Small Whitetail Buck

Deer Poaching Investigation Underway In Indiana

Law enforcement officials with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources have launched an investigation into the illegal harvest of a deer. Tristate Homepage reports that the poaching incident happened on Saturday night in Posey County at the Hovey Lake Fish & Wildlife Area. That property is managed by the state. The deer was shot nearly a full month after Indiana’s deer season wrapped up at the end of January. The season resumes in mid-September and runs through the end of January 2024.

A few months back another poacher in Indiana received the strictest poaching punishment in the history of the state. The man was found guilty of repeatedly breaking several turkey hunting laws. He then became the first person to ever receive a lifetime ban on hunting in Indiana. Because of the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact, that means his ban extends to nearly every other state in America. That compact provides reciprocity for these types of violations in 48 states. According to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Hawaii and Massachusetts are in the process of finalizing recognition of the Compact.

Indiana DNR requests that anyone with information regarding the recent deer poaching incident get in contact with their TIP line at 1-800-TIP-IDNR or District 7 Headquarters at (812) 789-9538.

Three People Arrested For Poaching In Indiana Earlier This Month

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently arrested three Indianapolis residents after they were caught illegally hunting at night and from a roadway. The incident took place at the very beginning of the month. The suspects in question are Biak Sang, Hrang Lian, and Ro Hmung Lian. WTHI-TV 10 shared the story first. 

Authorities said they received complaints about night hunting near Country Road 400 East and County Road 550 North. Conservation officers with Indiana DNR heard a gunshot nearby and saw a vehicle leaving the scene. During a traffic stop, officers say they found three rifles and a spotlight in the vehicle. Lian was the only person in the car. The other two suspects were nearby on foot. 

The Indiana State Police used a drone with thermal imaging and a K9 officer with his dog to help find the poached deer. Meat from the deer was salvageable and donated to a local family in need. 

The three men are facing misdemeanor charges of illegally taking a white-tailed deer, hunting with the aid of a motor conveyance, backlighting, shooting from a public roadway, and hunting without the consent of the landowner.

Indiana Deer Hunters Donating Harvests To A Good Cause 

The poachers outline earlier in this article are not reflective of Indiana’s broader hunting community. Most hunters are good people who follow rules and regulations. Most of them have a tremendous amount of respect for the wildlife they pursue. Additionally, deer hunters in Indiana stepped up and donated fresh venison to help feed families experiencing food shortages. 

The donations were possible through a partnership between Hoosiers Feeding The Hungry and the Indiana DNR. Captain Jet Quillen with Indiana DNR’s law enforcement division weighed in on the situation. “We all fall on tough times and someone is there wanting to help.  Whether that’s hunters or a state law enforcement agency, someone is there for them.” 

Since its inception in 2011, the Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry program has received 879 donated deer. Those venison donations equate to 45,326 pounds of meat. That meat was donated to food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens for distribution to low-income families. The Indy Star reports that the venison donations have created more than 2 million meals. The group works with nearly 85 meat processors and 500 hunger relief organizations across the state to ensure the deer meat that hunters provide gets to those who need it the most.