‘Simply for the thrill kill’: Authorities investigate large deer poaching scheme

State and county authorities are investigating a large deer poaching scheme that’s left behind dozens of headless deer carcasses across several counties in eastern Wisconsin.

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources launched a joint investigation after a sheriff’s deputy received a tip in mid-July. Authorities said multiple suspects have been illegally shooting deer either from the road or a vehicle while shining deer at night across a 200-square-mile area of Fond du Lac, Dodge and Washington counties.

Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt said numerous teens and adults engaged in “senseless, reckless, indiscriminate killing of deer” that authorities believe has been ongoing for the last year. He said the behavior is unlike poaching activity they see every year where hunters kill deer out of season and mount the heads on a wall.

“This case is to a much more extreme level where they’re killing many dozens of deer simply for the thrill kill,” Waldschmidt told WPR.

Waldschmidt declined to release details on the number of suspects involved, saying the investigation is ongoing. Authorities gleaned from interviews that the goal of the individuals was to identify and target bucks.

“They have been cutting the heads of the bucks off and leaving the rest of the body lay,” he said. “If they mistakenly shot a doe, they would just leave the entire doe lay.”

A Fond du Lac County resident first alerted authorities in mid-July after smelling a strong odor coming from a garbage can in a residential neighborhood. A sheriff’s deputy who responded to the call discovered multiple freshly severed buck heads with velvet antlers in the trash.

Authorities say suspects killed deer near residential and rural areas between Campbellsport, Waucousta, Lomira, Theresa, West Bend and Kewaskum.

While some suspects are cooperating with the investigation, authorities are asking the public for their help to identify as many deer carcasses as possible to gauge the scope and magnitude of the killings. Hunters and farmers have reported seeing deer with bullet wounds on both public and private land in fields and near roads.

Authorities said they plan to release more information on the motives of those involved at a later date. Waldschmidt said he expects multiple charges will be brought against the individuals by either the county or DNR. DNR Conservation Warden Bill Hankee said it’s not uncommon to follow up on reports of poaching, but not to this scale.

“The extensiveness of how big this case potentially is, how long it’s been going on (and) how many deer have been been shot is a little bit shocking,” Hankee said.

Hankee said they’re seeking information about whether people heard gunshots at night, as well as dates and times they occurred. Authorities are also asking people to report any suspicious vehicles shining deer, stopped in the roadway or shooting from vehicles.

Hankee said some of the individuals may have been using more than one firearm, but they appeared to primarily use rifles.

Waldschmidt said they’re also working to identify whether any homes or buildings were affected by the shootings, adding they’re not aware of anyone that’s been injured.

“We take the hunting violations or the wild game, wildlife violations very seriously, but there’s also an aspect of recklessness here to human life and property,” he said. “At night when you’re discharging a firearm into darkness, your spotlight can only illuminate so far, and you’re not identifying what’s behind your target.”

Authorities urged anyone with information to report it to the DNR’s tip line at 1-800-TIP-WDNR, adding that individuals may remain anonymous. People can also provide anonymous tips to Fond du Lac County authorities by calling 920-906-4777. DNR Conservation Wardens Zachery Feest and Bill Hankee may also be reached at 262-237-0904 and 920-904-2653 respectively.