A private organization working with the Maine Warden Service is offering a $3,000 reward for information on the illegal shooting and wounding of a deer in Swanville.
The injured deer ultimately had to be euthanized after it was found and reported to the Maine Warden Service at about 6 a.m. on Tuesday, March 4.
The animal was found off Oak Hill Road. When game wardens arrived, it was lying still at the base of a house, bleeding from two gunshot wounds, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
It had been shot once through the back legs and a second time through the bottom of its chest, then left to die, according to an initial investigation. The shooting was believed to have happened between 6 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday.
The group Operation Game Thief is offering the $3,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the illegal shooting. The group can be reached at 1-800-ALERT-US. Information can also be shared by submitting a tip online using the Maine OGT app “Tip 411” or through the website at www.maineogt.org.