Camden County poaching investigation underway

An investigation is underway in Camden County after five deer carcasses and one turkey carcass were found on Nov. 16.

Camden County Conservation Agent Tyler Brown said that whoever is responsible did not remove all commonly eaten meat from four of the deer, which violates the wanton waste regulation in the wildlife code of Missouri.

The carcasses were also unlawfully dumped on property. Additionally, the turkey was killed out of season and the beard, tail fan and breast meat were removed.

“The regulations are in place to prevent the overharvest of wildlife species and to make the sport of hunting fair for the wildlife and for the individuals pursuing the wildlife,” Brown said. “When people begin disregarding the regulations and harvesting wildlife at will, then we can and will see a direct impact to wildlife numbers.”

All of those violations are class A misdemeanors, punishable by up to $1,000 in fines and up to one year in jail.