Over this past Christmas break, the carcasses of 11 deer were found in Emery County. The heads of some of the deer were missing. The bodies of all the deer were left to rot where they fell.
This was something to brag about. And when the bragging became loud and offensive, authorities were notified. Two weeks ago charges were filed against five juveniles and three adults.Wildlife authorities have confirmed the 11 dead deer but believe there are more, maybe as many as 30. One caller told game officers this was not the first killing spree by the perpetrators, just the only time they had been caught.
The shootings took place between Dec. 23 and Jan. 5. There was no set pattern to the killings. Some deer were shot during the day, some at night.
Reports from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources show the suspects would go out and shoot a deer, then return home and change vehicles. In cases where a buck was shot, they would return to the site in a different vehicle, remove the head from the deer and return home.
On some of the outings, boys apparently took along their girlfriends. Sometimes, older brothers took along their younger siblings, DWR officers reported.
All of the heads were found in a shed. Seven different rifles were seized, from cheap .22-caliber rifles to expensive high-powered rifles.
A test of manhood? Rite of passage? Food?
"Bragging. That's all it was," said Roger Kerstetter, wildlife investigator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in the Southeastern Region. "They didn't take the meat. There were no real trophies. Some of the deer were small two- and three-points. They even shot does. Then they went to school and bragged. If you can't brag, what's the purpose?"
Officials believe as many as 14 to 16 students at Emery High School knew about the shootings.
"Those who were bragging the most said they weren't worried because they were under 18. `If you're going to do something, do it before you're 18 because nothing will happen to you,' is what we hear all the time," said Carl Gramlich, a sergeant in law enforcement with the DWR.
This case is different, however, in that it has sparked considerable public outrage. DWR officers have received numerous called from angry residents. People are angry not only over the shooting, but at the bravado some of the suspects have exhibited.
"The thing is, all of these people are licensed hunters. They hunt during the deer season. They've been through a hunter safety class. They know better," said Kerstetter.
Some contend the go-easy-on-juveniles attitude shown in some rural communities perpetuates the problem.
In February of 1996, for example, one juvenile and one young adult took a .22 caliber rifle into the hills to do some killing. Officers found 104 spent cartridges, six dead deer, one dead elk and the blood trails of several wounded animals. In this case, too, boastful bragging followed.
The judge sentenced the juvenile to pay $600 in restitution, but gave no fine and no probation. The state law established by the Legislature sets a restitution fee of $400 for a deer and $750 for an elk.
"Restitution for the deer alone should have been $2,400. In some cases the fine is less than what it costs us to process film to present as evidence," said Kerstetter.
"Some of the locals have the idea that it's people from Salt Lake City coming here, shooting the deer and then going back to the city. That's not the case at all. We don't know how many deer are being killed by kids out looking for some fun. We'll never know."
One problem law enforcement officers face in poaching cases is that once a deer has been shot it doesn't take long for predators to scatter the evidence. Even when carcasses are found, finding the violator can be extremely difficult.
Another hurdle is an unwillingness for some to get involved.
"We had a guy call us recently and tell us he saw two kids loading a 33-inch buck in the back of a truck. He said he didn't want to get the kids in trouble, so he'd think about it and call us back. He never called back. That's what we run up against," said Gramlich.
Currently, there are about 10 unsolved poaching cases involved decapitated deer in the Southeastern Region.
Kerstetter is concerned the problem is getting worse.
"It used to be winter was a pretty quiet time. Not this year. We're starting to call this area `Death Valley' because we've had so much poaching lately. Just the other day someone shot an adult bald eagle. There was no reason for it, they just shot it," he said.
Officers said the only apparent explanation for the shooting of the 11 deer in Emery County is wanton destruction of wildlife. While a blackmarket trophy head can bring several hundred dollars, all of the poached bucks in this case were too small to be considered trophies. The largest measured 28 inches, but most were 18 inches or smaller.
Also, there was no challenge to speak of. Wintering deer are an easy target. The bodies of many of the deer were riddled with bullets, showing the shootings were more for the fun of it rather than the sport.
Robert Elswood, head of the DWR's law enforcement, stressed that this problem is not confined to Emery County.
"It's statewide. Maybe not to this magnitude, but we're investigating other cases in other counties. It seems like we usually have maybe one like this a year. For some reason, this year we've got four or five. I don't know if we're better at our jobs in locating evidence or if there is more poaching going on," he said.
Kerstetter said that what is encouraging to him in this case is that the parents in the Emery case have been extremely cooperative, "and that's not always the case. They do not approve of what the kids did and some, in pretty strong words, let them know it."
"The same can't be said for all of the kids involved. They're still bragging that nothing is going to happen to them. One even called the other day and ask when he could get his rifle back."
On Feb. 2, charges were filed in 7th District Court against Myron Jeffs, 18, Rodney Magnuson, 19, and James Curtis, 18, all from Emery County, and five juveniles in 7th District Juvenile Court.
Charges include three felony counts of wanton distruction and four felony count of aiding and assisting. Each felony conviction carries a $5,000 fine and/or up to five years in jail. There were also 15 class A misdomeanor charges filed.