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FWC Law Enforcement Report

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending January 14 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer Ramos and Lieutenant Hahr responded to a night hunting complaint in an area where several big bucks have been seen.  Shortly after their arrival, a truck approached and shined the field.  The occupants were surprised by another vehicle and immediately turned around and left in the direction they came.  After the second vehicle passed by, the truck returned and the occupants began shining again.  The officers stopped them and observed a loaded high-powered rifle in the front seat of the truck.  The two men participating were charged with attempting to take deer at night with gun and light.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Hutchinson and Lieutenant Hahr were watching a field where they had received a night hunting complaint when a truck drove by shining a spotlight into the field.  The suspect’s actions led the officers to believe that they might be hunting deer so they stopped the truck down the road.  The juvenile driver and passenger told the officers they were looking for deer and admitted to having a rifle in the back seat. They also had a freshly killed doe deer in the back of the truck.  The two juveniles were questioned and admitted to shooting at deer in three other fields in the area.  The officers located these fields and verified their stories.  Both juveniles were charged with attempting to take deer at night with a gun and light, possession of an antlerless deer out of season and taking wildlife from the right of way.  A rifle, pistol, spotlight and one deer were seized as evidence and both subjects were released to their parents.

Officer Hoomes and Lieutenant Berryman were on foot patrol within the Hutton Unit of the Blackwater WMA when they observed a deer in the back of a truck on adjoining private property.  When they went to check the deer, they observed another deer, an antlerless yearling, lying on the ground near the truck.  The owner of the truck admitted to killing both deer.  The antlerless deer was seized and the man was charged with taking antlerless deer out of season.

Officer Hutchinson responded to a residence where a deer was observed being cleaned earlier in the day.  A man from the residence showed Officer Hutchinson where he cleaned two small yearlings in the yard.  He admitted to shooting both deer earlier that morning.  He showed Officer Hutchinson where he disposed of the carcasses.  One deer was a spotted fawn button buck and the other was a slightly larger doe.  Officers Lewis and Ramos arrived on scene to assist and helped track down the deer meat from both deer, as it had been divided up between several people.  The man was charged with two counts of taking antlerless deer out of season.

Lieutenant Hahr was patrolling in the Blackwater WMA when he observed two men hunting on horseback in the field trial area.  When he turned around to speak to them, they were no longer in sight.  He located one of the men riding his horse down into a bottom and stopped him to check him.  The man initially denied hunting, but later admitted to hunting deer.  Lieutenant Hahr charged him with hunting deer in the field trial area and seized a high powered rifle.  The man was also given a citation for riding a horse off designated trails and for hunting without a license and appropriate permits.

This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.