Man cited for killing 'Bow Tie,' well-known deer in Milwaukee
By Brendan O'Brien
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A Wisconsin man was cited on Tuesday for hunting with an improper license after he killed a large male deer known as "Bow Tie" in the neighborhood around the Milwaukee-area park where it roamed, a state official said.
Jason Elliott, 29, was accused of poaching the 12-point buck with a crossbow in the Menomonee River Parkway in Wauwatosa, a western suburb of Milwaukee, on Dec. 13, said Kevin Mickelberg, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warden.
Residents and park officials called the white-tailed deer Bow Tie because of distinctive markings on its neck, Mickelberg said.
Elliott was also issued citations for failure to validate or attach a deer tag and for hunting without proper colored clothing. He faces $1,540 in fines and may have his hunting privileges suspended for a year and his crossbow confiscated, Mickelberg said.
Elliott was not immediately available for comment.
Mickelberg said the hunter was cooperating with wildlife officials and that he had no past violations with the Department of Natural Resources.
"We'll miss our resident deer, Bow Tie," Milwaukee County Parks said on its Facebook page.
Bow Tie was also popular with local photographers and outdoor enthusiasts and had been featured in a wildlife calendar, according to local media.
"Everyone in the neighborhood is just very sad because we've all photographed him in our yards," Lisa Carlson, who lives near the park, told local television station Fox 6.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Ben Klayman, Toni Reinhold)
