Hunters ordered to pay $120,000 in federal court for poaching deer in southern Illinois

Five men from Mississippi were sentenced in southern Illinois federal court after admitting to using spotlights to illegally hunt white-tailed deer over a five-year period in Massac, Pope, Union, Jefferson and Clark counties.

According to court documents, between 2018 and 2022, the poachers used spotlights to scout white-tailed deer in southern Illinois. Once a deer was located, members of the group would get a rifle, spotlight the deer again, and then shoot to kill. 

After collecting the carcass, the poachers transported the animal over state lines from Illinois back to Mississippi where they processed the deer. Typically, the poachers would mount the deer’s head, antlers or other parts of its body.

The poachers -- Lee J. Johnson, 54, of Saucier; Steven J. Pique, 56, of Biloxi; Gerald B. Moran, 40, of Saucier; Joshua A. Marshall, 30, of Saucier; and John M. Pritchard, 57, of Biloxi each pled guilty to unlawful transport of wildlife and received three to five years probation, plus fines and a total of nearly $120,000 in fines and restitution.

“This was not an isolated incident of unlawful hunting; rather, it was a calculated, multi-year operation that exploited Illinois's prized wildlife resources for personal gain,” said Assistant Director Douglas Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. “Targeting trophy deer under the cover of night, across multiple counties, and transporting them across state lines reflects a deliberate disregard for wildlife laws and the ecological balance we work tirelessly to protect. Such organized violations undermine decades of conservation progress and diminish the integrity of fair-chase hunting traditions that responsible hunters value nationwide."

Get more details from the State of Illinois here .