Two Mississippi men have pled guilty to several wildlife charges after illegally hunting white-tailed deer in southeast Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The men were forced to pay more than $15,000 in reparations.
Dawson Brown, 25, and Jase D. Smith, 24, both of Poplarville, Mississippi, were charged in separate county courts with hunting without the required licenses and permits, among other crimes.
Brown pleaded guilty to seven crimes in Belmont County Court, including using a motor vehicle to hunt, using a firearm during archery season, hunting after hours, and possessing untagged deer parts. He also hunted without a nonresident license or a deer permit, and he used a flashlight unlawfully.
Brown took two deer with antlers graded at 166-2/8 and 154-5/8. He was ordered to pay $13,169.37 in restitution plus $865 in fines and court expenses. His penalty includes 30 days in jail, three years of probation, and a three-year suspension of his Ohio hunting license. The authorities also seized five firearms, a spotlight, venison, and four antlered deer heads.
Smith pleaded guilty to four crimes in Muskingum County Court: hunting without authority, failing to inspect a harvested deer, and hunting without a nonresident license or deer permit. He was fined $249.25, ordered to pay $1,885 in restitution, sentenced to 30 days in jail, and forfeited his Ohio hunting rights for three years. A crossbow, spotlights, and a deer mount were surrendered.
Smith also appeared in Belmont County Court and pleaded guilty to possessing untagged deer parts. He was fined $605, given three years of probation, and given a suspended 60-day jail sentence. Two deer skulls were also confiscated.
Both men are now put on the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which means their hunting privileges will most certainly be suspended in 47 other states, including Mississippi, for the next three years.
The ODNR stressed the need for citizen participation in reporting wildlife offenses. The Turn-in-a- Poacher hotline, 1-800-POACHER (1-800-762-2437), accepts anonymous tips.