Alleged deer poaching near Sugar Camp results in two arrests

Deputies with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an alleged deer poaching near the town of Sugar Camp in the early morning hours of Oct. 19.

Deputy Walker Hartman and deputy Ian Conkey were notified by dispatch of the incident just before 4 a.m. after the reporting party indicated he saw someone take a shot with a light out of a black pickup truck.

According to Hartman’s supplemental report filed on Oct. 21, while on their way, he and Conkey were advised the reporting party, after seeing the shot fired, proceeded to follow the suspect vehicle south on State Highway 17. 

Hartman and Conkey were able to locate the black pickup truck on Spider Lake Road and then conduct a traffic stop. 

There were four individuals in the vehicle: driver Jake Eades, 20, of Minocqua; passenger Donnie Thompson, 18, of Woodruff; Chase LaBarge, 20, of Ironwood, Mich.; and Damon Allen, 20, of Lac du Flambeau.

Hartman, in his supplemental report, said he advised the individuals during the stop that the sheriff’s office was notified of a potential incident involving poaching and went on to ask them if they shot a deer that night. They all responded no, according to Hartman’s report. 

Hartman said he then asked them why they had been driving on the road where it was suspected the shot was fired near and the four males said they were “just driving around.”

Hartman returned to his squad at that point, he wrote, and ran each one of their names through dispatch.

“After running all occupants’ information, I returned to the suspect vehicle where I advised that I would not be issuing any citation that evening, but wanted to know what happened,” Hartman wrote. “At that time, Eades stated he had in fact shot a deer. I observed a cut on Eades’ forehead and he advised that he had scoped himself upon shooting the deer. I advised Eades, Thompson, LaBarge, and Allen that their behavior was unacceptable and they should only be hunting during lighted hours with a valid hunting license like everyone else.”

The suspects were released from the traffic stop, but Hartman said later in the day he was advised that shining and shooting deer was a misdemeanor offense, making the actions criminal rather than forfeitures. 

“It was also determined that the suspect had shot toward the (reporting party’s) home during the incident and deputies would need to make further contact with Eades to gather additional information regarding what happened,” Hartman wrote. “I then made telephone contact with Eades who advised that he would be willing to meet with me on October 20, 2024 upon me checking on for duty in order to go over the incident again.”

Hartman met with Eades in Minocqua and Eades provided the deputy with further detail.

Eades, he wrote, told him he and his friends were “driving around” when a deer was identified in a field. They decided to shoot the deer, Eades told Hartman, also admitting they used a spotlight to see it.

Eades said the black pickup truck belonged to Thompson and the firearm used was a Savage Axis .30-06, according to Hartman’s report. Though he first said no, Eades ended up agreeing to take deputies to his residence and show them the rifle. 

“I asked Eades if his and his friends’ intentions with driving around that evening was solely to kill a deer and he stated yes as well as that all occupants of the vehicle knew they were going to kill a deer that night,” Hartman wrote. “I asked Eades if he and his friends had ever been in the area where they had killed the deer before for that same purpose to which Eades stated no, that was their first time in that area. I asked Eades how he and his friends had chosen that particular spot and he explained that they had been traveling down Highway 17 when they saw the deer and then turned down the first roadway that they saw …”

After seeing the rifle used to shoot the deer, deputies confiscated it and Eades was taken into custody. According to Hartman’s report, Eades was advised he was being arrested for shining and killing the deer, as well as the shot endangering those in the residence of the reporting party.

Eades, Hartman’s preliminary report added, was issued “numerous DNR (Department of Natural Resources) citations” too. 

Deputies made contact with Thompson next. Hartman said the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office was notified Oneida County deputies would be traveling to that suspect’s address, which was just across county lines. 

When deputies made contact with Thompson, who owned the 2012 black Dodge pickup, he was asked about what happened on the morning of Oct. 19. 

