BUSTED: Michigan Poacher Left a Trail of Decapitated Deer

Here's a wild case from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Biweekly Reports that started the way most bad ideas do: with someone thinking no one would notice.

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Headless Deer Raise Red Flags

Conservation Officer (CO) Andrew Monnich and Probationary CO Joel Hill were first contacted by a hunter who stumbled across two headless deer near his property. Disturbing, illegal, and not something you just shrug off. Then the phone rang again. Same hunter. Same area. Now a third deer. Also headless. Also dumped roughly 50 yards from the road. And this one was still fresh enough to basically wave hello. 

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DNR Officers recovered a small-caliber rifle round from the scene, which led them to think “maybe we should stay here overnight.” With that, COs Eric Smither and Tom Jakkola were called in, and the team set up an overnight patrol in the area where the deer kept mysteriously losing their heads.  

Overnight Patrol Pays Off

Early the next morning, a vehicle began slowly cruising the area, which is never suspicious unless you're doing it without headlights while shining fields for deer. That's when officers initiated a traffic stop and found a loaded rifle and thermal imaging, along with suspected drug paraphernalia. Because when you're already breaking wildlife laws, why not multitask? 

Backyard Discovery Seals the Case

The driver consented to a visit back to his residence, where officers found a buck hanging from a tree in the backyard, shot more than 10 days earlier, and thoroughly spoiled. Nearby were five freshly severed antlered whitetail deer heads, apparently collected without licenses, and all shot from the roadway. 

RELATED: DNR Wants Your Deer Head — No, Really: Here's Why They Need Thousands

MLive reports charges are being sought through the Lenawee County Prosecutor's Office. The takeaway, per the DNR: if you're going to poach deer, maybe don't leave half of them behind like breadcrumbs. The woods are quiet, but they're not blind.