Ohio Buck Not Free-Range, Hunter Cited
1/12/2009


An Ohio hunter who reported he had killed a nontypical buck green scoring 220 inches in the wild and with a bow has been cited by the Ohio Division of Wildlife for providing false information to a check station.

The Ohio DOW originally reported to media outlets that the huge buck, taken by Rob McCarley of Circleville, Ohio, on December 8 had been killed in Franklin County with a bow on open lands as reported to them by McCarley. It was said that McCarley has killed seven deer that would qualify for the state’s Buckeye Big Buck Club, two of which exceeded 185 inches, not counting the reported buck.

On Monday, Vicki Ervin, communications manager for the DOW, clarified the earlier report through an email that stated the deer was taken legally, but not in Franklin County, not in the wild and not with a bow. McCarley allegedly took the deer on a pay-to-hunt preserve.

“It was reported to state wildlife officers that McCarley paid $12,500 and shot the deer with a rifle,” Ervin writes. Misreporting such information is a crime. Ervin said McCarley has been cited for providing false information to a check station and attempting to pass off the buck as killed in the wild with a bow. The citation was filed in Circleville Municipal Court.

Send the lying bastard to jail.

And then shut down those canned hunts!

I really dont get why someone would do that. Id rather kill forkhorns legally than do crap like that.

He, darner and others show that some will go to any and ll lengths to stroke their own egos

Just the kind of guy who gets the head mounted on his wall, then makes up a good story of how he killed it spot and stalk.

I hope he loses his hunting privileges forever for that kind of stunt.

I want Snellstrom in charge of our legal system.

If he'd send this guy to the big house imagine what he'd do to real criminals!

Perry

Living in Franklin county, I know of a 'trophy farm' of about 320 acres where it is high fenced and you pay by the B & C point. You can actually go to the web sight and pick your buck. I wonder if this is where this one was taken? The most interesting part is that the farm runs right against interstate 70 between columbus and newark. You can see the deer standing in the pen during the winter. I keep wondering what happens if someone leaves the road and runs through the high fence and lets the deer out.
The sad part is that if you actually hunt in this area, there are a good number of 120 to 150 bucks and you never know where the next record buck could be.

quote:

It was said that McCarley has killed seven deer that would qualify for the state’s Buckeye Big Buck Club, two of which exceeded 185 inches, not counting the reported buck

What are the chances of that? I recall the guy from Colorado years ago that was shooting 30" mulies on an annual basis and became part of the Remington 700 advertising. Come to find out he was killing them in closed areas out of season. I also recall a guy in Wyoming that a couple years in a row just happened to catch the new state record walleye....until he was caught netting spawning walleye in the Platte River at night with a spotlight.

Perhaps 1% of all legit hunters have shot a 170+ whitetail and only a fraction of them shoot a couple such bucks (you'd really have to work at it).

I have more respect for somebody that takes a decent eight-point fair and square.

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Norman:
I recall the guy from Colorado years ago that was shooting 30" mulies on an annual basis and became part of the Remington 700 advertising. Come to find out he was killing them in closed areas out of season. .

His name is darner,see the thread about him being sentenced for game violations

http://forums.accuratereloadin...3411043/m/4821068001

Frankly I think it is pathetic to shoot a pen deer but it is inconcieveable to then claim it was an actual hunt.
If he will lie about that and go to great lengths to legitimize his "trophy" just think what kind of a person he is. Maybe let him be "bubba's" date in the state pen for a few years an he'll see the error of his ways. As for hard criminals; people that commit violent crimes against other people (predators) are like bad dogs that need to be put down, no day camp, work release or posh prisons.

Snellstrom has my vote!

Matt Norman brings up an interesting point. How many bucks are killed in a year and what percent are 170+, I'd be interested to know.

Perry

I wonder if they could confiscate the deer...

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
Frankly I think it is pathetic to shoot a pen deer but it is inconcieveable to then claim it was an actual hunt.
If he will lie about that and go to great lengths to legitimize his "trophy" just think what kind of a person he is. Maybe let him be "bubba's" date in the state pen for a few years an he'll see the error of his ways. As for hard criminals; people that commit violent crimes against other people (predators) are like bad dogs that need to be put down, no day camp, work release or posh prisons.

Agreed!
MM

MONEY.

quote:

As for hard criminals; people that commit violent crimes against other people (predators) are like bad dogs that need to be put down, no day camp, work release or posh prisons.

I volunteer for the firing squad

I'll line them up.

Perry

I think a few people are over reacting. Jail time would be a little extreme for something like this but having ones hunting privileges stripped for 10 years and any animals he has in any record books be removed and him no longer eligible in the future would seem to fit the crime.

Killing any animal on a canned hunt, hunting from a pen, whatever you wish to call it...absolutely escapes me. Whats the point??

FN in MT

I am in awe of a truly beautiful trophy - regardless of where it grew up, it is impressive.

I am amused by and yet jealous of someone with the money to pay $12,500 to shoot a deer.

I am disappopinted that the days of honesty in the record books is over - forever. How often do you look at these pics nowadays and the first thing you wonder is if it was legally taken and taken in the wild? How often do you think back to the Mitch Rompola buck?

