Outdoors: Michigan man charged with poaching 9 trophy bucks

Nov. 30—When major poaching cases break, the general public is usually shocked by the sheer audacity of the violators.

Hunters, as a rule, are outraged, not only by the wanton disregard for any fair chase, bag limits, or the hunting regulations, but also by the fact that our wildlife belong to everyone so a grand theft has taken place.

And to be clear, neither law enforcement nor ethical hunters will ever refer to poachers as anything but criminals. They are not hunters.

A recent case in Michigan throws a spotlight on poaching once again just as the Great Lake State closed its regular firearm season on Tuesday and shifted attention to another month of archery hunting, the upcoming muzzleloader season, and a late antlerless firearm session in the latter half of December.

As police were looking into a possible case of domestic violence last month in the village of Decatur, southwest of Kalamazoo, they came upon some white-tailed bucks that had been poached and stashed in a barn. These were not your average deer. This poacher stole only trophy-class animals. He took the best.

"It's a shame that this criminal ruined the chance for ethical, legal hunters to have their opportunity to take one of these trophy deer," said Lt. Gerald Thayer from the Law Enforcement Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "Not only did this felon steal from the natural resource — he also damaged agriculture crops, and has been doing so for some time. The financial penalty is the minimum he should serve."

The criminal Lt. Thayer refers to is 33-yard-old Justin Ernst, a previously convicted felon who was arraigned recently in Van Buren County court in nearby Paw Paw and charged with a lengthy list of violations. Investigators allege that Ernst had been driving his truck through agricultural fields at night, spotlighting deer, and then shooting the bucks.

Spotlighting involves training a light on deer as they feed or move about after dark. Deer tend to freeze when they face a bright light. Spotlighting deer during the month of November is illegal in Michigan, and throughout the various phases of the deer season, deer hunting is not permitted from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise the following day.

Ernst, who could be responsible for as much as $59,500 in reimbursement to the state for the poached bucks, according to the MDNR, has a previous conviction from three years ago for illegally taking or possessing white-tailed deer. He also has prior felony charges on his record for possession of methamphetamine or Ecstasy, a third-degree felony charge of fleeing a police officer, and a third offense (felony) for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

The MDNR currently has charges pending against Ernst that include two counts of the possession of firearms by a felon, two felony firearms violations, nine counts of taking game illegally, one count of hunting with a revoked hunting license, and one count of obtaining a hunting license when he was ineligible to do so due to previous violations.

The MDNR reported that in mid-October it had received a tip from the Michigan State Police that troopers had been at the Decatur location to investigate a domestic violence complaint against Ernst and while there they had observed several deer in a barn where Ernst was known to spend time.

The account of the case said officers Matt Page and Tyler Cole arrived on the scene soon after receiving the tip, but at the time Ernst had not yet been tracked down by the state police troopers looking into the alleged domestic violence. An individual identified as the homeowner told the MDNR officers that Ernst was possibly under the influence of methamphetamine and that he would often stay out all night and the following morning there would be a new white-tailed buck stored in the barn.

With the permission of the homeowner, the MDNR officers found eight illegal bucks in the barn and seized them as evidence. There were five 10-point bucks and three eight-pointers, according to the published account of the search.

Several days later, the MDNR reported, its poaching hotline received a tip that Ernst had been arrested and was locked up in the Van Buren County jail on the domestic violence charge. The tipster also relayed information on an additional buck stashed in the barn. Returning to the scene, Officer Page found a nine-point buck that he theorized had been killed within the past 48 hours.

Additional witnesses came forward with more incriminating evidence, the MDNR reported, but when interviewed by the MDNR officers, Ernst denied anything to do with the poached deer.

According to the MDNR account of the case, after obtaining a search warrant conservation officers located two shotguns and a crossbow, and in the bed of Ernst's truck they found a bloody crossbow bolt, a short arrow-like projectile used in a crossbow. Under the driver's seat they also found a hand-held spotlight.

Currently free on bond, Ernst is scheduled to reappear in court on Dec. 20.

—Michigan/poaching: Hunters, property owners, and the general public should report all suspicious activity, trespassing, and possible wildlife violations with calls or text messages to the Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline. Calls can be made 24/7 to 800-292-7800. Callers can remain anonymous and might qualify for a reward.

—Ohio/poaching: Hunters, property owners, and concerned citizens are urged to report suspected wildlife violations through Ohio's Turn-In-A-Poacher (TIP) hotline, a toll-free number that takes calls from anywhere in the state at 1-800-POACHER (800-762-2437). Callers can leave tips anonymously 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and callers could be eligible to receive cash awards.