Two North Carolina men sentenced to fines

DUPLIN COUNTY, NC – Two North Carolina men were convicted of illegally killing 15 deer at night in Duplin County.

Dylan Scott of New Hanover County and Nicholas Rackley of Duplin County were ordered to pay a total of $9,030 to replace the illegally killed deer.

Scott’s hunting license was suspended for ten years, he received a suspended sentence and a $1,500 fine. Rackley’s hunting license was suspended for five years and he was fined $750.

“The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the crime,” said Captain Chad Arnold, chief of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission’s Investigations Unit and the NC WILDTIP program. “Typically, poaching violations do not result in such consequences, but killing 15 deer in one night is an extreme case.”

The arrests were made possible by an anonymous tip to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission’s NC WILDTIP program.

The tip says that Rackley killed all 15 deer the night before and forwarded the photo to several people.

North Carolina Wildlife Service officials obtained a search warrant after receiving a tip about an illegal hunt.

During their investigation, Rackley confessed that he and Scott had together shot 15 deer in Duplin County.

They then took the deer to a house in Pender County to have the meat processed. There, officers found four coolers full of deer meat.

The homeowner also admitted to processing the deer for Rackley.

To report an ongoing poaching law violation, call the Wildlife Law Enforcement Operations Center at 800-662-7137.