There has been much talk and speculation being cast about in relation to 2 trophy bucks that were allegedly killed in Botetourt County Virginia on October 21,2015. Well I have been able to gather the true story and wanted to share it with our hunting community.
This is truly a case of " Honesty is the best Policy"...
There were 2 hunters involved, one of which is a resident of Botetourt County who recently moved here from Texas where he ran a big game ranch. The hunters traveled to West Virginia where they participated in a legal hunt on a West Virginia big game preserve. On this hunt they took 2 trophy whitetail bucks. As it stands the two hunters brought the bucks back to Virginia unaware of our strict laws that prohibit the importation of an out of state deer carcass.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title4/agency15/chapter90/section293
The DNR that governs those type of preserves doesn't require that deer taken on the preserve be checked in West Virginia because these deer aren't wild animals. These deer on the West Va preserve are bred, born and raised on the preserve.
Once the hunters returned to Botetourt the word and pictures began circulating.The hunters initially reported that the trophy bucks were taken just moments apart on Botetourt land that is owned by one of the hunters. The frenzy of social media quickly mounted and before too long the hunters decided to check the deer in Botetourt and keep the story going.
Inquires soon began coming into the VDGIF as well as to myself with folks wanting to know what the deal was with these bucks. Initially the VDGIF questioned the hunters about the deer and the hunters stuck and stayed with their fabricated story. Only after a search warrant was served on the land owning hunter did the true story come out.
It's hard to say what the end result would have been had the VDGIF not done their job on this case. It also goes to show that with todays social media outlets, the news travels fast. Although these hunters may have only sought the praise of friends and others, this could have grown into something much bigger like securing a place in the Virginia hunting record books.
Honesty is the best policy!
Had these two hunters just been forthcoming with the Virginia Conservation Police Officers when first questioned there would be nothing to write or talk about and the two hunters would sleep a whole lot easier.
The land owning hunter received the following charges:
*Misdemeanor- for unlawful importation of a deer carcass
*Felony- for 1 count of forgery and falsification of public records
Here are some of the HEAVY DUTY concerns that were also in play with this case that could have had long lasting effect on our Virginia hunting community:
West Virginia is a state that has had CWD(Chronic Waste Disease) problems and these type of preserves are a real concern as it relates to CWD. Nothing short of incineration kills the proteins that are passed through CWD. These proteins continue to exist and can be spread even years later and it's a fatal disease.
Virginia has not, and hopefully never will have to experience the destruction that CWD would bring to our deer population. If you think that this fall has been unique with seeing less deer, just imagine that our deer population was significantly decreased. As a Virginia hunter I take for granted that I am going to see deer with almost every outing, CWD could take that gift away.
I salute Matt Knox who is our Deer Project Leader and Megan Kirchgessner who is our state wildlife veterinarian for spearheading Virginia's proactive approach to CWD amongst other things that benefit each of us in the Virginia hunting community. Also there are no high fence hunting operations or deer farms in Virginia which is great.
I am completely against high fenced, novelty hunting because it proves no skill either way, not to mention the exuberant charges one would have to pay for hunting deer in a barrell ????
Hopefully all of you reading this article already take great pride from earning your harvest and sharing in the honesty of an ethical, real world hunt that has no regrets just great memories.
Jeff Phillips