“Thompson explained that he and his friends had been driving around and saw a nice buck in a field, at which time, they pulled the vehicle over and shot the deer,” Hartman wrote. “I asked Thompson if the spotlight was still in his vehicle, as Eades had stated the spotlight had been left in the vehicle, and he allowed us to look inside, but the spotlight was not found inside the vehicle at that time. Thompson advised that he believed another occupant of the vehicle had taken the spotlight.”

Thompson indicated to deputies he and his friends had the intention of killing a deer that night.

“Thompson further advised that Eades had been the person to see the deer, pull the vehicle over, and shoot the deer, as Eades had been the operator of the vehicle,” Hartman wrote. “I advised Thompson that because he knew he and his friends were going to shine and kill a deer and because he allowed Eades to utilize his vehicle to do so, Thompson was going to be placed under arrest for Party to a Crime — Endangering Safety by Use of a Dangerous Weapon as well as Party to a Crime — Shining Deer while Hunting or Possessing a Weapon.”

Deputy Emily Hunter drafted a supplemental report of her own with regard to the incident as well. Her report served as a followup with the reporting party. 

She said she responded to the reporting party’s residence around 8:30 a.m. the same morning of the shooting, Oct. 19, with deputy Michael Zabrowski. 

Hunter said the reporting party explained to her he had been in his kitchen plugging in his phone when he noticed “some sort of artificial light, potentially a spotlight or flashlight, shining in the sky and into the field to the south of his residence.”

“After seeing the light (the reporting party) saw what he believed to be a muzzle flash and heard a gunshot,” Hunter wrote. “(The reporting party) stated that he, already being dressed, put his boots on, got inside his own vehicle, and drove to the location where he believed the gunshot came from where he located a black pickup parked …”

The reporting party told Hunter he was by the truck within a minute or less of seeing the light and hearing the shot. 

He then said the pickup truck backed out and accelerated “quickly,” according to Hunter’s report.

“(The reporting party) followed the vehicle while calling 911,” Hunter wrote. “(The reporting party) indicated that while traveling behind the suspect vehicle, he believed the license plate on the suspect vehicle to be some type of tribal plate as (the reporting party) saw a circular emblem on the license plate. (The reporting party) continued to follow the suspect vehicle until deputies were able to position themselves behind the suspect vehicle and perform a traffic stop.”

The reporting party, according to Hunter’s report, subsequently identified the dead deer, contacted the sheriff's office for follow-up and “expressed very strong feelings regarding the potential danger to his employees and to hunters and family members who use (the reporting party’s) private property, where the deer had been poached on.”

“(The reporting party’s) primary concern was that he provided permission to numerous individuals to hunt ducks and geese on his property, some of whom would hunt in the immediate area where the deer had been poached, which posed significant risk to those individuals,” Hunter wrote. 

Hunter said she used mapping tools and a range-finder to determine the shot was approximately 1,050  yards from the reporting party’s residence.

“While standing on the roadway at the shoot location facing north, I was able to identify what appeared to be the white belly of a white tail deer,” Hunter wrote. “Directly above where I observed the deceased deer, also in my immediate line of sight, was the rooftop and eave of (the reporting party’s) residence.”

From her own knowledge and experiences from hunting, Hunter said she is aware many “high powered hunting rifles emit enough power for ammunition to travel in excess of 1,000 yards.”

“I also noted that the field in which the deer had been shot was a partially harvested field,” Hunter wrote. “(The reporting party) indicated within the last week (the reporting party) had farmers harvesting until early morning hours, sometimes as late as 2 or 3am.”

Hunter concluded, saying she noticed no blood trail and there was no exit wound from the bullet, but it was evident the deer died immediately from the shot.

“Given the shoot distance of approximately of approximately 140 yards and the instant death of the deer as a result of the shot, it was obvious that a high powered rifle of some kind was used, posing great danger to any individuals inside (the reporting party’s) residence and any individuals in the immediate vicinity of the shoot location,” Hunter wrote.

The case, as Hartman’s and Hunter’s supplemental reports noted, is still being investigated. 

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].