Conservation Law Enforcement Corner – February 2022

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.

Wilcox County: On Nov. 17, 2020, at 2320 (11:20 p.m.), Game Warden Kennedy was passing by Brushy Creek Road while traveling southbound on Highway 233 and noticed a Silver GMC Sierra stopped in the middle of the dirt road with individuals standing around the truck. As Game Warden Kennedy passed the vehicle, he noticed a light shine across the field toward Highway 233. Game Warden Kennedy turned his patrol vehicle around and turned off his lights, tail lights, and pulled onto Brushy Creek Road where he could see the vehicle.

Game Warden Kennedy followed the truck on Brushy Creek Road for approximately 1 mile. The Silver GMC Sierra continued to shine a handheld light at every field on Brushy Creek Road and turned its headlights on and off multiple times as it pulled up to the fields. Game Warden Kennedy conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Brushy Creek Road and Sandy Road. 

When Game Warden Kennedy turned on his blue lights, he noticed a rifle barrel stuck out of the front passenger window. The gun was then moved inside the vehicle.

Game Warden Kennedy approached the vehicle and noticed blood on the driver’s and two passengers’ clothes, as well as blood on the tailgate. Game Warden Kennedy stated that he noticed the blood and asked the suspects if they had been tracking some deer that night. They responded with “something like that.” 

As Game Warden Kennedy was headed back to his truck, he noticed more blood on the truck. He looked in the back of the truck and found two large whitetail does and one small yearling whitetail doe. Game Warden Kennedy asked the suspects where the deer came from, and they stated that they had shot those deer earlier during daylight hours while hunting on their property. Game Warden Kennedy noticed that the deer were still very warm and rigor mortis had not yet set in on those deer. Game Warden Kennedy advised that legal shooting light ended at 1803, and they have been caught with very warm deer at 2320. 

Three suspects were charged after being caught shining Wilcox County fields at 11:20 p.m. and having three dead deer in the bed of the silver GMC Sierra pickup truck.

Four rifles were found in the vehicle, two of which were loaded with one in the chamber, along with a head lamp they used to shine the field. 

All guns were secured, photographed, and serial numbers were taken down by Game Warden Austin Biggers and Game Warden Even Nobles, while Game Warden Kennedy issued citations to the three occupants in the vehicle. The front passenger admitted to hunting earlier in the day from a deer stand and was found to be a non-resident hunting without licenses. 

The driver and two passengers were all charged with hunting deer at night, hunting big game from a public road, and hunting from a vehicle. All guns and ammo were returned to the vehicle after citations were issued, and the deer were loaded into Game Warden Kennedy’s patrol vehicle.

Game Warden Kennedy located a spot on Brushy Creek Road where suspects shot one deer in the ditch and followed the blood trail up the ditch to where the deer died and was drug back down and laid in the road before being loaded into the vehicle.

The deer were taken to the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office and distributed to needy families.