Deer shot in a parking lot in Idaho

We know what you might be thinking: “Shot? How is a deer shot? Isn’t that what we call hunting?”

Yes, you may be right, but this is a unique circumstance and Idaho Fish & Game is looking for answers.

You can’t just shoot an animal anywhere you want

Most of us know this, but someone still saw a whitetail deer in a parking lot and decided to shoot it immediately. The official term for this is poaching and it is completely against the law. According to Idaho law:

…any person who pleads guilty, is convicted, or is convicted of the unlawful killing, possession, or waste of a trophy large game animal as defined in Section 36-202(h) of the Idaho Code shall be required to pay restitution to the State pay for each animal so killed, possessed or wasted, as follows… Trophy white-tailed deer: two thousand dollars ($2,000) per animal killed, possessed or wasted

Now Idaho Fish & Game is looking for the suspect behind this gruesome shooting.

Where was this innocent white-tailed deer shot?

According to Idaho officials, the illegal shooting of a white-tailed deer took place the evening of Nov. 26 in the parking lot of Orofino Elementary School, 1000 Michigan Ave. in Orofino.

Idaho Fish & Game says if you have information you can remain anonymous and if you help catch the suspect you could receive a reward for your tip.

If you have a tip that leads to a citation, you can contact Conservation Officer Luka Guasco at 208-921-7541 or Citizens Against Poaching at 1-800-632-5999.

Remember: you can’t shoot any deer anywhere you want! But they exist some Animals You Can Hunt Year-Round in Idaho.