Pair fined for illegal killing of 'trophy' white-tailed deer

CAMBRIA CO., Pa. (WJAC) — The Pennsylvania Game Commission-Southwest Region has announced details regarding a December 2023 illegal taking of a trophy white-tailed deer in Cambria County.

According to a post on their Facebook page, the game commission stated that a game warden's investigation into the incident suggested that Zachary Burgan and Matthew Koenig illegally shot a 169” Boone and Crockett trophy at night, from a vehicle, with the use of the vehicle headlights.

The game commission said that the deer was shot at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Dec. 8 along Hufford Hill Road, in Portage Township.

According to the post, Burgan and Koenig not only shot it at night but also attempted to take it to a taxidermist the next day with the last year's tag on it.

The game commission stated that Koenig was sentenced to pay $6,350 in fines and have multiple years of license revocation and Burgan was sentenced to pay $1,100 in fines and multiple years of license revocation as well.

The game commission also stated that any wildlife crimes can be reported to the Operation Game Thief’s toll-free hotline at 1-888-PGC-8001 or on their website.

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