Someone keeps shooting deer in this Central Texas neighborhood

Since December, a total of six deer have been shot with arrows and four of them have died, according to Texas Game Wardens.

Shannon Faulk

Since December, an unknown assailant has shot six deer have with arrows, and four of them have died in a neighborhood Northwest of Austin, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. On January 9, residents in the area launched a GoFundMe account to reward anyone with information on the possible shooter. It has raised $5,040 of its $7,500 goal as of Friday, January 28.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, harvesting a white-tailed deer with archery equipment is illegal. In fact, there is an archery season for white-tailed deer in the fall. However, an Austin city ordinance makes it illegal for a person to hunt within city limits.

TPWD tells MySA a licensed hunter should only hunt on private property that they own or where they have permission or a permit to hunt on. Otherwise hunting on designated Texas public lands requires a license.

“In Texas, if you kill a white-tailed deer without landowner permission, that is a felony offense. In this case, we’re possibly looking at somebody who’s hunting from a vehicle,” Scott Jurk, a captain game warden with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, told KVUE, an Austin news station.

If you have any information regarding the incidents, game wardens asked the public to please contact Operation Game Thief at 800-792-GAME. If you encounter anyone actively engaged in these acts, for your safety, do not confront them, TPWD says. Obtain a detailed description and immediately dial Texas Game Warden dispatch at 512-389-4848.