Michigan man could face jail for sabotaging brother's hunting spot
Siblings find the darnedest ways to fight.
A Michigan hunter used a tactic seemingly straight out of a "Looney Tunes" cartoon to get back at his brother, sparking an investigation by the Department of Natural Resources.
The suspect sprayed deer repellent around public stands used by his brother to hunt in Newaygo County, less than 50 miles north of Grand Rapids, a DNR report states.
DNR officers received a complaint from the brother, who gave DNR officers video footage from trail cameras showing the suspect brother spraying a substance on the stands.
The suspect, confronted by a DNR officer, admitted to the act, according to the department. He said he did it because his brother, the complainant, was intentionally cutting off deer by killing them on public land so that they wouldn't reach the suspect's hunting area at a private camp.
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The complainant said he was "extremely frustrated" because his brother, the suspect, would not allow him to use the camp, that their father had willed to them, without harassment, according to the DNR report.
Lt. Joe Molnar of the DNR said the suspect's hunter harassment tactics are a violation of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. Breaking that law is a misdemeanor and punishable by imprisonment of up to 93 days and/or a fine of between $500 and $1,000.
The suspect is not being named because he is yet to be formally charged, but Molnar said the DNR submitted a report to the Newaygo County Prosecutor's Office, which will decide whether to move forward with charges.
"We get reports of hunter harassment every year — more frequently during deer season," Molnar said. "All hunters and citizens of the state should respect others and hunt ethically and legally."
Contact Omar Abdel-Baqui: 313-222-2514 or oabdel-baqui@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarabdelb
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