Iowa students cited on suspicion of deer poaching

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Five Murray High School students have been cited for poaching deer — a growing problem in the state, according to Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials.

DNR district supervisor Mark Sedlmayr tells Des Moines television station KCCI the boys were spotlighting and shooting deer and other animals in the early evening, leaving dead and injured animals where they had been shot.

The five teens were cited Friday for hunting by artificial light, shooting over public roadway, pursuing white tail deer with a rifle out of season and abandoning dead or injured wildlife. Each charge carries a fine of $20 to $100.

Sedlmayr dubbed the illegal hunting “thrill killing,” and said it’s a growing problem in the state, especially among young people.