Four female Whitetail Deer were shot and left on Honda property sometime around Dec. 4. Wildlife officers are asking the public to help in the case, as there is only minimal information available at this time.
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The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division is looking for a suspect in an active investigation into the killing of four female Whitetail Deer shot on Honda Property near the intersection of Johnson and Rapp-Dean roads.
The deer were shot, but the bodies were never harvested. The bodies of the deer were discovered by a CSX railroad worker and a report was filed on Dec. 4, said Josh Shields, who is the wildlife officer assigned to Union County.
“There is a 72-hour window which they were shot after they were reported,” said Shields. “I assume they were shot at night from the road.”
Shields said he is pretty familiar with the area and it would take someone that is rather bold to shoot the deer during the day due to the traffic in the area and the deer activity.
“It looks like it was a thrill kill or retaliation,” he said. “I have seen people hit a deer with their car and then just start shooting deer.”
Shields said he is looking to the public to help with the case, as there is only the information from the remains of the deer to go on.
“I want to ask the public if they see anything wildlife-related to give me a call,” he said. “No piece of information is too small. Some people don’t report because they think it isn’t a big deal, but that piece of information may be just a small part to something much larger.”
Anyone with information can call in anonymously at 1-800-POACHER.