Internet posting of 12-point buck felled by arrow inside Horseshoe Bay gets teen in trouble with police, game wardens
HORSESHOE BAY — An Internet posting of a 12-point buck killed from a residential balcony by an arrow has landed a 16-year-old boy in hot water with local and state authorities.
The deer, which was brought down Nov. 15, lived inside the city limits and was well known to officers because of its antlers, said Police Chief Bill Lane in a prepared release Dec. 19.
"The illegal killing of deer and other animals in this community will simply not be tolerated," Lane said in the release.
After an investigation, police and state game wardens determined the buck was shot with a bow and arrow from the second-story balcony of a residence in the Slick Rock area.
The teen was detained Dec. 16 under juvenile delinquency statutes related to the offenses, officials said.
The city has an ordinance prohibiting the use of a bow and arrow, firearm or blowgun inside the city limits, as well as another that outlaws hunting unless under certain conditions, Lane said.
Along with the local violations, the kill exceeds the annual bag limit on deer and hunter safety violations, according to game wardens.
If convicted, the teen could face up to a total of $5,000 in fines and an additional $4,300 in civil restitution for the deer, Lane said.
The youth also could lose future hunting privileges unless he pays the fines and restitution.
The 12-point buck was already known to police. Lane said an officer had taken a photo of the animal just a day earlier.
Officers had not seen the buck since late November and began to suspect a poacher had gotten it, Lane said.
Police joined with game wardens to determine what happened to the animal, the chief said. Investigators followed a lead to a Web posting of what appeared to be the deer’s head.
If the buck had been legally taken, it would have placed fifth in the Texas Big Game Awards for Region 4 for the 2010-2011 hunting season, Lane said.
Deer poaching inside the city limits isn’t uncommon, he added.
On Nov. 17, officers found a dead 10-point buck in a vacant lot on Lucy Lane that was killed by an arrow. Then on Nov. 20, a Deer Haven resident reported seeing two deer shot by arrows.
"Our police officers are tasked with the mission of protecting the public and our natural resources. We work very closely with other state, county and local agencies to accomplish just that," Lane said in the release.