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A 65-year-old Newtown man was charged with illegally harvesting the 24-point buck and importing it from Pennsylvania, State Environmental Police said.
In February, an anonymous tip was reported to the Environmental Conservation Police about a 24-point buck that was reportedly taken in Bridgewater.
"The buck had a very large non-typical rack and the cape was clear of any blemishes caused by tick bites, suggesting that it was not from a wild deer herd in Connecticut," said the Environmental Conservation Police.
On Nov. 5, Wayne Simko hunted and harvested a 24-point buck from a captive deer farm in Pennsylvania, police said.
Simko did not process the meat for consumption, did not clean the deer as required before preparing it for mounting and illegally brought the whole buck back to Connecticut, police said.
He then tagged the buck and falsely reported it as being harvested in Bridgewater, police said.
Simko wanted the deer to be scored by Pope & Young because of its unusual antlers. But Pope & Young declined to do so because the buck came from a captive-raised farm deer.
He was arrested June 5 on charges of false reporting when reporting deer and a Federal Lacey Act violation. That charges says it is unlawful for any person to import fish or wildlife in violation of state law. It is illegal to import deer from a Chronic Wasting Disease confirmed state.
Deer from a CWD-confirmed state, such as Pennsylvania, must be properly reported when harvested and must be processed for consumption and cleaned before being brought into Connecticut.
Simko was processed at Connecticut State Police Troop A and released on $2,500 bond. Simko is scheduled to appear in Bantam Superior Court on June 19.
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