FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin DNR are investigating a massive deer poaching operation across several counties.
- Authorities say the scheme covers about 200 square miles over Fond du Lac, Dodge, and Washington counties.
- The sheriff's office says the illegal hunting was on public and private property, usually late at night or in the early morning hours.
- They're asking for the public help in identifying more suspects.
"This probably the largest scale deer poaching scheme that I've seen in my time here," Fond du lac Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt said. "This isn't your typical poaching case."
This case, authorities say, involves dozens of deer, killed across 200 square miles, throughout at least a year.
"I've seen some other deer poaching investigations that took place, but this is currently one of the largest," said DNR Conservation Warden William Hankee.
Sheriff Waldschmidt said it started with a call of a bad smell coming from a neighbor’s trash. When deputies investigated, they found multiple deer heads from bucks.
Through interviews, Sheriff Waldschmidt said they’ve identified several adult and teen suspects.
He says they were illegally shooting deer late at night and early in the morning, often from the side of the road.
“You're potentially putting people at risk as well in their homes or in their shops on their farms," said Waldschmidt.
Warden Hankee said the poaching was often happening on private property.
“So you have some trespassing as well," Hankee said.
As for motive? Sheriff Waldschmidt said it was likely just the thrill of killing the animals.
"You're killing people's deer that they're watching and targeting, as you know, for sport and for food," said Waldschmidt.
The Sheriff’s Office and DNR are asking for the public’s help in this case.
They ask anyone who may have observed suspicious activity, like dead or wounded deer, or heard any gunshots at night, to contact them.
The DNR's tip hotline is -800-TIP-WDNR (1-800-847-9367) and the Fond du Lac County law enforcement tip hotline is 920-906-4777.
