A hunter was cited by state wildlife officials after he baited a site in Sumter County with corn and showed up a week later with a crossbow, which is prohibited during archery season.
The incident took place at the Richloam Wildlife Management Area within the Withlacoochee State Forest in Webster, according to a report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
On Oct. 13, two FFWCC officers were patrolling an area off South Grade and Lewis Road when they “located an illegal bait site.”
The site was littered with whole corn and was in “front of a hunting blind” that was unoccupied at the time.
One of the officers returned to the area at around 8 a.m. on Oct. 16 and observed a red Toyota truck parked off the South Grade.
The officer followed “fresh footprints leading into the woods” that went on for about 200 yards and led to a “camo popup style hunting blind,” according to the report.
The officer made contact with a 40-year-old man from Lakeland who was sitting inside the blind.
According to the report, whole corn was scattered “throughout the area approximately twenty feet from the blind.”
When confronted by the officer, the man admitted to placing the bait there a week before. The officer found the man to be in possession of a crossbow, which is prohibited during archery season.
According to the report, the hunter admitted to knowing that it was against state law to hunt with a crossbow “without a disability permit or while using bait.”
The hunter was cited for two violations, including hunting on grounds where “food has been deposited,” or hunting with a crossbow during the established archery season. Both charges are second-degree misdemeanors.
