A father and son hunting duo have been sentenced to lifetime hunting bans in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Shelby Gene Church, 73, and Gene Allen Church, 47, were initially charged in the fall of 2019 for illegally harvesting an eight-point buck from the road. Both Church men pleaded guilty and were subject to paying fines, court costs, loss of equipment, and forfeiting the deer. Shelby Gene Church had his hunting privileges revoked; his son, Gene Allen Church, had his suspended for five years.
Sadly, that wasn't the end of things. In 2023, the TWRA received complaints of road hunting in Greene County. A subsequent investigation found that Gene Allen Church was hunting, though his privileges had been revoked for five years. HE had harvested—and checked in—three deer already.
In December, officers arrested Church, and in February, he plead guilty to three counts of hunting under revoked privileges plus three counts of illegally possessing a deer. He was fined just $25, plus the court costs for each charge, had to forfeit the deer meat, and was sentenced to six months in jail. However, that jail time was suspended as long as he served just ten concurrent days.
Finally, Church's hunting privileges were suspended for life.
Tennessee allows those whose hunting privileges are revoked to purchase hunting and fishing licenses, but they may not use them for hunting. However, they can still fish and participate in outdoor recreational activities as long as hunting isn't involved.
Tennessee is one of the 46 states that participate in the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact, which stops those without hunting privileges from legally hunting in states other than their own. Let's hope that keeps Mr. Church from partaking in any more illegal activity.
READ MORE: 10 Major Poaching Cases That Outraged Hunters Everywhere
