Authorities in Tennessee aren’t sure exactly how many deer Eddy Albert and Densibel Calzada illegally killed.
But investigators believe the pair “could have poached at least 40,” according to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Sgt. Matt Brian.
And the kills were documented, with photos and “grotesque” videos that disrespected the dead animals, the agency said.
So Albert, 21, and Calzada, 23, have been hit with lifetime hunting bans in the state – a punishment that also applies in most other states, Tennessee wildlife officials said in a news release.
“Their actions were among the worst I have seen for their lack of respect to our landowners and to our wildlife,” Brian said.
The men were charged with hunting out of season, hunting without permission, illegal transportation of wildlife and not reporting the deer they had killed, according to the TWRA.
The Tennessean reported that the men entered guilty pleas in Rutherford County General Sessions Court.
Albert and Calzada must each pay $5,000 in restitution and complete 100 hours of community service, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Their rifles and bows have been confiscated.
“If they decide to hunt or poach again, they face the likelihood of going to jail,” Sgt. Jonathan Lee, another wildlife officer, said in the agency’s news release. “With their actions they have created a bad situation for themselves.”
Authorities uncovered video evidence of “the two men celebrating their kills,” according to the release.
“They were getting on top of the deer and doing all sorts of things,” TWRA spokesman Doug Markham told the Tennessean. “They had one where the deer was still alive and they blew his head off. They were high-fiving each other after showing the hole where they had shot one at nighttime.
“I didn’t see all of the videos, but the officer said some of it was just really grotesque.”
Markham told NBC affiliate WSMV that the pair would “get on the back of the deer, slap it on the side of the neck or the head, make jokes and thumbs up, and do all this kind of stuff that really is an immature way of acting.”
Officials learned of Calzada and Albert in December, when they responded to a trespassing call. About 48 hours later, they were contacted by the police department in Smyrna, Tennessee, where officers had stopped the duo after receiving a report of gunshots near the local airport.
“The wildlife officers began their investigation after Smyrna Police Department officials told them that Albert and Calzada had a rifle and dead deer in a pickup truck, and were probably responsible for the reported shots,” according to the release.
Eventually, officers searched their homes and cellphones, and discovered pictures of the deer – “the most incriminating evidence,” according to the TWRA.
The men “pursued unethical poaching methods rather than following the lawful path of ethical hunters,” the agency said in its news release, and have “lost privileges to hunt in Tennessee and most of the United States.”
Most states abide by the Interstate Wildlife Violator’s Compact, “which means a ban in Tennessee is upheld by every compact member,” said Brian, the TWRA sergeant.
According to Outdoorhub, 44 states are members of the compact, and four others are in the process of joining.
Nebraska and New Jersey are the only states that are not members and are not joining, the site said.
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