https://www.jsonline.com/story...records/84174212007/


LINK HAS PHOTOS OF THE DEER.



Wisconsin man lied in effort to register antlers of 49-point, game farm deer

Paul A. Smith
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel



A Wisconsin man has admitted his story about shooting a potential state record white-tailed deer during the 2024 muzzleloader season was a lie.

In fact, Richard Waters of Markesan had purchased the massive antlers of a farm-raised deer and tried to pass them off as a wild whitetail, a Department of Natural Resources' investigation found.

DNR wardens determined the rack was from a deer that was raised and died on a game farm and was purchased by Waters.
He even went as far as having the 49-point, non-typical rack mounted by a taxidermist and measured by certified scorers in an attempt to have it recognized by the Wisconsin Buck and Bear Club and the Boone and Crockett Club.

"I'm stupid, yes," Waters, 62, said when confronted by DNR conservation wardens with evidence proving the antlers were from a captive animal.


The evidence included a photo of the deer when it was alive at Yoder White Tails, a deer farm in Dalton, Wisconsin.


The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel obtained copies of DNR reports of its investigation of Waters and the rack.


The extraordinary antlers created a stir in Wisconsin hunting circles beginning in February when Waters contacted the Wisconsin Buck and Bear Club asking to have the deer measured. The club is the state's official big game record-keeping organization.

Per protocol, Waters had completed necessary paperwork, including the signing of a "fair chase" affidavit attesting the deer was a wild animal harvested legally and in accordance with ethical hunting practices, according to WBBC. However, he did not submit all required photos.


Waters claimed to have shot the deer Dec. 6 while hunting on private land near Harrisville in Marquette County. He said he was hunting with his .50-caliber muzzleloading rifle.

In a written account submitted to WBBC in February, Waters claimed to have been "watching this deer for 3 years" and to have "captured it on my field camera 2 years ago." "This year I was lucky enough to have put him in my crosshairs during muzzleloader season," Waters wrote.

The 49-point white-tailed deer rack submitted by Richard Waters was taped for measuring by scorers with the Wisconsin Buck and Bear Club. A DNR investigation determined the rack was from a deer that was raised and died on a deer farm.
According to Waters' fabricated story, he shot the deer in late afternoon Dec. 6 and waited until it was almost dark to look for a blood trail. He found blood but no deer and decided to back out.

After a "sleepless night" he returned early the next day to the property and again found a sign, including a "puddle of blood that was still wet," Waters claimed. So he opted to wait again, and the next day, Dec. 8, while searching he saw something in a thicket.


"I couldn't believe my eyes," Waters wrote. "My perseverance paid off. Finally I tagged my buck, loaded him in my sled and dragged him to my vehicle. The adventure was over for this hunting season."

It was just beginning for the off-season, however.

Waters contacted WBBC, submitted his written testimony and signed affidavit and requested the club score the buck.


The rack was initially measured Feb. 7 by WBBC members Marlin Laidlaw and Wil Resch. They came up with preliminary scores of 307 2/8 inches gross and 300 5/8 inches net (after deductions for antler asymmetry).

The score would have smashed the Wisconsin record for a non-typical whitetail, held by a 253-inch, 30-pointer taken in 1973 in Buffalo County.

A DNR investigation determined the rack came from a farmed animal.

As is common practice for potential record-book deer, the WBBC then arranged for a scoring panel to be held. It was scheduled for the Open Season Sportsman’s Expo, held March 28-30 in Wisconsin Dells.

The panel, including Boone and Crockett measurers, determined the rack was 312 1/8 inches gross and 306 5/8 inches net. The mounted rack was displayed at the Wisconsin Dells show indicating it was a potential state record.

However, the score was pending an investigation.

Hunters and record keepers alike expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the rack. Social media was flooded with comments about its unnatural appearance.

A photo shows captive white-tailed deer at Yoder White Tails in Dalton, Wisconsin. The buck in the center of the image died on the property and its rack was eventually purchased by Richard Waters of Markesan.

Validity of potential record antlers questioned

"Despite the initial excitement surrounding the potential record-breaking entry, the panel immediately noted several red flags, including the unusually bright white coloration of the rack, the absence of any broken or chipped tines, and the complete lack of field photographs documenting the harvest," WBBC said in a statement to the Journal Sentinel.


In the days following the show DNR conservation warden Ben Nadolski began receiving calls questioning whether the rack Waters submitted was a wild deer. The agency commenced an investigation.

