Three Blood-Stained Poachers Arrested After Deer Found Headless in Trash Bags

A citizen's tip prompted California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers to conduct night patrols in Angeles National Park, where they observed two off-road vehicles shining spotlights into the forest, a prohibited hunting method. The officers halted the vehicles and detained three individuals whose clothing and hands were stained with blood. A search revealed guns and two female deer: one completely skinned, the other dismembered into four pieces, both headless and placed in black trash bags.

The suspects reportedly confessed to illegally killing the animals and attempting to hide the evidence. All three were arrested and released on the condition they appear in court. The arrests come as the state opened roughly two dozen deer hunting zones for rifle season on September 19, a period that generated nearly $7 million in tag sales for conservation funding.