Close Up Of Deer

Deer Hunter Under Fire for Poaching, Says He Doesn’t Care About Hunting Violations

Well here is a potential nomination for the worst person you’ll read about on the internet today. 55-year-old Scott Meisterheim from Kalamazoo, Michigan doesn’t really care about being an ethical hunter and he’s not afraid to admit it. He told a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) officer investigating several tips about his deer hunting violations “I don’t care, I am addicted to the venison.” As a result of that laissez-faire attitude towards following hunting laws, he’s been charged with 10 separate poaching charges.

The investigation into Meisterheim began last February. MDNR reportedly received multiple tips about him on the state’s poaching hotline. Investigators then found evidence that Meisterheim had illegally harvested 11 deer between October and December of 2021.

Once investigators started prying him for information, his callousness began to show. “Sure, I love to kill deer,” Meisterheim told a DNR investigator. “If I could kill more I would, to be honest with you.”

In addition to killing way more deer than legally allowed, he was also found to be hunting without a license, outside of legal hours, using other hunters’ tags to cover up his harvests, and hunting on multiple properties without permission.

“This is an excellent investigation of a poacher who shows no respect for the resource or the ethics of fair chase. Violations of this type deprive law-abiding people of their opportunity to have access to and enjoy a public trust natural resource, in this case white-tailed deer.” said Dave Shaw, DNR Law Enforcement Division Chief.

Charges were officially filed against him on January 17th according to court records from Kalamazoo County. His trial before a jury is set to begin on February 15th.

Deer Hunter Going To Jail For Cutting Tree Stand Straps Of Another Hunter

Somehow though, Meisterheimer might not even be the worst example of hunting violations to recently make headlines out of Michigan though.

Absolutely diabolical actions from a deer hunter in Michigan are not going unpunished. 23-year-old Thomas Steele III will be spending 60 days in the Marquette County Jail and forfeit his hunting privileges. He will also be on probation for one year. He just plead guilty to cutting the straps of another public land deer hunter’s tree stand, not once but twice. Steele accepted a plea deal that charged him with misdemeanor offenses for aggravated assault and hunter harassment. The news was first shared by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Steele must also reimburse the medical expenses for treatment of the injuries the other hunter had from the fall. Both hunters are lucky that this situation didn’t turn out much worse. Falling out of a tree is actually the most dangerous part of most hunts. The chances of getting accidentally shot while hunting is considered to be at least 90% less than the chances of falling from a tree. However, most of the incidents of hunters falling out of tree stands are accidents, not intentional sabotage like this case.