SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Deer are being illegally hunted along the American River Parkway in Sacramento County.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife wants the public's help to catch poachers. They posted new signs along the parkway encouraging the public to call in suspicious activity.
The parkway has long been a refuge for wildlife, where up-close deer encounters are common, according to nature photographer Timothy McGinn, who for the last 50 years has captured images of the bucks and their antlers growing larger as they age.
But in recent years, he noticed something was off.
"The big, giant bucks. I'd see them one day and gone the next," said McGinn.
McGinn suspected poaching, then he started finding the evidence.
One day, he saw a deer with an arrow in its side, still alive.
"It makes me sick. That’s why I’ve been a fanatic about trying to get this program started, seriously for 10 hard years," said McGinn.
He began a decade-long campaign to raise awareness, first alerting the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Poachers kill the deer for their meat, for their antlers or just for the thrill of it, according to Captain Patrick Foy, with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
"All of those are unlawful in this parkway, and it’s something that we’re going to take seriously and we’re going to investigate that and use every tool at our disposal," said Foy.
Their newest tool in the fight against poachers is McGinn's "STOP POACHERS" signs, which include the hotline for local authorities.
"My wife and I designed the signs, and we had them printed and Fish & Wildlife OK’d them. Allowed me to use their logo," said McGinn.
With funding from the Save American River Association, McGinn is installing signs up and down the parkway.
"I think we’re starting to see where people don’t want to take that chance. It’s just not worth it. Everybody is watching. They see these signs, and they’re watching all the time," said McGinn.
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