Adam Timmerman of Cherokee, Iowa was sharing a special moment with his son Mason on a late season muzzleloader hunt at the end of January. The pair were hunting the Timmerman’s private property just before dark, and after Mason placed a shot on a beautiful buck, decided it would be best to recover the animal the next morning.
What they found the next morning shocked the seasoned hunters, inciting both anger and disbelief. As they approached the carcass of the animal, the Timmermans were shocked to find just only the torso of the beautiful deer they shot just the evening prior.
In what appears to be an act of blatant trespassing, poaching, and egregious wanton waste, Adam Timmerman immediately contacted Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources and put up a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever trespassed on his property and removed the head of the deer.
“It’ll give me great pleasure to write that check when we catch him,” Timmerman to the Chronicle Times. “It’s possible it was another hunter, but we don’t know for sure who did it. It was a nice buck and Mason had a clean shot at him. He ran off over a ridge and we couldn’t find it until the next morning. “Somebody drove or walked by and trespassed on our property to cut the head off. What kind of trophy to hang on your wall would that be?”
According to reports, Officer Brent Koppie of the Iowa DNR has stated that the case is under full investigation and the perpetrator could be subject to fines of upwards of $10,000, depending on the charges filed.
As it stands right now, the person(s) responsible would likely face a myriad of charges including unlawful possession, hunting without a license, theft, and trespassing.
Koppie and Timmerman encourage anyone with information on the incident to call the DNR “TIP” (Turn In Poachers) TIP HOTLINE (1-800/532-2020) or call Koppie at 712-260-1010, or Timmerman at 314-378-2911.