Conservation Law Enforcement Corner – November 2023

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. The following account is provided from DNR LED.

Dodge County: On Nov. 21, 2021, Sgt. Clint Martin, Cpl Dan Stiles and Game Warden Evan Nobles were working night hunting in the West Chicken Road area of Dodge County.

According the incident reports, Cpl. Stiles and GW Nobles observed a vehicle traveling west and observed a light shine out of the passenger window into a peanut field.

“The vehicle then turned onto the road Sgt. Martin was sitting on, and officers observed the light shine from the passenger window again, into another field. Sgt. Martin observed the vehicle traveling south never shining the large fields on both sides of the road.

“Once the vehicle approached the thick pine stand next to the fields, they shined the light again into the pine stand. Sgt. Martin made a traffic stop on the vehicle, which was a 2018 Nissan Sentra,” the report stated.

There were three occupants in the vehicle—two 22-year-old men from Cochran and a juvenile.

“Sgt. Martin asked what they were doing, and the driver said, ‘We are hog hunting, we have permission on these fields.’”

Located in the car was a Colt Model M4 carbine, a .22 caliber rifle, three handguns and spotlight.

“Sgt. Martin asked them why they did not shine the peanut fields by his location if they were looking for hogs and had permission. The passenger said they were just looking to see if they saw anything, they were not going to shoot anything.”

The driver and adult passenger were issued citations for hunting deer at night, hunting from a vehicle, and hunting big game from a public road.