Nelson’s truck as surveilled | Idaho Fish and Game
In a town where the population of local deer outnumbers those of us that traipse around on two feet, one man couldn’t resist the temptation to shoot one, even if it meant turning his local elementary school into a late-night hunting ground. It was a crisp November night when Lars Nelson rolled up in his blue Ford pickup, stepped out under the glow of moonlight (and security cameras) and dropped a white-tailed buck with a crossbow right there on the playground grass of Orofino Elementary.
Footage later showed Nelson returning a couple hours later to retrieve his trophy, leaving behind enough evidence for the boys and girls at Idaho Fish and Game to piece together a compelling, yet peculiar case. That case was finally closed last week, ending with a plea bargain for the accused, but the incident and its setting still remains etched in the minds of some of the investigating officers.
The incident took place well after dark on November 26, 2024, with no children or school activities in session, when surveillance footage at Orofino Elementary School recorded a Ford pickup truck pulling into the bus loading zone. The driver, later identified as 32-year-old Lars C. Nelson from nearby Peck, Idaho, stepped out and fired a crossbow at a white-tailed buck grazing peacefully on the school grounds. Rather than immediately claiming his kill, Nelson drove away, only to return about two hours later to load the carcass into his truck and vanish into the night.
What makes this poaching case so unusual is that the buck wasn't some skittish forest ghost admired by many local (and legal) hunters. Instead, it was one of those town deer that treat residential yards and public property like extended-range feeders. The fact that someone thought it to be a good idea to blast him on the manicured grounds of a school only adds to the absurdity.
“It’s a crazy one. Never in my life would I have thought that I would have investigated a poaching case at an elementary school,” Idaho Fish and Game conservation officer Luke Guasco told Cowboy State Daily.
Thankfully, Guasco and other Idaho Fish and Game officers didn't take long to spring into action. Sifting through hundreds of hours of grainy security footage from the school, neighboring Ring cams, and businesses, they pieced together this peculiar puzzle. Once images of both the truck and the suspect were released to the public, community tips soon flooded in and led investigators to Asotin, Washington (which hugs the Idaho border). It was there a search warrant was executed at a residence where Nelson was staying and soon yielded the now famous blue pickup, clothing from the night of the incident, and a few bits and pieces of the deer. With that evidence in hand, DNA and blood evidence conclusively sealed the deal.
Idaho Fish and Game
Nelson initially faced five misdemeanor charges including taking game out of season, hunting without a license, and violations related to city limits and school property. Deer season had closed, and the act was deemed "flagrant," indicating a clear and intentional breach of wildlife laws.
After initially pleading not guilty, Nelson later came to his senses and changed his plea in Clearwater County District Court. On February 18th he was convicted of the primary misdemeanor charge: taking a deer during a closed season as part of a plea deal that saw the remaining charges dismissed.
The sentence, handed down by the court, includes:
- A $1,000 fine, with $500 suspended.
- $165 in court fees, a $400 civil penalty, and a $75 processing fee
- Two 48-hour weekends in Clearwater County Jail (effectively six days served), with the remainder of a 180-day sentence suspended.
- Two years of unsupervised probation.
- A five-year revocation of hunting privileges.
In spite of some community members debating the leniency in the case, officials see it as a strong deterrent. While harsher penalties given the location seem to make sense here, in a world drowning in bigger outrages, this one lands somewhere between run-of-the-mill small-town poaching and schoolyard surrealism.
Thankfully the stunt happened after dark, with the playground empty and no kids anywhere near the scene, though that still did little to lessen the sheer bewilderment surrounding this case.
“It struck everyone as, ‘what the heck was this guy doing?’ The deer season had closed, he didn’t have a license, and he shot a deer inside city limits,” Guasco said. “There are multiple theories as to why, but we might never know the exact motive.”
