Kansas officials need the public's help in two separate poaching cases.
The hunting seasons may be young in many parts of the country, but instances of wildlife crime never stop. Game Wardens with the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism department are already looking for leads in two separate poaching cases.
Since these types of cases are notoriously hard to solve, they are bringing the information they have to the public in hopes that someone can give them a lead.
The agency posted the facts they have on both cases to their Facebook pages in hopes of spreading the word faster. The first case comes from Johnson County near the city of Shawnee.
"A local resident recently reported finding two whitetail bucks that were illegally shot on private property adjacent to the dead end on Bell Road, about a mile east of the Shawnee Police Department," the Facebook post reads.
Wardens determined the deer were killed either with a bow or crossbow bolt on Sunday, September 20. Whoever shot the deer did not have permission to be on the property. Nothing was taken from the bucks and the meat was spoiled by the time authorities arrived, causing them to also treat this as a wanton waste case.
The person or persons responsible did leave plenty of evidence. Wardens found an Under Armour camo jacket hanging from a tree branch above one of the bucks. The other buck had an Under Armour camo face gaiter hanging above it. Wardens also posted photos of a Saint Michael pendant with U.S. Marine markings on the back in the post that was allegedly left at the scene.
In one bit of good luck, a house security camera may have captured a photo of the suspect vehicle. Wardens also posted pictures of a black Dodge pickup with black rims. The pickup was seen on Bell Road that day at 9:30 a.m. It then returned and left again a few hours later at 11:20 a.m. While wardens do not have a plate number, at least one witness has said the vehicle had Kansas plates.
Anyone with information on this first case is asked to contact Johnson County Game Warden Vince Wonderlich at 785-256-3611 or the Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-877-426-3843.
The second case was reported September 26 in Gray County, Kansas and involves another big buck, this one a large 11-pointer. Wardens believe this buck was shot the night before from 13 Road south of Montezuma.
Once again, it was a landowner who made the discovery and called in the wardens to investigate. This buck was believed to have been shot by a rifle before being left to rot. They are asking anyone with information to contact warden Chermak at 620-338-2951.
Anyone with information on these cases can also report them on the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism website. Any tips made can be completely anonymous.
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.
NEXT: THE AXIS DEER AND HOW THEY'RE IMPACTING PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES
WATCH
