Reports say a Marquette man poached a well-known urban back.
Charges are now pending for a Michigan man who confessed to poaching a big buck within the Marquette city limits according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The DNR says the still unnamed 37-year-old admitted to trespassing onto private land near a subdivision close to his home to poach the big buck with a compound bow. He also illegally cut trees on the property in order to construct the blind he used to shoot the well-known 12-point buck over a bait pile.
As many poachers have done in the past, he attempted to pass off the buck as a legal kill taken elsewhere. "He claimed to have killed the buck in Deerton, which is located about 20 miles from the subdivision," DNR Lt. Ryan Aho said in a press release.
But as is often the case with big urban deer, this particular buck was well-known and photographed by locals in Marquette. "Over the past few years, multiple residents of the community have shared pictures of the buck on social media, which they had seen regularly walking through yards," Aho said.
Shortly after, conservation officers received a tip that the deer may have been poached and with the assistance of Marquette Police Officer John Inch, confronted the suspected poacher, who then confessed to the crime. Law enforcement subsequently seized the deer and the bow used in the incident.
The DNR's press release states prosecutors are currently reviewing the case in order to decide if the charges will be civil infractions or misdemeanors. We will keep an eye on this case and bring you any updates when they happen.
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