Charges Filed in Butte Pit Deer Poaching Case
By angelamontana

Posted: November 21, 2017

Last week, a series of charges were filed against 19-year-old Tanner Maloney of Butte in a case involving the illegal killing of a large mule deer buck known to spend most of its time on the outskirts of the Berkeley Pit.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Enforcement received a tip about the case in which a well- known mule deer was shot around the Granite Mountain Speculator Mine Memorial in the late evening of Saturday, Nov. 4.

Charges filed include unlawful possession, hunting within city limits, and hunting without a valid license.

The 5×5 mule deer met scoring criteria for restitution.

“Pit bucks” or “mine bucks” are bucks that have been living in the Berkeley Pit area for years and, if not hunted, they tend to get big and will often come into neighborhoods and become known to the community.

In September of 2016, FWP encountered a similar case in which a large mule deer buck was shot and mortally wounded in Uptown Butte. Kyler Olsen of Butte eventually pled guilty to charges including unlawful possession, shooting with artificial lights and within city limits, shooting from a vehicle, and abandoning a big game animal among other charges.

Butte Sergeant Coy Kline says he’s thankful for the help of the community.

“We’re lucky to have a watchful public out here that truly values its wildlife. A lot of these cases might go unsolved without this help.”

The best way to alert FWP to wildlife crime in Montana is to call 800-TIP-MONT. Callers may remain anonymous.

(via MT FWP; feature photo via State.com)
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