A professional sharpshooter in Wisconsin has found himself on the wrong side of the law after being accused of multiple violations during a deer cull operation. Christopher Tuhy, an employee of Wildlife Management Service, pleaded guilty to 10 civil counts of hunting deer without a proper license back in December. For his actions, he has been fined $10,000 and had his hunting privileges revoked for a year.
The penalties stem from activities in 2022, when Tuhy culled over 100 deer in southeastern Wisconsin to address nuisance populations causing issues like crop damage and vehicle collisions. Deer culling in suburban areas is a common practice to control overpopulation, but it operates under strict regulations from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Permits are issued to local governments, not private contractors like WMS, and include requirements for licensing, registration, and proper handling of carcasses. Tuhy admitted he forgot to purchase a deer hunting license that year, despite having one in previous and subsequent years.
And while forgetfulness can be a forgivable offense in some cases, the ensuing investigation uncovered far more issues, including over 500 instances of failing to register culled deer by the required deadline of 5 p.m. the following day, transporting unregistered deer, and questions about the disposal of antlers from bucks.
As per the law, antlers from culled bucks must be returned to the DNR under permit rules, as they often grow large in protected suburban environments and can be a draw for some to skirt the rules. Reports indicate that some antlers were removed at Bunzel’s Old Fashioned Meat Market in Milwaukee, where deer were processed for venison donation to food pantries (provided they tested negative for chronic wasting disease). One notable incident involved a WMS employee taking a large set of antlers home temporarily, which wardens later recovered without charges. Additionally, some car-killed deer were reportedly registered as culled ones, potentially inflating removal counts.
The fine of $1,000 per count, which far exceeds the standard bond schedule maximum of $343.50, reflects a plea agreement that considered unissued citations and the broader context of the violations. Waukesha County District Attorney Lesli Boese explained that the resolution accounted for "many factors, including citations the State agreed not to issue to resolve this case fully and the forfeitures associated with those citations and the underlying facts of the case."
Andrei Landron, owner of WMS, described the penalty as unusually severe for what he views as an unintentional oversight. WMS has worked with local governments for over 30 years to manage deer populations, often employing sharpshooters during winter months when his primary sprinkler business slows down.
“Wildlife Management Services would like to reestablish a positive and cooperative working relationship with the DNR, its agents and wardens. We do not seek an ‘us versus them environment,’ nor do we want our employees to feel threatened or exclusively scrutinized while performing their duties,” Landron said. “The communities we serve continue to face significant deer overpopulation challenges and sharpshooting remains the most effective management tool available.”
