Hurricane -- A call to Utah's Turn-in-a-Poacher hotline has resulted in a major poaching arrest in southwestern Utah.

On August 18, Hurricane resident Mathew Steven Spendlove was charged with four Class A misdemeanors and three Class B misdemeanors in 5th District Court in St. George.

The charges stem from the poaching of seven buck deer in Washington County. If Spendlove is found guilty, he could spend the next five years in jail, pay $13,000 in fines and pay $2,800 in restitution for the animals he took.

He could also lose his hunting privileges in 31 states, including Utah, for the next several years. All of these states are involved in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

Tip starts investigation

The investigation began in November 2008 when a confidential informant called the UTiP hotline (1-800-662-DEER) to report that a deer had been killed outside of the hunting season.

Division of Wildlife Resources officers investigated and eventually served a search warrant on a home in Hurricane. In the home, the officers found seven sets of deer antlers. They also found photos from a cell phone, a camera and a computer. The photos provided the officers with evidence that all seven deer had been taken illegally.

Chris Schulze, Josh Carver and Mark Ekins were among the DWR officers involved in the case.

"One of the concerns I have with this case is that all of these deer were taken from a relatively small area," Schultze says. "[Taking that many bucks from such a small area] can seriously decrease the buck population in the area and even narrow the genetic pool."

Schulze says Spendlove took all seven bucks in one year. He also indicated to the officers that he was going to do it again.

"[If we didn't catch him], he might have continued to kill deer for many years to come," Schultze says. "Imagine the number of deer the people of Utah would have lost if that had happened.

"There are others out there that are doing the same thing. I am grateful that someone stepped up and helped us stop this one."

A trial date for Spendlove has been set for Sept. 10 in 5th District Court.

UTiP hotline

The UTiP hotline is maintained using funds collected from the fines and restitution poachers pay for taking wildlife in Utah illegally. The line is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You can access the UTiP hotline at 1-800-662-DEER (3337).