Yep, first question. Am I being arrested. Next, am I being detained. Then am I free to go? If the answer is no, then go.
Clinton county giant?
- Thread starter Wiley E Coyote
- Start date
- 39,121
- 274
The case I was talking about.
A Bellevue hunter is facing a record $27,851.33 bill for the large buck he shot with his bow last year in the Willard area.
Lifelong hunter Arlie Risner, 58, believes he has nothing to be ashamed of.
He says he pleaded no contest to a charge of hunting without permission because his lawyer convinced him it was an inexpensive way to take care of a citation from the Division of Wildlife.
He paid a fine of more than $300, but figured that when a year’s probation expired, that would be it and he could get back to hunting and fishing.
Risner said he was stunned when he got a letter demanding $27,851.33 in restitution from the ODNR. He can’t hunt or fish in Ohio until he pays, and if he doesn’t cover the bill, he could face a collections lawsuit from the attorney general’s office.
“I’ve never been in trouble in my life,” Risner said. “I don’t think I’ve even done anything wrong.”
The hunting story
Risner’s deer hunting woes date back to Nov. 10, 2010, when he says he went bow hunting on property owned by his cousin, Marcella Handshoe, along Town Line Road No. 12 in Willard. He hit a large buck with his arrow.
“I hit it good,” Risner said.
He saw the deer leap away, losing the arrow sticking out of its neck.
The licensed hunter followed the buck’s blood trail to CSX Railroad property and found the animal where it had dropped. He tagged it, entering the proper information, and took it to officially check in at a Shelby hunting store.
On Nov. 14, a game warden showed up at Risner’s house, saying Risner had been turned in for hunting on railroad property. Risner said he tried to show the game warden where he’d hit the buck, but his cousin had cut the grass, removing the blood trail.
Handshoe said her cousin did nothing wrong.
“He was on my land and he had permission,” said Handshoe, who said she showed Division of Wildlife agents the trees where Risner took cover when he shot the deer. “I am so upset over this whole issue.”
“I know him as well as I do my brothers,” Handshoe said. “Arlie has always been an honest person. I have never heard anything bad about him.”
Arlie said he did what any hunter would do — follow the deer he wounded and harvest it.
The Division of Wildlife investigator who handled Risner’s case, however, said that there was evidence Risner broke the law.
Jeff Collingwood, wildlife investigator for the division’s office in Findlay, said he was sure of Risner’s guilt. If he wasn’t “100 percent certain,” he would not have sought charges, Collingwood said.
“There’s a fence that separates it,” Collingwood said of the property line.
He said officers found gouge marks from a tree stand on a tree on CSX property that the officer accused Risner of climbing, and found deer bait nearby, within bow shot of the tree stand.
Wildlife officers also found deer guts on railroad property and linked it to Risner’s deer using DNA. A blood trail was found on railroad property, but no blood trail could be seen on Handshoe’s property, Collingwood said.
Risner maintains that he didn’t know he’d set foot on CSX property and said there’s no way he could have scaled the tree Collingwood said he did. Why? Because he’d recently had surgery for colon cancer and there’s no way for him to climb a tree like the one that had marks in it.
Clearly, Risner said, someone else had scaled that tree and put the bait out.
Ken Fitz, law enforcement program administrator for the Division of Wildlife, said it’s irrelevant under the law where Risner shot the deer. If he claimed it on property where he didn’t have permission to hunt, it’s still a violation of the law.
Risner pleaded no contest — technically not an admission of guilt — on Feb. 23 and paid his court fine. The ODNR confiscated both the antlers and the meat
I have no clue on this particular buck, but I don't feel sorry for anyone doing anything illegal when it comes to poaching game. My advice when confronted by a wildlife officer if you are guilty, man the fuck up and quit wasting the officers (and taxpayers) dollars. Sometimes there are jealous hunters, and sometimes the person is just a blatent poacher with no conscience or real fear of repercussions. My experience is most chronic poachers are also narrasist and sociopaths. Play stupid games win stupid prizes.
That was my mantra growing up and all the way through the majority of my adulthood. Yeah, not anymore. After seeing some shit go down, and hanging around law enforcement for sometime now (SIL is a cop, Daughter works for the county DA office) there’s now way when law enforcement shows up in an official capacity, I’m not requesting advice of counsel…..
I'm just tired of seeing bad people not get what they deserve, that's all. I think more times then not LE won't be knocking on the door of someone who is completely innocent.
Last edited:
Iowa_Buckeye
Smartest person here
I’d really doubt a GW would confiscate a deer based on a rumor, minus any hard evidence. But who knows…..
When I shot my best deer back in 2010, I actually called the local GW that day and left him a message, just in case rumors started. He never called back, and I had nothing to hide. I had no need not to talk or get an attorney involved.
