Poacher of 50 deer gets prison sentence, lifetime ban from hunting
David Strege, For The Win
Fri, December 26, 2025 at 4:30 PM UTC
1 min read
A tip to Tennessee game wardens in fall of 2024 led to the conviction of a repeat poaching offender who, with an accomplice, was found to have illegally killed 50 white-tailed deer and was illegally selling the meat.
Robert E. Comer, who was currently serving a three-year hunting license revocation because of previous illegal wildlife poaching violations in Tennessee, pled guilty to two felony counts of possession/traffic of protected wildlife, one count of illegal take, possession or destruction of wildlife, and two counts of hunting on revocation, according to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Consequently, Comer received a 60-day prison sentence; was banned for life from hunting, fishing and trapping; was banned for life from any TWRA controlled and/or managed lands; and was required to pay $15,000 in restitution, part of which stemmed from a prior 2022 conviction of hunting violations.
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Carson Smith was also found to have participated in poaching activities. He pled guilty to three counts of illegal take, possession or destruction of wildlife; one count of a statewide big-game hunting season and bag limit violation; and one count of big-game tagging violation. He received a three-hunting privilege revocation.
The wildlife poaching activity occurred near the Wilson and Rutherford County border.
Via multiple search warrants, game wardens seized 50 white-tailed deer heads and antlers, one wild turkey head, and one illegally possessed fox squirrel. Wardens also seized a rifle, a muzzleloader, and a crossbow determined to be used in the commission of these crimes.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Poacher of 50 deer gets prison sentence, lifetime ban from hunting