CRESTVIEW - A 21-year-old Baker man has been charged with illegally harvesting what may be one of the biggest bucks to come out of the county in some time, authorities say.
Misdemeanor charges against the man were filed on Wednesday, according to court records.
The deer was shot between 11 p.m. and midnight on Thanksgiving night, according to Stan Kirkland, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
“We actually received at least two complaints last Friday about a deer that was apparently killed illegally near Crestview,” he said.
One of the complaints reported that the deer, an 11 point buck, was seen tied on a vehicle at the Tom Thumb south of Crestview around 5:30 a.m., he said.
Some of the complaints reported that the shooter had alluded to the deer being illegally shot at night.
Through the complaints, FWC investigators were able to track the suspect down.
He was at an acquaintance’s home for Thanksgiving in Crestview. After he left, he saw several deer in the headlights. He stopped and shot the buck, despite it being on private property, Kirkland said.
“It’s extremely large,” he said.
Kirkland added that the “poached” animal wasn’t field dressed and when investigators found the suspect and the deer, the meat had spoiled, Kirkland said.
The suspect is charged with taking a deer at night with a gun and light, taking wildlife from the right of way of the road and wanton and willful waste of wildlife.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Trista Pruett at 850-315-4445 or tpruett@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @TristaPnwfdn.
