![]() Once at home, he called 911 and checked his memory card, which had been wiped clean of images for the second time.ĭNR Conservation Officer Josh Boudreaux responded and took the hunter’s statement, launching an investigation. Looking up, he saw that the stand was dangling from the tree, about 8 feet above ground.Ĭoncerned that Steele was watching him on a camera, the hunter quickly limped out of the woods. The hunter landed on his feet but injured his ankle and back. He climbed to the top, which appeared intact, then stepped onto the platform of his stand and immediately fell 15 to 20 feet to the ground. Yanking on the climbing sticks, everything was secure. He grabbed the memory card from his trail camera, then started to climb up his tree stand. Weeks later, when the hunter returned to his tree stand, he surveyed the area, which looked untouched. Eventually the hunter lost patience and told Steele he would stay away. Over the phone, Steele insisted that the hunter stay off the land. The hunter contacted Steele, apologizing that he was unaware someone was using the area. Any tree stand or deer blind left unoccupied on state land can be used by another individual. In Michigan, you cannot claim exclusive rights on public hunting land. He deleted the pictures from the hunter’s trail camera. Steele, then a student at Northern Michigan University, left his phone number on the note asking the hunter to call him. The harassment began in October 2020 on state hunting land in Marquette County.Ī local Upper Peninsula hunter arrived at his tree stand one day and found a note on his trail camera, stating that he was set up in Steele’s hunting spot. “The DNR hopes that by sharing the details of this case, we can bring awareness to the consequences of this person’s unethical and dangerous behavior and know that it will not be tolerated.” Incident details “Most hunters respect the land and each other and take pride in an ethical hunt. “Hunter harassment is real and taken very seriously,” said Dave Shaw, chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division. With Michigan a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator’s Compact, Steele’s right to hunt will also be revoked in nearly all 50 states. Steele’s hunting privileges were revoked for an undetermined amount of time. He must also serve a one-year probation term. Steele recently pleaded guilty in Marquette County Circuit Court to misdemeanors of aggravated assault and hunter harassment under a plea agreement.Īdditionally, Steele must reimburse the victim’s medical expenses for injuries sustained in a fall from his tree stand. Thomas Steele III, 23, of Chelsea is serving a 60-day sentence in the Marquette County Jail after pleading guilty to intentionally sabotaging a hunter’s tree stand.
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