GOAT ISLAND

By Sr. Agent Wayne Parker

Mississippi's gun season for deer was scheduled to close in the middle of the week this past hunting season. Therefore, I thought that the last day would be a great opportunity to work Louisiana Islands in the Mississippi River. Louisiana's open gun season had ended so bow and muzzleloader were the only legal methods of taking deer in our state.

I started early across the river and set up within a rocks-throw of a Louisiana Island named Desoto. I could also see a popular public landing in Mississippi. There were no vehicles at the landing when I arrived and I was worried it may have been too cold for any activity. However, I knew there were two groups of people willing to get out in the river on an unlikely day. Those are outlaws and game wardens.
After two hours of wishing for a cup of something hot, I noticed two subjects pull down to the landing and begin dressing like they were planning on hunting. This seemed strange but I assumed they were there to meet someone. Within minutes, one other subject pulled into the landing and backed a boat into the water.

I witnessed the three subjects grab long guns from their vehicles and lay them in the vessel. They also brought along their dog. This was getting better and better because bow and muzzleloader are still hunt only. The use of dogs would be additional charges if they were to hunt in Louisiana.
The subjects traveled south down the Yazoo River and hesitated just prior to landing on DeSoto Island. The operator of the boat dropped off two subjects and traveled to the opposite end of the island with the dog. After about 45 minutes of letting the dog run the island, the operator of the vessel re-entered his vessel and returned to pick up the other hunters.

During their hunt on DeSoto Island, I relocated to an anchored barge on the main channel of the Mississippi River where I contacted Sr. Agent Scott Watson and Sgt. Cecil Wells for assistance. That assistance arrived in time to watch the three hunters land on Delta Point Island of Louisiana. Delta Point Island is also known as "Goat Island" for obvious reasons. There used to be goats on the island.

Sr. Agent Watson could hear the dog running as we heard three shots fired on the island. Shortly after the shots were fired, I picked up Sr. Agent Watson and boated him to the island to make contact with the hunters. Sgt. Wells then advised us of another boat landing on the island. Come to find out later, those holding the lease on the island were there to make a legal hunt with muzzleloaders. They had landed within 300 feet of the violators and neither group had a clue the other was anywhere around. Nor did they have a clue that we were there.

Eventually we made contact with the three illegal hunters and their dog. Each of the three subjects had a shotgun, one of which was unplugged. They had also killed a six point buck. They were booked into jail for violations including hunting deer with illegal methods, use of dogs during still season, possession of illegally taken deer, and hunting with unplugged shotgun. They were also cited for civil restitution of the deer. These Mississippi residents took the "reciprocal agreement" concept a little too far.