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    271 And tpw

    Denton County Man Admits to Poaching Record Whitetail Buck

    AUSTIN – The second largest whitetail buck ever in Texas could be headed to the record books with an asterisk: poached. Earlier this week, a Denton County man pleaded no contest to illegally taking the trophy deer, which scored 278 points under the Boone & Crockett scoring system, last October near Pilot Point, Texas.

    Travis D. Johnson of Aubrey, Texas, was sentenced in Denton County Criminal Court on Monday, Jan. 22, to two years of probation and 40 hours community service, plus court costs. He also faces in excess of $53,000 in civil restitution fines from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and is prohibited from purchasing a hunting license for the duration of his deferred adjudication period.

    “What an ill-fated legacy for what could have been, and should have been, a remarkable testament to Texas whitetail deer,” said Col. Grahame Jones, TPWD Law Enforcement Director. “It’s tragic that in the pursuit of this magnificent specimen, Mr. Johnson chose to violate hunting’s code of ethics and the game laws designed to protect our state’s precious wildlife resources. It’s something he’ll have to live with.”

    Almost immediately after news of the huge buck broke on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, Texas game wardens became aware of rumors alleging Johnson may have harvested the buck after legal hunting hours the night before. Based on a photo being circulated online that showed Johnson posing with the field dressed deer during daylight hours, along with comments that he had taken it with a bow the previous evening, wardens had concerns about the care and disposition of the venison considering the warm temperatures. Hunters are required to keep the meat of harvested game in edible condition.

    Denton County game warden Stormy McCuistion met with Johnson at his residence the afternoon of Oct. 8 to inspect the carcass, and was informed it had been discarded at a different location due to concerns about the meat possibly being infected. Johnson claimed to have wounded the buck on Sept. 30, but was unable to retrieve it. When he saw the deer on images captured by his game trail camera a few days later, it exhibited entry and exit wounds. Since then, Johnson explained he began pursuing the animal in earnest in hopes of putting an end to its suffering, going so far as to spend the night in his hunting stand to avoid spooking deer. He said he got his opportunity at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017 and dispatched the buck with his bow.

    After inspecting the deer carcass, game wardens then went to the area where Johnson claimed to have killed the big deer to confirm the details of his story. During a conversation with the landowner adjacent to the property where Johnson hunted, game wardens became suspicious about the timeline. The landowner recalled texting Johnson at about an hour past dark on Oct. 7 asking if he was okay since he noticed he had not returned to his vehicle. Johnson replied that he was safe, but made no mention of having successfully taken the big buck an hour earlier.



    Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

    #2
    You are either late or relentless. This was posted a couple hours ago.


    Sierracharlie out…

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by sierracharlie338 View Post
      You are either late or relentless. This was posted a couple hours ago.


      Sierracharlie out…
      Well excuse me I don't live on TBH

      OC OUT


      Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

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        #4
        3-2-1 how long before the mods whack this one to ?
        And did it get wacked because he was sporting a brand new TBH camo shirt in his face book photo
        Last edited by S-3 Ranch; 01-25-2018, 07:49 PM.

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          #5
          That story kinda abruptly ends doesn't it?

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            #6
            From Lone Strar Outdoors

            The poached Travis Johnson Denton County buck from early October. Scored 278 inches by Boone and Crockett scorer Ken Witt. Would have been a state record. The buck was shot at night and the treestand/feeder was 70 yds onto the neighboring property which he didn't have permission to hunt.

            I caught alot of hell for reporting this story at the time. Sometimes however, you have to report what you know is true even if it hurts or is tough to say. I know Travis personally and he is a good human being, but big bucks make good men do unethical and often illegal things. They call it the UGLY TRUTH for a reason.

            You can hear the full story and case TPWD built against Travis from Denton County Game Warden Stormy McCuistion on an upcoming episode. We spoke today and Travis entered a plea deal for a class A misdemeanor. Civil Restitution will be around $53,000

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              #7
              It cant be posted enough!!

              Comment


                #8
                Weird this is the first I've heard of this

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                  #9
                  Thanks Sling Shot as this is the true and correct version from TPWD not some outdoor blog. Don't worry about pepper boy, he has indigestion!!

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by Texantax View Post
                    Weird this is the first I've heard of this
                    Same here. I've seen post on the 271 or was it 278 but not this statement. Thanks for posting Sling Shot!

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                      #11
                      maybe we should keep count on the # of threads started for grins...it is big news & someone will hear of it for the first time for the next week or two.

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                        #12
                        Article did not mention previous convictions for game violations. Would not think they would let him plead out with a history.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Several won’t like it but this is pretty big news for deer hunters in this state

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Obviously, no one has gotten the title right yet. It was 278, not 271.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by flywise View Post
                              Article did not mention previous convictions for game violations. Would not think they would let him plead out with a history.
                              The wardens court statement mentions another deer but doesn’t give details on it

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