Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 21, 1994 TAG: 9411210098
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LISA GARCIA and LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Thomas William Puckett, 34, was fatally shot while hunting off Virginia 715, southeast of Bedford.
Sgt. Steve Pike, a game warden with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said Puckett's two hunting companions became suspicious when he did not return to their meeting place on time Saturday evening.
When the men went looking for Puckett, they ran into James L. Wright Jr. Wright told them where he had been hunting. When the men went to that area, they found Puckett, who had been shot in the neck.
Based on the wound, Pike said, he believes Puckett died immediately after being shot.
Wright, of Roanoke, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony that carries a one- to 10-year prison sentence, Pike said.
Wright, 31, was released after posting $7,500 bond, Pike said.
Pike said that Wright told him that he shot what he believed to be a deer. After Wright could not find find the deer, he left the area, he said.
Puckett's death is this season's fifth fatality, outnumbering the 1993-94 Virginia hunting season's three deaths. All five have involved illegal hunting, according to Game Warden Lt. Karl Martin.
"These people should not be called hunters; they are poachers, outlaws ... " Martin said.
Martin said that three of this year's hunting fatalities in Virginia happened in the Bedford County area.
Game wardens are "stretched incredibly thin" across the state, Martin said, and many people do not realize the extent their job.
He said many times arrests are made at night when poachers are spotlighting deer, often while intoxicated. One arrest Saturday night came after a short chase and resulted in both illegal-hunting and drug charges.
But Martin does attribute some decrease in hunting fatalities to the blaze-orange law. Beginning today, as the muzzleloading and bow-hunting seasons end and firearms hunting starts, hunters are required to wear blaze orange.
The blaze-orange law has been in effect for about five years. Martin said the year before the law went into effect, there were 16 or 17 deaths related to hunting accidents. Last year's three deaths showed the dramatic downturn attributed to safety precautions such as the use of blaze orange, he said.
Martin said his department encourages citizens to report hunting violations directly to a game warden, who can be contacted through the local sheriff's office.
He said sometimes people are reluctant to report violations, even if they happen on their own land. In this case, callers can remain anonymous by using the Poachers Hurt Our Natural Environment (PHONE) hot line at (800)237-5712.
Callers are assigned a number and can file an anonymous complaint. Depending on the result, callers may receive cash rewards.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB