Another world-class buck has fallen in Indiana. Sadly, it was the result of another hunting violation in the Hoosier State. You may recall the Chris Brackett scandal in recent years where Brackett illegally killed two deer on one hunt in Indiana, a state with a one buck limit. However, in the Outdoor Wire story below, you’ll see the culprit in this case tried to be a little more sneaky with his mis-doings. Here’s the story of an Indiana man that illegally killed a 200″ buck and tried to get away with it.
Indiana Conservation Officers are reporting that a Dubois County man has been convicted of illegally taking what most hunters would consider a buck of a lifetime.
Mark Gill, age 56, of Holland, harvested a non-typical 20 point buck with more than 200 inches of antler during the 2016 season after already taking a buck earlier that archery season. This violated the state of Indiana’s one-buck rule.
Gill had the buck mounted before it was confiscated by the state due to his violations. (Photo: INDNR)
As part of his plea agreement with the Dubois County Prosecutor’s office Gill’s hunting license privileges will be suspended for a period of two years, he will serve 100 hours of community service, be on probation for 540 days and pay $741 in fines and court costs including a $500 replacement fee.
It was determined that Gill caped out the second harvested buck of the 2016 season and froze it until the 2017 season before checking it in. By doing this he provided false information to Indiana’s deer harvest information system.
Because of his Indiana hunting license suspension, Gill will be entered into the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. This is an agreement that recognizes suspension of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses in 48 member states. The only states not currently in the violator compact are Massachusetts and Hawaii.
Gill pled guilty to unlawful taking of a white-tailed deer (Class B Misdemeanor) and providing false information to a check station (Class C Misdemeanor).
The TIP (Turn In a Poacher) program, which is a way for anonymous callers to provide information about wildlife crimes, was used in this case.
Indiana Man Illegally Kills 200″ Buck – Closing Thoughts
We want to hear from you. Did Gill get off too easy in this case?
Comment below and let us know if you think he should have received more/less punishment for the crime.
