Two NC men killed 15 deer in one night
Dylan Scott of New Hanover County, NC and Nicholas Rackley of Duplin County, NC have been found guilty of 15 counts of killing deer at night while spotlighting.
Scott and Rackley have been ordered to pay $9030 for illegally killing 15 deer.
The investigation began on Nov. 28, 2023, and the two were found guilty in late May 2024.
Scott was fined an additional $1500 and his hunting license has been revoked for 10 years. He also received 5 years of supervised probation.
Rackley was fined an additional $750 and lost his hunting license for 5 years.
The two were arrested by NCWRC officials thanks to an anonymous tip to the Commission’s NC WILDTIP program. The tip included a photo of Rackley posing with the 15 antlerless deer. Rackley had allegedly sent the photo to multiple people.
Rackley admitted he and Scott shot all 15 deer on the night of Nov. 27, 2023 in Duplin County.
“We hope this penalty sends a strong message,” said Capt. Chad Arnold, head of NCWRC’s Investigative Unit and NC WILDTIP program. “We typically don’t see punishments like this, but we also typically don’t find individuals who kill 15 deer in one night’s illegal escapades.”
After receiving the tip, officers obtained a search warrant for a Pender County residence, where Scott and Rackley had taken the deer to have them processed. While searching the residence, they found four coolers full of deer meat, which the resident admitted to processing for Rackley.
Charges
Scott’s truck and phone were confiscated for evidence.
Rackley was initially charged with:
15 counts misdemeanor shine/sweep light for deer
30 counts misdemeanor possession deer taken during closed season
15 counts misdemeanor spotlight deer/night deer hunt
Scott was initially charged with:
15 counts misdemeanor spotlight deer/night deer hunt
15 counts misdemeanor shine/sweep light for deer
30 counts misdemeanor possession deer taken during closed season
22 counts misdemeanor failure to report/tag big game
14 counts hunting with the use/aid of a vehicle
The NC WILDTIP program allows anyone to anonymously turn in poachers to NCWRC. The Commission issues rewards ranging from $100 to $1000 for tips that lead to arrests and conviction.
In the past 6 months, NCWRC has received almost 600 tips and rewarded a total of $3478.
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