Hunter sabotages deer stands to keep game away from his brother, Michigan cops say

A hunter in Michigan sabotaged deer stands because he was tired of his brother scaring away game, officials say.

Now, he could be criminally charged.

The brothers hunt on land in Newaygo County, a forested area about 45 miles north of Grand Rapids, MLive.com reported. They inherited the property bordering a national forest from their father, according to the Michigan Department of Natural resources.

A brother met with a conservation officer to show him trail camera photos of deer stands in the national forest.

The pictures showed his brother in a yellow backpack sprayer standing on the ladders of both stands and spreading a substance, officials said.

When the brother and the conservation officer went to the deer stands, they found dried white droplets on the blinds. The officer took samples to test the chemical.

On the first morning of firearm season, the officer went to the private deer stand where he found the suspected brother hunting over bait, officials said. Baiting and feeding is banned in large parts of the state, including this area, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

When shown the trail camera pictures, the brother “immediately admitted” to spraying the blinds with “liquid fence,” a substance used to deter deer, officials said. He told the officer that his brother hunted on the public land near the camp, which cut off deer from his area.

Then the brother apologized and said he “let his emotions get the best of him,” officials said.

The officer is pursuing charges of hunter harassment and baiting deer.

This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Hunter sabotages deer stands to keep game away from his brother, Michigan cops say."