SWANVILLE, Maine – Maine Operation Game Thief, working with the Maine Warden Service, is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person/persons responsible for the illegal shooting and wounding of a deer in Swanville, according to an April 10, social media release.

Anyone with any information regarding this wildlife crime is encouraged to contact the Maine Warden Service or Operation Game Thief at 1-800-ALERT-US.

On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at approximately 6 a.m., the Maine Warden Service received a call about an injured deer located off Oak Hill Rd in Swanville. Upon responding to the scene, game wardens discovered a live deer that was lying still at the base of the house, bleeding from two gunshot wounds. The deer had to be euthanized. 

The initial investigation revealed that the deer had been shot once through the back legs and a second time through the bottom of its chest, and then was left to die. The Maine Warden Service believes the deer was shot between the hours of 6 p.m. on March 3 and 6 a.m. on March 4.  

If anyone has any information regarding the shooting and wounding of this deer, they are encouraged to contact Operation Game Thief at 1-800-ALERT-US. You can also submit a tip online by using the Maine OGT app “Hunt Regs” or through the website at www.maineogt.org. Operation Game Thief increased the reward to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person/persons responsible for the illegal shooting of this deer.