A North Carolina man has forfeited $1,400 for his involvement in four big game violations.

The man admitted to taking an overlimit of deer and the waste and abandonment of three deer during the 1999 hunting season.

The overlimit violation occurred on November 2 near Burlington, according to Worland game warden Matt Lentsch. The investigation began when a concerned citizen reported three deer carcasses, with only heads removed, in a ravine near Dorsey Creek. "I noticed that one of the deer had a leg injury very similar to a deer I had checked earlier in the week at a ranch near Burlington," Lentsch said. He photographed the tire tracks and obtained bullet, meat and blood samples from the carcasses. Lentsch was able to locate the truck he suspected had been used to dump the carcasses. Lentsch and game warden Bart Morris served a search warrant on a Burlington area residence. The search produced enough physical evidence to clearly link the occupant’s hunting party to the violations.

Further investigations by Lentsch revealed that the occupant had also taken an overlimit of deer. The man had killed a 4-by-4 mule deer the morning of November 2. Later that evening he killed a 5-by-5 buck whitetail deer. He used a 16-year-old resident’s youth license to tag his overlimit.

The man admitted killing two deer as well as taking the carcasses out to the ravine and dumping them. When questioned about the waste of the game meat, he stated that the hunters did not have room in a freezer trailer for all of the meat and their luggage. Three of the other hunters in the party thought the meat was given away.

In pleading guilty by forfeiting his right to a trial, the man was fined $400 for his one deer overlimit violation, $600 for three counts of waste or abandonment of big game, and $400 for illegal transfer of a hunting license.

"This case is another good example of citizen participation in wildlife law enforcement," said Lentsch.

He added that anyone with information regarding a Wyoming wildlife violation should call the "STOP POACHING" hotline, 24 hours a day, at (800) 442-4331. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.