Alleged poachers busted in Bollinger County; remains of 7 deer seized

A recent felony drug arrest in Bollinger County led to the recovery of seven illegally possessed deer, at least one of which had been poached by spotlight, a conservation official said.

Narcotics also were seized and charges filed against three men. The deer meat found by law enforcement was given to families in need.

Bollinger County deputies ultimately arrested Michael Long and Michael Buesking on poaching charges as well as firearm and drug charges, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

A third man, Andrew Buesking, faces a firearm charge but has yet to be arrested.

Missouri Department of Conservation Agent Jeff Scott, who responded to the violations discovered by Bollinger County deputies two days before Christmas, said that at least one deer, the largest of them, had been killed around 1 a.m. that night.

"Obviously the deer was taken illegally, with what we call the aid of an artificial light," Scott said. "It was shot from a public roadway, shot from a motor vehicle."

A photo of Scott holding some of the deer remains was posted on the Missouri Department of Conservation's Facebook page, including the head of at least a 10-point buck, the severed head of a smaller buck and the skull and horns of another large buck. Several bags of deer meat were also shown in the photo.

Poaching cases like this, the agent said, occur far more often than most people think, with 20 tickets for spotlighting in Bollinger County in the last two years.

"If we're catching that many, there's a lot of this going on," he said. "It's something that agents do every day all over the state."

The Missouri Department of Conservation reported four citations issued in response to the violations by Michael Buesking and Long.

The most recently killed deer, which was intact except for the detached head -- presumably to keep the antlers as a trophy -- was donated whole to a Marble Hill family in need. The additional confiscated packages of meat were given to another family.

"That may be one of the tragedies of this whole thing," Scott said. "This was an opportunity that was stolen from someone who may have been able to kill these deer legally."

Scott said that collaboration with the Sheriff's office is one of the many ways that the public enforces ethical interaction with wildlife.

"It takes all of us, that care about this, to work together," he said. "Your best cases always come off a phone call. You can work 40 hours and never be in the right place, but you get one call and it changes everything. You rely on those good people to be your eyes and ears."

The majority of Wildlife Code violations are considered Class A misdemeanors, with fines up to $1,000 and up to one year in prison. Scott said most situations involving an illegal deer or turkey will pay out in the middle of that range, but it is up to a judge's discretion.

Also worth noting, Scott said, is that many hunters, who practice legal methods, could avoid trouble with Conservation agents by properly labeling their kills.

Chapter 4 of the state Wildlife Code states that all harvested wildlife and parts thereof must be labeled with the name and address of the taker, the date of harvest and the number confirming a tag for that animal.

According to the Bollinger County Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested Michael Long Dec. 23, on charges of assault and armed criminal action. While serving the arrest warrant, evidence was uncovered that led to additional charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, the sheriff's office said.

Arrest warrants were then issued for Michael Buesking and Andrew Buesking based on evidence and information collected during the search, according to the sheriff's office.

Michael Buesking was taken into custody for charges identical to Long: unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. Additionally both men were charged with violations of the Wildlife Code.

Andrew Buesking is still wanted for an active arrest warrant issued for unlawful possession of a firearm.