Joshua Tamirat Wielhouwer kills 9 deer with bows during illegal hunting spree, leaving 9 carcasses strewn across Wyoming town of Cody.
A man in Wyoming has been arrested for going on a deer killing spree after hunting down no less than 9 deer with a bow and leaving their carcasses strewn across town.
Joshua Tamirat Wielhouwer, 20, of Jensen, Michigan, turned himself in after fleeing following a foot chase with Wyoming game wardens on patrol in the Park County area.
The man’s arrest comes after the carcasses of nine deer were found scattered across Cody, Wyoming.
Repercussions of illegal deer hunting
Weilhouwer is facing 18 counts of trophy animal hunting charges – nine counts of unlicensed taking of a big game animal and nine counts of wanton destruction of big game.
He was chased on foot by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department game warden, Spencer Carstens, who spotted the suspect carrying a compound bow.
Most of the carcasses were found scattered around the Park County Complex property. It houses the local library and other public buildings that are surrounded by green space and some small ponds.
The area attracts some of Cody’s sizable urban mule deer herd according to the Cowboy State Daily.
Court documents said that two bucks, six does and a fawn were killed and found with hunting arrow wounds between August 27 and September 4 across Cody, including one found floating in a pond.
Security footage was gathered by Carstens and the Wyoming Game and Fish department as part of their investigation, showing a silver car that matched the one found at the sight of the foot chase, according to the Powell Tribune.
Each class A misdemeanor charge carries a fine of up to $10,000 and one year in jail.
The strewn carcasses led to locals outraged with one local posting on social media, ‘It’s a good thing I did not find this jerk first.’
‘If they (the deer killed) are all mulies, that’s huge concern. They are the main species of deer here in Cody,’ local Vince Vanata told Cowboy State Daily.
Wielhouwer is currently in custody with bail set at $36,000. His defense attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Cody’s deer population suffered a recent decline due to harsh winters. It is legal to hunt deer within town limits in Wyoming with licenses and permission given from property owners according to state laws.
