Warden Blotter: Southwest warden team - Dodgeville base
December 6, 2012
By: Bureau of Law Enforcement
Southwest area warden team - Dodgeville base
Wardens Cody Adams of Prairie du Chien, Mike Nice of Richland Center and Deputy Warden Mike Williams were investigating a case of multiple deer not being registered when they were contacted by the sheriff’s department regarding a trespass issue involving the same group. Wardens responded to the location and determined a trespass situation did occur. Two deer were seized. Upon further investigation, it was determined 13 deer at deer camp were unregistered and already butchered. And, there were group deer hunting violations, reused buck tags and a nonresident hunting on a resident license. The investigation is ongoing.
Warden Martin Stone of Fennimore and Deputy Warden Scott Donar investigated a complaint of road hunting after hours in Grant County. Wardens were in the area and contacted a suspect vehicle near an open field after a shot was heard. Wardens discovered two males hunting deer without licenses, hunting deer with artificial light, and both were convicted felons with three children under the age 10 in the back seat. Wardens discovered that two other deer had also been illegally shot earlier in the week by the group. A firearm was seized and enforcement action was taken on three adults.
Warden Rick DeWitte of Cassville completed an investigation initiated by the Grant County Sheriff’s Department regarding individuals shining after 10 p.m. The three individuals stated they were shining for deer and thought shining hours ended at 11 p.m. The sheriff’s department cited the group for open intoxicants, and DeWitte issued citations to the vehicle driver and one passenger for shining after hours.
Warden DeWitte received a citizen complaint regarding the potential illegal harvest of game fish from commercial fishing gear on a backwater slough on the Mississippi River. The citizen believed these nets were the reason panfish fishing had been so poor in the surrounding area. The commercial fishing nets were set for dogfish as the commercial fisherman had found a market for dogfish. The nets were legally set and marked, checked as required and the game fish released.
Warden Dave Youngquist of Spring Green contacted a hunter in an illegal deer stand on state land who quickly texted her boyfriend who was hunting a few hundred yards away with one word, “busted.” The boyfriend did not have orange on because he was hunting with a bow. Several citations were issued.
Warden Youngquist investigated a call of a hunter seen out on public hunting land wearing only an orange hat during the gun season. Upon checking the area, three squirrel hunters were found with the only blaze orange being two hats. Once the safety issues were explained, citations were issued.
Wardens Youngquist and Frost investigated a Thanksgiving turkey complaint. Warden Youngquist received a call from a concerned citizen who saw a vehicle stopped on the highway on Thanksgiving morning. They heard a gunshot, saw a puff of smoke from the passenger window and saw some turkeys scatter. The truck’s occupants saw the citizen and took off, but not before the citizen got a license plate. Wardens Youngquist and Frost responded and found a dead bearded hen turkey 60 yards from the road and the truck at a residence about 15 minutes away. The occupants of the truck said the passenger shot the turkey from the truck parked on highway with his 30-06 rifle. The turkey season was closed, he had no license, permit, or stamp and a rifle is not legal to use for turkey hunting. Several citations were issued and the rifle was seized.
A farmer and his neighbors located a freshly killed buck shot Friday night of the gun season and the landowner watched the area until Warden Frost arrived. Warden Frost watched the area over six hours and stopped the poacher just before shooting hours on Saturday morning. The driver had his 13- and 16-year-old sons along that morning. The driver said the sons were along when he shot the large 11-pointer at 7 p.m. the night before using the headlights from the truck and a .17HMR rifle. During the investigation, Wardens Frost, Youngquist and Todd Schaller of Madison determined the subject shot a large 10-point buck last year during the gun deer season at night with a light with his 13-year-old son, failed to register a doe, was carrying used buck tags in his backtag to reuse and had too many fish in possession. Warden Juan Gomez and Warden Supervisor Jen Niemeyer met the suspect at his house in Racine County and recovered two additional illegal deer and 350 bluegills in a freezer that were over the possession limit of panfish. Numerous charges are pending.