COEUR D’ALENE, ID – A St. Maries man was sentenced Feb. 18 for the unlawful killing of seven mature white-tailed deer bucks in North Idaho, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Panhandle Region.
The man received $17,200 in restitution and was ordered to pay $525 in meat processing fees, along with all associated court costs. He was sentenced to seven months in county jail — one month for each deer involved in the case. He also received two years fixed and three years indeterminate incarceration for each of two felony convictions; those sentences were suspended and he was placed on probation. The court imposed five years of supervised probation and revoked his hunting license for 10 years.
A second man charged in the case is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.
The two men were originally charged June 27 with eight felony counts related to the unlawful killing of the deer. An investigation by Fish and Game conservation officers documented 56 wildlife violations.
All seven deer were illegally killed in November 2024. Five were taken within a single 24-hour period. Three of the bucks met Idaho’s legal definition of a “trophy” white-tailed deer, which carries enhanced civil penalties under state law.
Authorities said all seven deer were taken outside legal shooting hours, and meat from three of the animals was left to waste.
Fish and Game credited members of the public who reported information through the Citizens Against Poaching hotline. The agency also thanked the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office for reviewing the case and pursuing charges.
