BLOOMINGDALE, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Three men in their early 20’s from Bloomingdale are facing poaching charges for shooting a deer ahead of Thursday’s official start of the firearm hunting season in Michigan.
According to the office of Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott, a neighbor in the area of 41st Street and 24th Avenue reported hearing a gunshot around 11 PM on Sunday and seeing a truck shining a light into the fields.
Deputies dispatched to the scene found a truck matching the description given by the neighbor parked in the driveway of a nearby residence, and came upon the unnamed 21-year-old man and two 20-year-old men “actively field dressing a deer in a barn.”
A loaded rifle was also located in the cab of the parked truck, and “it was determined that they had just shot the deer from the truck using artificial lighting and brought it back to the residence.”
A state DNR officer assisted in the investigation, which led to the seizure of the deer and the firearm. The three suspects await arraignment in District Court on several charges.
