Louisiana Agents Cite Seven Men for Deer Hunting Violations

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 12.13.12

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents cited seven men for deer hunting violations on Avoca Island in St. Mary Parish on Dec. 8.

Agents cited the following: Linzy Howard III, 44, of Morgan City for hunting deer with an unplugged shotgun and possession of an untagged deer; Ernest Singleton, 45, of Morgan City, for hunting deer with an unplugged shotgun; Joshua Williams, 25, of Morgan City, for failing to comply with deer tagging regulations; Derwin Hebert, 38, of Morgan City, for hunting deer with an unplugged gun; Arik Louviere, 17, of Morgan City, for possession of untagged deer and over the limit of deer; Johnathan Francis, 59, of Morgan City, for hunting deer with an unplugged shotgun; and Rodney Singleton, 39, of Houma, for hunting deer with an unplugged shotgun and possession of untagged deer.

Agents observed a large group of men hunting and approached them to conduct a license and compliance check. Upon checking the men, agents found that only one of the deer in the men’s possession was tagged and that deer was tagged improperly. Agents also learned that five of the shotguns were unplugged and that Louviere had killed two antlerless deer putting him one over the legal limit in a day.

Agents seized and donated a total of four deer to charity. Restitution on the four deer that were seized may be assessed at $1624.61 per deer.

Hunting deer with an unplugged shotgun, possession of an untagged deer and possessing over the limit of deer carries a fine from $250 to $500 and up to 90 days in jail for each offense. Failing to comply with deer tagging regulations carries a fine from $100 to $350 and up to 60 days in jail.

Agents involved in the case are Senior Agents Scott Dupre and Jake Darden.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.