ANGELINA COUNTY, Texas – Texas Game Wardens were tipped off to an illegal killing of a whitetail deer over social media after an Angelina County teenager bragged about the dead buck online, the department said in a statement to KSAT.
According to officials, an Angelina County game warden received a report about a large buck killed in southern Angelina County known to frequent a hayfield at night near a county road.
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A local teenager posted pictures of the deer on Facebook, saying it had been killed with a bow.
On October 23rd, thanks to some social media bragging by a local resident, a Texas Game Warden stationed in Angelina County was able to secure a full confession on the illegal killing of a large whitetail buck from the public road at night with a rifle during bow season. pic.twitter.com/z4iI7CMIWh
— Texas Game Warden (@TexasGameWarden) October 24, 2020
The department said the game warden patrolled the area and found marks on the ground where the buck was dragged from the hayfield to the road. The deer’s hide and carcass were found in a nearby creek.
Another game warden, also an avid bow hunter, was called in for a second opinion to help determine the means by which the deer was killed, officials said.
“After a quick examination, the wardens agreed the deer had been shot with a rifle and then a bow,” the department said.
According to Texas' hunting regulations, Angelina County is one of 252 counties in the state with an “archery-only” season for hunting whitetail deer. The archery-only season runs from Oct. 3 to Nov. 6 in most of the state.
The game warden told a family friend of the teenager about the evidence collected against him and the buck killing and he later confessed to the hunting violation, officials said.
Criminal charges and civil restitution are still pending.