Florida Man Caught Poaching Potential Record Class 23-Point Buck
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.19.18
You may not be surprised to read ‘Florida man’ in the news once again, but this time he’s actually gone and done something pretty shocking. According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, a Florida man caught poaching a 23-point buck in Indiantown was arrested and faces serious charges.
Law enforcement officials said while on patrol Wednesday night, a deputy noticed a suspicious truck parked in a wooded area. The driver (later identified as Mario Palacio) could be seen shining a spotlight to illuminate an animal. When an officer approached the vehicle, it sped off hastily into the night, but was later stopped trying to leave the area.
Not long after, the deer’s carcass was found in the wooded area where the truck was originally spotted.
Upon a search of Palacio’s truck, deputies uncovered a bow and arrow, a spotlight, a single spent shell casing from a .30-06 rifle, but no gun. Officers then used a specially trained K-9, who was able to locate a .30-06 rifle in the immediate area where Palacio was contacted.
The Miami resident, 54, was then arrested and charged with trespassing and poaching on a construction site – both felonies.
The poaching suspect “had no idea our deputies, who are also avid sportsmen, keep close tabs on the local whitetail deer heard,” read the MCSO’s Facebook post.
As for the deer, an official Boone and Crockett Club Scoring Professional is scheduled to assess and measure the dead buck to see where it fit into the state record books.
