MECOSTA COUNTY, Mich. (WWJ) - Charges are being sought against a Mecosta County man who was found to have over 150 dead cottontail rabbits in the bed of his truck and at his home by conservation officers.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said in a press release that they became aware of the incident in late-February after two conservation officers, identified as Josh Reed and Jacob Robinson, received numerous complaints stating a man had been bragging about shooting and stashing over 100 rabbits in his truck.
In Michigan, cottontail and snowshoe rabbits can be hunted from Sept. 15 to March 31 as part of small game season, but hunters have a daily limit of five and have a possession limit of 10.
One of the authorities, Officer Robinson, later saw the suspect's vehicle matching the tipsters' description as it left a parking lot in the same area where the officers got the complaints and pulled it over.
The DNR stated that the conservation officer was able to see rabbit feet sticking out from under a blanket in the bed of the man's truck. As Officer Robinson investigated further, he discovered over 100 cottontail rabbits carcasses.
Both DNR officers then followed the man to his home where they found another 37 dead rabbits.
According to officials, the suspect told the officers that he acquired the animals while attending a rabbit hunting tournament in Ionia County.
The DNR said they are now pursuing charges against the man in Mecosta County for over-possession of rabbit.
It is not the first incident of poaching in Michigan to capture media attention. Last fall, six men from Colorado came to the state and illegally took nearly 500 lbs. of fish.
The men pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2023, with each owing more than $1,100 in restitution, fines and costs after using illegal methods to catch about 460 lbs. worth of salmon on the Manistee River in October.
Once again, it was a tip from an angler in the area that notified conservation officers to the men's activity.
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