When I shot my best deer back in 2010, I actually called the local GW that day and left him a message, just in case rumors started. He never called back, and I had nothing to hide. I had no need not to talk or get an attorney involved.
I get what you’re saying Joe but STFU and not cooperating with the investigation if you are totally innocent is making yourself LOOK guilty, IMO. If a hunter/citizen is 1000% innocent of any wrong doing what harm could it be if you showed proof what your story is by actually offering the TRUTH? Unless those that are investigating are dishonest or crooked to begin with wouldn’t that at least show you are ACTING innocent and have nothing to hide?
Your story about the hunter retrieving a deer he shot on legal property but recovered railroad property has a bit of wrong doing(gray area) isn’t quite the same as the totally legal scenario I’m talking about. If this kid killed this huge buck on his sisters property and recovered it on his sisters property then why would he have something to hide?
Anymore, it’s best to video your hunt and recovery of any buck over 140” just in case some jealous idiot that was after that deer gets wind of it that you killed it and starts stupid rumors. If you’re lucky enough to kill a potential WR and you didn’t video anything on your phone/camera then that’s on you. Lol
Any deer over 140? Shoot. I've found it just gets more locals crowding in on you. They hunt the property stupid. You offer insight to aid them and they don't listen. They blow all the deer out. Nobody kills anything. Lol
I agree with many though: big deer antlers are making people more stupid.
F social media in every way, shape or form. It has ruined more good things than it has helped.
I’m just saying document it in case anyone comes after you. There’s encroachment everywhere nowadays. All it takes is one person seeing a nice deer from the road and word spreads, calls are made/permission for hunting access are requested and it starts getting crazy from there! It’s stupid what hunting has become. Lol
Mike Beatty of Green county notified and took the GW to the kill site and layed out everything that happened the very next day while sign of the kill was easy to read quickly putting any rumors to rest. Smart move ! He also called a lawyer that morning also.
bigten05
*Supporting Member*
You know thinking back we have been stopped multiple times by the game wardens and have never been asked for written permission. I always have it but have never been asked for it. I guess if you act like you know what your doing and don't give them any crap they don't care about it until there is a reason to. I think you would have to be brain dead to shoot a deer like that and parade it around like he did if it wasn't legal.
ThatBuckeyeGuy
Active Member
Can't like this comment enough ... it goes way deeper than just deer. I don't have social media other than two hunting forums but I've seen the Damage it can do
I called the GW in 2004 on a guy trespassing on my neighbors land. My neighbor was out of the country at the time. The GW told me he could not do anything if the land owner himself didn't call. I said what about hunting without permission? He said that's only enforced if the land owner reports them!
triple_duece
Ragin Cajun.
- 9,580
- 159
So did the owner of the railroad call? There is lots of gray area and depending on the agent how much leg work he wants to try to do. Every person is different. These agents are trained to recognize peoples antics that gives tells. Just saying.
Yep. The landowner must press charges themselves, which many are afraid to do. In reality it's a painless process that they really don't have to be involved with much at all.
I see what you're saying, Ric. I guess the bigger the deer, the bigger the stupid. I didn't want to post any of my deer the last few good ones and they are NOT CLOSE to this caliber. Not sure I want to kill one at this caliber. It is a game of cat and mouse or a chess match between me and the deer. It's nice to have friends like the guys on TOO to celebrate with you. But in the end, it was a personal victory. Parading the thing around to have people blow up your ego isn't what it is about. Taking it to the deer expo so you and the other "big buck killers" can stroke each other off isn't what it's about. I know of some really great deer that don't make it to the forums or social media. I understand why they don't want to share them. It brings the ugly side of deer hunting out. Those guys aren't hiding anything illegal. They just don't want to deal with this side of things.
- 39,121
- 274
Do you trust your freedom, license, and financial outcomes to comolete strangers? How about strangers whose job it is to investigate you that can charge you with crimes? You don't know those people from Adam, they could be complete crooked shitbags for all you know. Looking guilty isn't the same as proving that you're guilty. Why do you care if they think you're guilty, they aren't your friends and aren't going to send you a Christmas card and invite you to the family BBQ. Their opinion of you is irrelevant. Be polite, be cordial, be friendly, and call your attorney. That is your absolute right. Twisting the truth and flat out lying are FAR more common that you think by prosecutors and police officers in court.
bigten05
*Supporting Member*
I just seen on Instagram someone posted that deer and said poached and confiscated. Makes me laugh nobody knows what's going on with it but are gonna stir the shit. If everything was legal it's really gonna leave a bad experience for this kid, one comment said the prosecuting attorney is the owner of the property next to where he shot it. So that goes with what has been said here but if he's involved in the legal case isn't that a conflict of Intrest? I'm again leaning towards its legal and he's getting screwed by the system.