Two Arrested For Deer Poaching

Two Terra Alta hunters illegally killing a trophy buck. Natural Resource police was alerted on October 22 around noon. Officers Sgt. GA. Johnson, Officer J.A Rhodes and Officer P.S. Ferguson conducted surveillance near the hunting camp close to Terra Alta. That evening Ferguson and Rhodes spotted a pick up truck leaving camp. The officers followed the truck into Terra Alta then made traffic stop and found a 10-point buck in the back of the pick up truck. The two hunters Ernest Nice age 39 and Bryon age 37 were issued each three citations for illegal position of wildlife, giving false information to an officer and hunting without a license. Officer confiscated the buck deer, which had an inside antler measurement of 15 1/4 inches, making it large enough to qualify under the enhanced penalties section of the West Virginia hunting regulations regarding the illegal taking of trophy bucks. Both hunters will have to pay minimum of $1,000 replacement cost under the trophy deer regulations and up to $2,805 in fines and court costs.