Idaho man poaches deer on elementary school lawn – then returns for carcass

Peck, Idaho — In a case that a wildlife officer described as “a first for me,” an Idaho man shot a deer on an elementary school lawn after dark, left it for about two hours, and then came back and loaded the deer’s carcass into his pickup.

According to Idaho Game and Fish, during the late evening hours of Nov. 26, 2024, security cameras at Orofino Elementary School captured a blue Ford pickup truck entering the bus loading zone, where an individual shot a white-tailed buck standing on the school lawn.

The vehicle left the area and was viewed later on multiple residential and business security cameras throughout Orofino. Approximately two hours later, the same vehicle returned, and surveillance footage showed a male subject loading the deer into the pickup before leaving again.

After reviewing hundreds of hours of video footage, Idaho Fish and Game officers identified the suspect as Lars Nelson of Peck, Idaho. A search warrant executed at a residence in Asotin, Washington, where Nelson had been staying, led to the seizure of the suspected vehicle, clothing worn during the offense, and deer parts. Forensic testing confirmed that the blood collected at the residence matched the blood recovered at the school. The meat and antlers were never located.

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Nelson initially faced five misdemeanor charges but later pleaded guilty in Clearwater County District Court to a flagrant (clear and intentional breaking of law) misdemeanor charge of taking a deer during a closed season. The remaining charges were dismissed.

On Feb. 18, Nelson was sentenced to a $1,000 fine ($500 suspended), $165 in court fees, a $400 civil penalty, and a $75 processing fee. He must serve two 48-hour weekends in the Clearwater County Jail, with 174 days suspended, complete two years of unsupervised probation and face a five-year revocation of hunting privileges.

Idaho wildlife officials thanked the community for its cooperation, noting the case required extensive review of surveillance footage.

“It’s a crazy one. Never in my life would I have thought that I would have investigated a poaching case at an elementary school,” Idaho Fish and Game conservation officer Luke Guasco said. “It struck everyone as, ‘what the heck was this guy doing?’ The deer season had closed, he didn’t have a license, and he shot a deer inside city limits.”

There were no children present at the school when the deer was shot, he said.