NEWS RELEASE
Dec. 1, 2023
PINETOP, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is seeking information about the recent poaching of a mule deer in the community of Pinedale, south of Highway 260 near Show Low.
AZGFD officials estimate the three-point buck was shot — with a bow and arrow — in the early morning hours of Nov. 21, possibly between midnight and 9 a.m. The carcass was found in a neighborhood at Willow Drive and Turkey Hill Road.
Pinedale is located in Game Management Unit 3C.
“Evidence was collected at the scene, but help from the public will play a critical role in finding those responsible,” said Barry Austin, wildlife manager. “This is not the act of a hunter. Poaching is a crime. It is stealing wildlife from the citizens of Arizona. It is important for anyone with information to come forward and help Game and Fish bring those responsible to justice.”
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 800-352-0700, or visit https://www.azgfd.com/ogt/, and refer to case #23-003313. Callers can remain anonymous upon request and may be eligible for a reward of $2,800 for information that leads to an arrest in this case through the Operation Game Thief program.