When The Law Goes After The Law: A Hunting Mystery

The Sacramento Bee’s Ryan Sabalow with a fascinating story about two California hunters – both law enforcement officers – who prompted an investigation after eyebrows were raised from their social media photos. Here’s more from Sabalow’s report:

Along the way, California wildlife officers were beginning to grow skeptical of the steady feed of social media posts featuring Frater and Stone. Most of their kills looked like the bruisers that celebrity hunters brag about on hunting shows — that is, extraordinary. 

What unfolded next over five months in 2019 could be an episode of “CSI,” as wardens undertook a complex operation with covert stakeouts, DNA evidence, aerial surveillance and vehicle tracking devices — tactics that the men’s attorneys say went too far in upholding California’s stringent and complex hunting rules.

From the beginning, investigators thought the two archery hunters may have been cheating. They suspected Frater and Stone had lured in the deer using bait, a practice that’s considered unsporting. It’s also illegal in California.

It’s a lengthy piece but an interesting one with detailed breakdown of a complicated investigation.