Hunter shoots deer from vehicle and threatens to kill property owner, TN officials say

A group of hunters shot two deer from a vehicle in Tennessee, then one threatened to kill a property owner who confronted him, officials say.

Now the 22-year-old has pleaded guilty to multiple charges, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The man and two companions were “road hunting” in Hawkins County at around 11:30 p.m. last August with a spotlight, officials said in a news release.

From a vehicle, they shot and killed a doe and a seven-point buck while the deer hunting season was closed, wildlife officers said.

A property owner confronted them, and the 22-year-old is accused of pointing his gun at the man and threatening to kill him.

When a deputy later found the group, the hunters had a spotlight and hunting rifles, officials said. They were taken into custody, and a third person was charged as an accessory.

In Tennessee, it’s illegal to use light to hunt deer from a motor vehicle unless you are on your own property or have explicit written permission from the property owner.

About a month after the incident, an officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency was serving the man with a criminal summons when he found a buck deer carcass in the backyard, officials said.

Four days later, wildlife officers executed a search warrant at the man’s residence. They reported finding 11 sets of deer antlers, which they say were poached.

In addition to the antlers, investigators said the man shot a bearded hen turkey and did not check it in, and they also said he checked in the deer carcass as an archery harvest despite not having an archery license.

“Over a three and a half year period, (the hunter) was charged with killing or assisting in killing 15 deer illegally, and admitted to poaching 20 deer from the road in 2020 alone,” wildlife officer Justin Pinkston said in the release. “Sadly, most of these deer were left lying and were never recovered.”

The man was convicted of poaching in May 2021 and pleaded guilty to similar charges at the time.

Now, his hunting privileges have been revoked for life.

He pleaded guilty Feb. 23 to “aggravated assault, spotlighting deer, hunting from a motor vehicle, and a second and third offense of hunting big game in closed season,” wildlife officials said.

He’ll serve concurrent sentences of six months in prison and has been ordered to pay $12,500 in restitution, officials said. Wildlife officers also confiscated hunting equipment and items harvested from animals.

The man’s attorney information is not available in case records.

Hawkins County is in northern Tennessee near the North Carolina and Virginia border, about 80 miles northeast of Knoxville.

This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Hunter shoots deer from vehicle and threatens to kill property owner, TN officials say."