Deer illegally shot, left to die near Pioche
Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens are seeking information on a deer that was shot and left to suffer and ultimately die near Pioche in the early morning hours of May 31.
The Operation Game Thief Citizens’ Board is offering a $500 reward on information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
The mule deer, an otherwise healthy buck with velvet-covered antlers, was shot in the spine with a small caliber bullet. Evidence from the crime scene shows obvious signs of prolonged struggling on the front two legs as rear legs likely paralyzed from the spinal injury. It was found a few miles east of Pioche off the Four Mile Well road.
“Poaching in itself is always bad, but this crime is even more sinister because the poacher left the animal to suffer for perhaps as long as hours before it died,” said Cameron Waithman, game warden from Boulder City. “The damage from the bullet was predominantly isolated to the spine area, and the deer likely died of shock or blood loss.”
The small caliber bullet and the deer’s location right next to a road would have made the animal’s crippled condition obvious to the shooter.
This poaching has nothing at all to do with hunting, said Waithman. There are no hunting seasons open, and the shooter could not possibly have had any reason to be out looking for or killing big game.
“When you see such callous cruelty to wildlife, we have even more of a desire to catch the person responsible,” said Don Quilici, a member of the OGT Citizen’s board that is offering the reward. “I hope the reward helps to motivate someone to tell game wardens what they may know. We need to find the person responsible for this senseless act.”
Anyone with information on the poaching can contact Operation Game Thief (OGT) at (800) 992-3030. Callers may be eligible for the $500 reward and calls will remain anonymous.