The desire to be known as a big buck legend seems to have cost yet another hunter his reputation and standing among his family, friends and community.
After being faced with the facts, Richard Waters of Markesan, Wisconsin, finally admitted that he was guilty of his scheme to pass off a massive set of deer antlers from a farm-raised buck, as a wild whitetail and potential state record.
Like other fakes before him, Waters built a fairly elaborate story and scheme about how the buck came about. He even had the 49-point, non-typical rack mounted by a taxidermist and measured by certified scorers in hopes of having it recognized by the Wisconsin Buck and Bear Club, as well as the Boone and Crockett Club.
Unfortunately, the deer was recognized in a far different way than Waters had hoped.
In fact, the buck was ultimately recognized from a trail cam photo taken from a whitetail game farm in Dalton, Wisconsin prior to its death.
The buck was a pen-raised deer from Yoder Whitetails, a game farm not far from where Waters lived. The buck died after being gored by another buck on the farm, and the rack was legally sold to Richard Klemm, an acquaintance of Waters.
Waters then legally purchased the skull plate and antlers from Klemm for $600.
According to DNR records, Waters then kept the rack on a shelf for a few years before taking action on his poorly planned hunting story.
After having the deer mounted by a taxidermist, Waters would later pose for a number of post-hunt mock up photo sessions.
Back in February, Waters contacted the Wisconsin Buck and Bear Club (WBBC) asking to have the deer measured. The WBBC club is the state’s official big game record-keeping organization.
Waters laid out his story for the club. He even signed a “fair chase” affidavit attesting the deer was a wild animal harvested legally and in accordance with ethical hunting practices required for the record books.
Waters claimed to have shot the deer December 6th while hunting on private land near Harrisville in Marquette County. He said he was hunting with his .50-caliber muzzleloading rifle.
Waters appeared to have his story memorized quite well, consistently claiming to have been “watching this deer for 3 years” and to have “captured it on my field camera 2 years ago.” “This year I was lucky enough to have put him in my crosshairs during muzzleloader season,” Waters told the club.
According to Waters’ story, he shot the deer in late afternoon on December 6th and waited until it was almost dark to look for a blood trail. He found blood but no deer and decided to back out. He ultimately claimed he found the deer several days later.
The rack was initially measured on February 7th by WBBC club members and was given preliminary scores of 307 2/8 inches gross and 300 5/8 inches net, after deductions.
The buck’s score would have easily surpassed the Wisconsin record for a non-typical whitetail, held by a 253-inch, 30-pointer taken in 1973 in Buffalo County.
“Despite the initial excitement surrounding the potential record-breaking entry, the panel immediately noted several red flags, including the unusually bright white coloration of the rack, the absence of any broken or chipped tines, and the complete lack of field photographs documenting the harvest,” WBBC said in a statement.
DNR wardens Brad Latza and Ben Mott interviewed Waters at his home on April 2. During the meeting Waters maintained the deer had been legally hunted.
He also shared the written account he had previously provided to WBBC. When asked if he had any pictures of the deer in the field, Waters said he never took his phone with him in the field because he’d probably lose it. The only photos he had was after it was mounted.
After further investigation, the trail cam photo of Waters’ buck standing smack in the middle of the Yoder game farm surfaced. And that’s when the story took a swift change.
Wardens Latza and Mott returned to Waters’ home on April 8th for another round of questions. However, this time they presented Waters with the facts they had uncovered, including the photo of the deer when it was alive at the deer farm.
Waters eventually admitted to making up the story and confessing that he had not killed the deer.
“God, I thought you were smarter than this,” said Brenda, Waters’ wife, according to the DNR report.
How did Waters reply to his wife?
He simply said, “I’m stupid, yes.”
The wardens confiscated the mounted antlers and cited Waters for false registration of a deer. The citation had a potential forfeiture of $1,147.50.
The charge against Waters was filed May 15 with the Green Lake District Attorney’s office.
On June 12, Waters signed a “no contest” plea. As such, he was found guilty of failing to keep accurate records as required or otherwise providing incorrect information. He was required to forfeit the deer head and pay a fine of $544.50.
In addition, his hunting and fishing privileges are revoked for one year.
The DNR is now in possession of the deer head, according to Latza.
What do you think about this case? Did Waters get off easy? What should his punishment have been?
Comment below, and let us know what you think.