I am happy this guy got caught. The deer was legally paid for and shot - $85 or so per pound of venision - hope he enjoyed it. He lied on some reports to get rich, but in the day and age when many people think nothing of cheating on their taxes to get rich then why should you be suprised that he tried.

He was dumb enough to get caught and probably won't be much smarter in the future. Now his 5 minutes of fame is over.

buckeyeshooter,

That place wouldn't happen to be east of town right along I-70 would it? I spent 6 years in Columbus, and driving past that place (to a real hunting property) really rubbed me the wrong way. Not to call someone an ass, but being allowed to use illegal hunting methods for the state because you're behind a fence (and the deer are tame, or dumber than the average yearling)??? What a bunch of crap. They can call themselves hunters when murder is legal - never, ever. JMHO

gd

erict
Don't give up on the records books, there really are some impressive animals being killed every year and some are killed by hard working, driven, working guys and girls just like us. Boone & Crockett does an impressive job of sorting out fact, fiction, ethical and fair chase. Not perfect and they have been fooled but very few slip through on the B&C guys.
What it all boils down to is how badly do some of these people want to be recognized for something?
To me it is all about individual morals and some people have NONE. If they are capable of shooting a farm raised deer then fabricating a story and try to register it as a legit trophy then you must know they are capable of other devious acts.
This, in my opinion exhibits bad character
but it should not taint the efforts of legitimate hunters who work hard for their prize whether or not they choose to enter it in the records books.

Circleville Man Pleads Guilty To Illegally Checking Whitetail Buck Taken On Shooting Preserve

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Rob McCarley of Circleville pleaded guilty to providing false information to a check station for checking in a hunting preserve buck as a wild deer during the 2008 archery deer hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

McCarley reported to a deer check station that he killed the buck, which green scored 220, on Monday, December 8 with a longbow on private property in Franklin County. State wildlife officers were later informed that the deer was taken legally, but on a pay to hunt preserve in northeast Ohio and that McCarley paid $12,500 for the deer and shot it with a rifle.

McCarley had previously killed seven deer that would qualify for the Buckeye Big Buck Club, two of which were over 185 inches. The Division of Wildlife discovered that one of these deer, a 191 class deer, was also killed on a shooting preserve in 2006 and then falsely checked as a fair chase, wild deer killed with a bow in Franklin County. He admitted to this violation and as part of the plea agreement the Division of Wildlife will not pursue charges on any other deer or make recommendations to other agencies to pursue charges provided- McCarley gives a full disclosure statement on all deer killed on a shooting preserve and falsely checked as a fair case, wild deer- and permanent metal tags, if available, from falsified deer are returned to the Division of Wildlife (note: McCarley's attorney advised the Division of Wildlife representatives that after being interviewed by officers, McCarley burned all of his deer mounts).

Judge Gary Dumm in the Circleville Municipal Court honored the plea agreement between the prosecution and McCarley's attorney. McCarley was given the following maximum sentence for a fourth degree misdemeanor: $250.00 fine plus court costs, 30 days jail - suspended, two years probation with no related wildlife violation, three years hunting license revocation, and an apology letter to sportsmen.

quote:

Perhaps 1% of all legit hunters have shot a 170+ whitetail and only a fraction of them shoot a couple such bucks (you'd really have to work at it).

Without trying to do numbers, I am pretty sure that if you made it .01%, that is one out of a thousand legit hunters (or maybe less) have shot a 170+ whitetail you'd be a lot closer to the truth.

As far as this guy who made the false reports goes, he is a liar and a fruad, but the guy selling the whitetails is simply a farmer selling a product. I'm all for him if he can find people to pay his prices. You don't have to like it, I personally don't and wouldn't do it, but we're not his clientele.

Personally I think he got off too light but, in reality, he didn't really harm anyone except himself. Now everyone who might know him as a hunter knows he's a liar and a fraud. A very high price to pay for your ego IMO.

Gd,
you know the spot. They have a billboard next to I-70 with the webpage and 3 and 5 day "Hunts".

You're allowed to hunt deer with a rifle in Ohio if it's on a private reserve?

Unfortunately this is allowed many places. Everyone is saying this is just about ego but I doubt it. I have seen a lot of this crap over the years. It is usually about money somehow. I dont have a problem with preserve hunts if that is what one wants to do. My problem is tryng to pass it off as something it is not. I have also seen people out and out poach to get a big animal. It is usually related to trying to sell either a product or oneself, all on false pretenses.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
You're allowed to hunt deer with a rifle in Ohio if it's on a private reserve?

Yeah Frank, unfortunately it is so......
It ain't fair chase of course, but the deal is it doesn't matter to some jerks who will just lie about it I guess.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Smith:
My problem is tryng to pass it off as something it is not.

Mike.

Exactly.

Don

In private game reserves(high fence areas) the owner picks the weapon used (rifles allowed) in all other areas managed by the state legal weapons for deer are shotguns with slugs, handguns with straightwall cartridges over .357 mag and .45 cal and larger muzzleloaders.