The AZGFD is offering a reward for tips that will lead to an arrest in a mule deer poaching case.
On Jan. 25th, AZGFD officers received an anonymous tip that a mule deer doe had been poached. This illegal killing took place in the Superstition Mountains, within Game Management Unit 24B.
Once officials arrived on the scene, they found that the deer’s backstraps had been removed and the rest of the meat was left to waste. Additionally, officials investigating the area and the animal believe it was killed the night of Jan. 24th or in the early morning of Jan. 25th.
During the investigation, officials found that the doe mule deer was shot close to the shoulder of Hewitt Canyon Road (Forest Road 172). This area is a popular and well-trafficked recreation area and officials believe that someone may have seen or heard something. As a result of the lack of information in the case, the AZGFD is offering a reward of $1,500 for information leading to an arrest in this case.
“If you saw anything suspicious or a post on social media around these dates that may help us solve this case, we want to talk to you. Poachers are not hunters. They are thieves stealing wildlife from the citizens of Arizona. Please call our Operation Game Thief Hotline. Your information could help catch a criminal.” – Will Hull, Mesa Area Wildlife Manager
If you have any information on this incident you can call the AZGFD’s Operation Game Theif Hotline by dialing 1-800-352-0700. You can also report information to AZGFD’s website by clicking here. Likewise, you can read more Arizona hunting news by clicking here.
