https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2025/11/07/tennessee-deer-hunter-guilty-illegal-prison-property-3-deer/87131026007/?fbclid=IwY2xjawN_LoVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEefDwOMedw0iO1tD7Es_Qo6lRmXuDRs-O6r2Y8UISdwoNaXP89xxYUL91fv8Y_aem_SvIUdZo41CmusKJvms17-g
11/07/2025
A West Tennessee man was ordered to pay thousands to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency and give up his hunting license after he illegally killed three deer on prison property.
The 53-year-old Henning man pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of illegal possession and one misdemeanor count of hunting without permission in Lauderdale County, the wildlife agency said in a news release Nov. 6. Lauderdale County is about three hours west of Nashville and an hour north of Memphis on the Tennessee, Arkansas state line.
Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency Lt. Tim Ward heard reports in January that a 15-point, double drop-tine, meaning some of the antlers point down, deer was shot in Lauderdale County.
“Lieutenant Ward was familiar with this deer, as it had been spotted frequently around the West Tennessee State Penitentiary (WTSP), where hunting is prohibited,” the agency’s news release said.
Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency Lt. Tim Ward stands between two mounted taxidermied deer and the antlers of a 15-point, double drop-tine deer after they were hunted illegally on prison property in Lauderdale County.
After interviewing witnesses, Ward got a search warrant to track the Henning man’s cell phone and where it pinged on cell towers in the area. Evidence found during the search warrant, and other corroborating evidence, showed that the man actually killed three deer on the prison property, the news release said.
“The three bucks had a combined gross score of 491 5/8 inches and were declared contraband by Lauderdale County General Sessions Judge Scott Lovelace,” the news release said.
Those deer were taxidermied and will be used for educational displays by the agency, the news release said.
The man lost his hunting privileges for six years and was ordered to pay $17,500 in restitution to the wildlife agency and $850 to the taxidermist who mounted the deer.