Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty to Deer Poaching in Iowa

OSCEOLA, Iowa (AP) - Officials say a Minnesota man stole whitetail buck over a four-year period in Iowa.

The state Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday that 42-year-old Bradley Slawson, Jr., of Ham Lake, Minn., pleaded guilty to deer poaching charges. He has been ordered to pay $18,000 in civil damages for the illegal harvesting of deer bucks between 2008 and 2011 in Clarke County.

Slawson has forfeited archery equipment. He faces losing his hunting license in Iowa and 38 other states included in an agreement that recognizes the suspension of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses.

Conservation Officer Michael Miller says both Iowa and Minnesota officials worked together to catch someone "that had been stealing from Iowa's natural resources for years."

A message left at a public number for Slawson was not immediately returned.