Info Sought On Poached 200-plus Iowa Giant
By Mark Melotik
The search continues for the poacher of a giant Iowa whitetail killed August 1st or 2nd in Louisa County, Iowa, along the far-eastern edge of the state not far from the Mississippi River.
Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for the arrest of the perpetrator of the crime involving the high-profile 200-plus-inch deer, which fed regularly in daylight in a cut silage field just off a heavily traveled roadway. The precise area in question is near the intersection of 130th St. and J Ave. southwest of Grandview. The area is situated roughly between the cities of Muscatine and Burlington.
“This happened just a half-mile from my house; I saw this deer maybe 10 times in a month and half, beginning in late June,” said state Conservation Officer Joe Fourdyce, whose territory includes Louisa County. “It was hanging with six other bucks, a bachelor group. One time I saw the buck out feeding I had an 18-year-old kid with me; I told him, that deer is going to die because he’s not afraid of being seen. And less than 10 days later he was dead.”
According to Fourdyce, the dead deer was discovered about 9 a.m. on Aug. 2, in the yard of a resident not far from the cut silage field. Fourdyce said the man had let his dog out at 9 p.m. the night before and noticed nothing unusual. But when he again let the dog out the morning after, the deer was lying dead in his yard.
An unfortunate series of events hampered the investigation into the deer’s death. For one, Fourdyce was out of town that day, and a coworker was several counties away picking up a new work vehicle in Des Moines. In addition, the resident who discovered the deer called the Sheriff’s Department, which sent over a newly hired sheriff who mistakenly gave the resident a salvage tag to claim the deer.
The resident subsequently cut the head off the carcass and brought it to a taxidermist, while the deer’s body was taken to a transfer station, and then to a landfill.
After hearing the story, the taxidermist immediately realized the resident did not have a right to claim the head and called officer Fourdyce. The taxidermist was then connected to Fourdyce’s coworker, who subsequently voided the salvage tag. The officer had also attempted to halt the transport of the deer’s carcass to examine it for evidence. But the carcass had already been taken to the landfill.
Fourdyce, looking at photos of the wound found on the buck, believes it was poached using a crossbow, with a large, two-blade mechanical head.
“l’ve looked at hundreds of car-hit deer, and this deer had definitely been shot,” Fourdyce said. “In my opinion it looked like it was shot in the butt with a crossbow, which makes sense because no one heard a gun shot.”
Fourdyce’s investigation found no evidence that the deer had been hit by a car, and he lamented the loss of the carcass, which might have held the suspected crossbow bolt.
“I wish there was a better outcome. But I can tell you this much, if it was somebody local, I would have known by now,” Fourdyce said.
Fourdyce went on to say the only other lead he’s uncovered is that an unfamiliar black flatbed truck was seen in the immediate area during the time in question, but further investigation has so far come up dry.
“Doing this job, a lot of people exaggerate how big a deer is in a situation like this, but this is a pig of deer. The taxidermist put a tape to it and came up with 214 inches. And this deer was still growing, it easily had another inch to go on its tines.”
Still another twist to this story? A neighbor of Fourdyce found the buck’s matched sheds from last year. He said he had passed the deer while hunting last fall, despite its estimated score in the 170s.
Currently being held as evidence, the head will likely be mounted by a taxidermist and become part of the state’s Wall of Shame display comprised of illegally killed animals from across the state.
“That’s probably where it’s destined to go,” Fourdyce said. “It’s a heck of a deer.”
Anyone with information on this case can call Conservation Officer Joe Fourdyce directly at (563) 260-1225, or call Iowa’s anonymous tip line at (800) 532-2020.