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Riham Feshir

Four men charged with poaching; DNR seizes 37 guns, 28 sets of antlers

Two search warrants found 28 sets of antlers.
Guns and deer antlers seized from a Dawson, Minn. home.
Courtesy Minnesota DNR

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Prosecutors have charged four Minnesota men who were involved in illegal deer poaching following a five-year investigation by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Conservation officers seized 37 guns and 28 sets of deer antlers late last year from a home in the southwestern Minnesota town of Dawson, DNR officials said.

The owner of the home, Joshua Liebl, 37, was charged in the poaching case along with Kevin Martinson, 58, of Plymouth, Nate Viesman, 32, of Watson, and Daniel Lien, 33, of Dawson, according to the DNR.

While executing a search warrant on Oct. 21, DNR officers seized from Liebl's home four sets of elk antlers and a set of mule deer antlers. The officers also found a piebald deer, with patches of black and white, intact and in the freezer. According to the criminal complaint, the deer was not tagged or registered.

Officers also seized a freshly killed eight-point whitetail buck from Leibl's truck, according to the DNR. A search of the truck also yielded a scoped .243 rifle, a 12 gauge shotgun, numerous rounds of ammunition for each firearm, and a spotlight.

"Since 2004, Liebl has registered four deer," said Lt. Gary Nordseth, DNR Enforcement district supervisor in the Marshall area, who took part in the investigation.

Lac Qui Parle County prosecutors also charged Liebl with transporting illegally taken big game, use of an artificial light to take deer, and trespassing — all gross misdemeanors. They charged him with two counts of failure to register deer and hunting during a prohibited time.

Liebl's hunting privileges in Minnesota were revoked at the time the animals were seized because of a 2013 hunting violation conviction in South Dakota. The two states are part of a Wildlife Compact which allows member states to recognize license suspensions outside their borders.

Nordseth said "numerous" complaints from the public to the state agency's Turn in Poachers (TIP) line helped focus the investigation on Liebl and the others.

"They also show how invaluable TIP, its programs and its volunteers are to our field officers, and the importance of law-abiding outdoorsmen and women willing to make the calls," Nordseth said.

The DNR encourages anyone who witnesses a fish or wildlife violation to contact the 24-hour, TIP hotline at 800-652-9093. Cell phone users can dial #TIP.

Court dates have not been set.