Conservation Law Enforcement Corner – February 2025

The Conservation LE Corner is designed to highlight the efforts of Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division (LED) officers who, among their many duties, protect Georgia’s wildlife, sportsmen and natural resources from game-law violators.

Chattooga County: On Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, Game Warden Isaac Roberson was patrolling the area of Little Egypt Road in Chattooga County for deer hunting activity. It was the second day of primitive-weapons week, with firearms season opening the following Saturday on Oct. 19. 

“Along a gravel road off Little Egypt Road, I saw a red Ford dually pickup truck parked,” officer Roberson said in a DNR incident report narrative. “I noticed a lot of blood on the bumper and in the bed of the truck, along with what appeared to be hair from a deer.”

Game Warden Roberson ran the truck’s tag and it came back to a 26-year-old man from Rome. After about 15 minutes, the truck’s owner came out of the woods wearing camo and a hunter-orange vest.

“I identified myself as a Game Warden and asked to see his hunting license. While he was retrieving his license, I asked how far he was hunting into the property and if he had seen anything that morning. He said he was hunting approximately 300 to 400 yards into the property, and that he saw a bunch of does. He also told me he shot a coyote. I then asked what he was hunting with. He told me he had a muzzleloader. I asked where it was. He told me he left it back in the property. I then asked why he left it. He told me he had a lot of things and was going to drive his vehicle back there to get it.”

The hunter located his license, and Game Warden Roberson found that his licenses were valid.

This 8-point Chattooga County buck was killed illegally with a .243 rifle during primitive-weapons season.

“I also made him aware that I saw the blood located on the bumper of his vehicle. He told me his buddy killed a deer and he helped him track it the day before. I told him I would like to follow him into the property to see the coyote he shot and to verify what weapon he was hunting with. We were just about to head into the property, and he stopped me and stated, ‘Man I ain’t going to lie to you, I shot a deer this morning with my rifle.’ He also stated, ‘I’m being honest with your right there, I know I shouldn’t have told you I shot a coyote, I didn’t, I got nervous. I shot a buck this morning with a rifle.’ 

“I then followed him into the property. He took me to the rifle that was located along a field edge.”

The rifle was a .243, illegal to hunt deer with during primitive-weapons season. The hunter then took Game Warden Roberson to an 8-point buck that he had shot that morning with the rifle. The hunter was issued a citation for Hunting With An Illegal Weapon. The buck was seized and taken to Weesner’s Wild Game Processing in Summerville for the meat to be donated. The antlers were removed and logged into evidence at the DNR Region 1 Law Enforcement office. 

Heroism Award For Game Warden Tsiklistas

Game Warden Matt Tsiklistas (center) was honored by Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp (far right) with the Acts of Heroism Award for saving a driver from a burning vehicle after a crash on State Route 25 in Glynn County. Also pictured is DNR Deputy Commissioner Thomas Barnard (left).