Poachers shot albino from the road and left it to rot.
Three men are facing charges in a poaching case in Garrett County, Maryland that resulted in an albino deer being shot and left to rot. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources have named three men who they say shot the deer from a vehicle in the Blakeslee area.
The MDNR say they started getting reports of deer being poached near Blakeslee back in November. After the albino deer was killed on December 3, their investigation led them to 18-year-old Jeremy Hoalcraft, 22-year-old Jordan Dawson, and 29-year-old David Georg. The DNR didn't specify how they came to these suspects other than it was an "extensive investigation."
Wildlife officials say the three men were driving around the area together specifically to look for deer when they spotted the albino standing on private property with several other deer. The MDNR says Hoalcraft was the trigger man on the albino, shooting it from the vehicle's back seat. After watching the albino fall, Dawson took over and fired at another deer with the same gun, although the DNR does not specify whether he hit his target or not. The three alleged poachers then fled the area. According to DNR officials, they had planned to come back and retrieve the deer later, but never did.
As their investigation continued, the DNR says Hoalcraft was found to have deer parts that were never reported to the DNR. Officials didn't specify what these parts were, but they did say they were not related to the albino investigation. He is now facing $7,500 in fines for charges of hunting with permission, hunting from a vehicle, possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle, hunting during a closed season and removal of deer parts prior to harvest. Georg is facing $4,500 in fines for hunting without permission, aid and abet hunting from a vehicle, and aid and abet hunting during a closed season.
Dawson ended up receiving the brunt of the charges and his case may be more serious since he was found to have a suspended and revoked driver's license and prior convictions which prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition. He has already been scheduled for a court appearance, but the MDNR says he faces $10,500 in possible fines. Among the charges for Dawson are possession of a rifle after conviction of previous crime, illegal possession of ammo, driving without a license, loaded weapon in a vehicle, hunting from a vehicle, and hunting without permission.
The DNR did not specify whether the poached albino was a buck or a doe. We will keep an eye on this story and bring you any new developments as they come here at Wide Open Spaces.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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