers it had the year before.
     

    Willie

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    As I understand it - As the story says he killed two bucks in 2016. The second buck was the whopper non-typical. He took pictures of it in the bean field that had a pretty distinct background. He then froze the head until 2017 and then posted that he killed it and posted pictures taken the year before. As most of us know farmers usually rotate crops and the 2016 beanfield was now a 2017 corn field. Some of the local hunters were familiar with the area and that spot so they knew he did not kill it in 2017, but in 2016. The rest is history...
     

    dk598

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    Trust me when I say that most hunters are law-abiding citizens that respect the hunting laws. The TIP program is used often. This is a perfect example of a success story for the DNR TIP program. I agree with a previous post that he should have received a stiffer penalty.
     

    Ark

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    As I understand it - As the story says he killed two bucks in 2016. The second buck was the whopper non-typical. He took pictures of it in the bean field that had a pretty distinct background. He then froze the head until 2017 and then posted that he killed it and posted pictures taken the year before. As most of us know farmers usually rotate crops and the 2016 beanfield was now a 2017 corn field. Some of the local hunters were familiar with the area and that spot so they knew he did not kill it in 2017, but in 2016. The rest is history...

    Awesome. Good for those guys being perceptive.
     

    phylodog

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    Ugh...as mentioned the sentence isn't anywhere near stiff enough. I'd really, really like to see these cases (as well as trespassing cases) handled by prosecutors and judges who are outdoorsmen. Those who have never broken a sweat working for a specific buck or went home with fewer fish than they could eat to leave enough for others to enjoy will never understand just how inconsiderate and self serving this type of thing is. I guess it's like most things in life, nice guys (as well as those who obey the rules) finish last.
     

    dk598

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    Ugh...as mentioned the sentence isn't anywhere near stiff enough. I'd really, really like to see these cases (as well as trespassing cases) handled by prosecutors and judges who are outdoorsmen. Those who have never broken a sweat working for a specific buck or went home with fewer fish than they could eat to leave enough for others to enjoy will never understand just how inconsiderate and self serving this type of thing is. I guess it's like most things in life, nice guys (as well as those who obey the rules) finish last.

    Said perfectly!
     

    BigBoxaJunk

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    I've watched bucks pass by me after I'd already shot a buck that season, and I'm a rule follower. But, my honor has never been tested to the extent that it would be if THAT buck walked in front of me. Pretty sure I still wouldn't shoot. Pretty sure.
     

    Jaygentry

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    Agreed. Big bucks are getting harder to find. We pass on anything smaller than 10 points. But the neighbor shoots anything that moves. Wonder if we need a 8 point or 6 point minimum law.
     

    Restroyer

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    Agreed. Big bucks are getting harder to find. We pass on anything smaller than 10 points. But the neighbor shoots anything that moves. Wonder if we need a 8 point or 6 point minimum law.

    Not to help and assist you in raising all the many year old posts you have been reviving, but I have to comment on this one. Having a 6 or 8 point rule is stupid. I currently have on my trail cameras a 6 point buck that is huge. He has a large spread rack but only 6 points. While I also have a 10 point buck that is rather small with a small rack. Your suggestion of making a rack as the sole point of taking a buck is not a good idea and some of us hunt for meat not antlers. I have passed on many small bucks but that was based on their weight / size and not how many points was on the rack.
     

    JimH

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    Not to help and assist you in raising all the many year old posts you have been reviving, but I have to comment on this one. Having a 6 or 8 point rule is stupid. I currently have on my trail cameras a 6 point buck that is huge. He has a large spread rack but only 6 points. While I also have a 10 point buck that is rather small with a small rack. Your suggestion of making a rack as the sole point of taking a buck is not a good idea and some of us hunt for meat not antlers. I have passed on many small bucks but that was based on their weight / size and not how many points was on the rack.
    Gotta get to 50 somehow!
     
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