Steve Niese, 24, of Leipsic, has been convicted of three charges related to poaching a record-size buck in Hancock County during the statewide youth gun deer-hunting season, which was conducted before the state's gun deer season, which ended Sunday.
Mr. Niese was charged with shooting a deer with a rifle - not a legal deer-hunting weapon in Ohio - plus shooting a deer with a gun during a closed season and of hunting without permission on private land. He was sentenced in Findlay Municipal Court to 90 days in jail with 60 days suspended and fined $550. His hunting privileges were suspended for three years. He was also ordered to forfeit a .30/06 rifle and the deer.
Kirk Kiefer, state wildlife officer in Hancock County, said the charge of shooting a deer with a rifle was a repeat offense.
"I gave him his eighth, ninth, and 10th tickets," Mr. Kiefer said. He has been cited seven times previously for wildlife violations.
The wildlife officer said the case evolved from a tip from the Putnam County sheriff's office, and that Mr. Niese, who apparently had a 9-year-old with him, saw the buck, and returned to his truck for a rifle to shoot it for himself.
The deer, Mr. Kiefer said, has a potential record-book score, initially measuring 173 inches total, green, or undried. Antler size shrinks somewhat after drying and final scoring is not done until then."Maybe the guy thought it was a good time to poach a deer because Ohio State and Michigan were playing," Mr. Kiefer said. "Unfortunately I'm from Indiana and could care less."
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