ELKO, Nev. (AP) — Wildlife officials are requesting the public’s assistance in investigating a deer that was killed and left in a residential neighborhood near Elko County’s South Fork Reservoir in northeastern Nevada.
Nevada State Game Warden Lieutenant Buck Tingle said conservation officials were called by a resident reporting a dead mule deer buck in their yard and believe it was killed illegally on July 31.
“This is a senseless act that should have people upset,” he said in a statement. “Our hope is that someone will come forward with information that will help us solve this crime.”
Game wardens are offering an $1,000 reward for tips that lead to a conviction and ask witnesses to call the “Operation Game Thief” hotline at (800) 992-3030 or report information on the Nevada Department of Wildlife’s mobile application.
In Nevada, big game like mule deer are subject to quotas and require tags to be hunted legally. People found guilty for illegally killing deer — poaching them for their antlers, for example — can face fines, jail time, lose their right to purchase hunting licenses and forfeit vehicles and equipment used in the crime.
