Western OK – An investigation by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation resulted in multiple citations for a hunter accused of illegally killing a turkey in western Oklahoma earlier this month.
According to officials, the case began on April 19 around 1:15 p.m., when Lt. Dylan Jones, the game warden for Ellis County, received a report from a landowner about suspected illegal hunting activity on private property. The landowner provided trail camera photos showing a vehicle entering the property.
When Jones arrived, he found evidence indicating the turkey had been shot from a nearby county road. Evidence included a 12-gauge Winchester Long Beard XR shotgun shell, the wad from the shot, along with dried blood and feathers near a cattle guard where the bird was believed to have been killed.
Jones then contacted James Edwards, the game warden for Beckham County, to assist with the investigation. Edwards reviewed turkey harvest reports from April 16 between noon and 2 p.m., narrowing the list to four individuals whose information matched the approximate age seen in the trail camera images.
Further investigation, including reviewing driver’s license records and comparing them to the photos, led wardens to two primary suspects. Using mapping tools, wardens identified a residence where a vehicle matching the one captured on camera was located.
Wardens met in Clinton before traveling to the Oklahoma City residence. Upon arrival, they observed the same vehicle parked in the driveway.
After interviewing the suspect, wardens obtained a full confession.
The individual was cited for multiple violations, including illegal possession of wildlife not legally taken, shooting from a public roadway, hunting with the aid of a motorized conveyance, and hunting without landowner consent. The suspect’s shotgun and the harvested turkey were seized as evidence.
Authorities reported the case was completed by approximately 6:30 p.m. on April 19.
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