Conservation police charged a Wonder Lake hunter, who is a repeat offender, after he broke numerous laws while killing a deer in McHenry County.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police said that CPO Todd Semenik concluded an investigation into the Wonder Lake hunter on January 12.
The man illegally harvested a 12-point buck whitetail deer approximately 42 minutes after legal shooting time and over bait on a large vacant tract of land, police said.
The hunter, who police did not publicly name, was issued a $10,000 civil penalty for the assessed value of the protected species.
He was charged with unlawful take of whitetail deer, deer hunting by the aid of bait, unlawfully hunting between ½ hour after sunset and ½ hour before sunrise, hunting on lands without permission of owner, unlawfully archery hunting within 100 yards of an inhabited dwelling, destroy real property of another while hunting, failure to tag deer immediately upon kill, no valid deer permit (permit only valid on property where permission to hunt has been obtained), and unlawful feeding/baiting of wildlife.
“This is the fourth time this hunter had been cited for similar wildlife and trespassing violations by IDNR Conservation Police,” officials said.
The most recent citation was for hunting with the aid of bait on a different property in early December. The hunter’s crossbow was seized as evidence and the conservation department will be seeking forfeiture.
Police said that Rodger Brandt, owner of Wayne’s Country Market in Marengo, waived all processing fees for their services and the deer meat will be donated to a needy family in the area.