On Monday, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks announced the closure of a years-long poaching investigation, resulting in a guilty plea from a Tennessee man for illegally killing a trophy whitetail deer in Miami County, Kansas. The case, which involved some cross-state deception and a lot of damning digital evidence, serves as yet another example of how the persistence of game wardens paid off in a big way. Notably, this violation came to light as a byproduct of probing another prominent poaching scandal involving a hunting show host, demonstrating how one enforcement effort can cascade into others.
The Tennessee suspect's actions trace back to late 2023, when he allegedly shot the large-antlered deer with a rifle in Miami County—near the Kansas-Missouri border—without a valid Kansas hunting permit. In an effort to cover his tracks, he transported the animal across state lines and falsely tagged it in Missouri, making the kill appear legal. However, KDWP game wardens stumbled upon evidence of this infraction in early 2024 while delving into an unrelated poaching probe.
That "unrelated" case? It was the federal investigation into Matt Jennings, a 35-year-old from Bowdon, Georgia, and host of the online hunting series The Game. Jennings had been under scrutiny for illegally taking two trophy deer in Kansas during the 2022 firearms season, with his own filmed episodes providing high-quality video evidence. As wardens sifted through phone records, social media, and harvest data in Jennings' case, they uncovered a suspicious photo and location data pointing to the Tennessee man's deer, which was peculiarly timestamped in Kansas but reported in Missouri. This serendipitous find turned what might have remained an undetected violation into a full interstate investigation.
Matt Jennings
Armed with the initial lead, KDWP's Special Investigations Unit obtained a search warrant for the Tennessee suspect's phone records, which pinpointed his location in Kansas at the exact time the deer photo was taken. In late summer 2024, investigators traveled to the Nashville area, where they seized the mounted deer remains and secured a confession over the phone, sealing the case.
The effort spanned multiple agencies, including the Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Prosecuted in Miami County District Court, the suspect pleaded guilty to charges of illegal wildlife take, and was handed a $5,000 fine, about $4,000 in restitution to cover the deer's value and investigative costs, and $108 in court fees. KDWP has not released the individual's name, focusing instead on the enforcement success.
“Kansas Game Wardens are dedicated to protecting our state’s wildlife resources,” KDWP Colonel Greg Kyser said. “Most hunters respect the law and play a vital role in conservation. Unfortunately, bad actors undermine that trust and make it harder for everyone. This case demonstrates the persistence and professionalism of our officers, who work tirelessly to hold violators accountable and uphold the integrity of our hunting laws.”