It's not illegal to buy a game farm rack or to have a game farm deer mounted. It is illegal to register a game farm deer as a wild deer.

Initial calls by DNR wardens to landowners in the area Waters claimed to have shot the deer received no indication such a huge non-typical deer had been present.

One neighbor stated they "have 27 cameras out and no pics of that deer," according to a DNR report.

DNR wardens Brad Latza and Ben Mott interviewed Waters at his home April 2. During the meeting Waters maintained the deer had been legally hunted. He also shared the written account he had previously provided to WBBC. When asked if he had any pictures of the deer in the field, Waters said he never took his phone with him in the field because he’d probably lose it. The only photos he had was after it was mounted.

Waters showed the wardens a copy of his 2024 Wisconsin deer hunting license with the registration confirmation number written on it.

As the wardens left, Waters said maybe he wouldn't "get so much slack now."

In short order, though, the DNR investigation uncovered information proving the buck was a game farm animal that had been improperly registered.

The DNR found the buck had been raised and died several years prior after being gored by another buck at Yoder White Tails deer farm in Dalton. The rack was then legally sold to Richard Klemm of Brandon, an acquaintance of Waters'.

Waters then legally purchased the skull plate and antlers from Klemm for $600, Waters admitted.

According to DNR records, Waters then kept the rack on a shelf for a few years before last December, when he initiated his unsuccessful attempt to register it and have it recognized by record-keeping organizations.


Waters took the rack on Dec. 20, 2024, to Mark Minning of Mark's Taxidermy in Markesan to be mounted. Waters also delivered a cape from another deer to allow for a shoulder mount. Minning finished the job a couple months later and Feb. 15 delivered the mount to Waters' home.

Waters had Minning take photos of the mounted buck. Waters was wearing blaze orange clothing and knee-high rubber hunting boots.

In addition, Waters hired Rachel Van Den Hout of Berlin to take photos of him with the rack. During a Jan. 11 photo session, Waters pressed Van Den Hout to make a photoshopped image of the antlers on the body of another deer.

Van Den Hout informed Waters taking a photo of a photo to place the antlers on anther deer will not look right, according to the DNR report.


Waters admits truth after second interview with DNR wardens

Wardens Latza and Mott returned to Waters' home April 8 for a second interview. This time they presented facts they had uncovered, including a photo of the deer when it was alive at the deer farm, subsequent sales of the rack and the unnatural appearance of the antlers.


After initially maintaining his innocence, Waters eventually admitted to making up the story.

Latza told Waters that his story did not hold up to the facts and the wardens were there to have him be honest.

Latza asked Waters directly: “Did you kill that deer?” Waters answered “No, I did not.”

Waters stated after he bought the antlers he hid them above his shop in a corner. They sat there for several years before he attempted to pass them off as a wild deer.

“God, I thought you were smarter than this,” said Brenda, Waters' wife, according to the DNR report.

The wardens confiscated the mounted antlers and cited Waters for false registration of a deer. The citation had a potential forfeiture of $1,147.50.

The charge against Waters was filed May 15 with the Green Lake District Attorney's office.


On June 12, Waters signed a "no contest" plea. As such, he was found guilty of failing to keep accurate records as required or otherwise providing incorrect information. He was required to forfeit the deer head and pay a fine of $544.50.

In addition, his hunting and fishing privileges are revoked for one year.

The DNR is in possession of the deer head, Latza said.

Hunting "Ranks" contain some of the most ridiculous individuals...

When it comes to money and fame.

Some can not resist

Good Lord what an absolute lowlife.

He could have been penalized a lot more than he was. In addition to the DNR citation, which is a non-criminal offense, he could have been charged with and likely convicted of obstructing an officer. That is, lying to a cop during the course of their investigation. That's a misdemeanor offense with maximum penalties of nine months in the county jail, a fine of $10,000 or both.

I truly don't get guys like this. Years ago I prosecuted a guy who shot several big bucks in one season; one apparently was not enough for him. He used his wife's tag, a friend's tag an a relative's tag. He would also get his wife to drop him off in a city park at night and would shoot them with a crossbow. He also killed multiple turkeys without tags.
He got caught because his wife ratted him out during the course of a very acrimonious divorce.

He ended up losing his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for three years, paid thousands in fines and we took a couple very expensive crossbows from him. Plus the trophies, of course.

I knew a guy who proudly showed a bunch of pictures of a 200+ inch buck that he claimed to have shot on his ranch property in east Texas. He forgot that he had posted on Facebook the week prior of his hunt on a well known high fence, "deer farm" in south Texas.