A CDFW Investigation

“We are grateful that citizens use CDFW’s tip line to inform wildlife officers of the illegal taking of wildlife and of other violations.  CDFW wardens are peace officers who have additional training to investigate these types of crimes.  They work 24 hours a day to protect our fish, wildlife, public and environment.  We thank them for their service.”

– CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

BUTTE COUNTY– On September 18, 2024, Gregory Karl Dudley, 33, of Gridley admitted to using his boat to drown a deer in the Sacramento River. As a result of his plea, he was ordered by the judge to forfeit his expensive custom-built fishing boat and trailer as punishment. 

Dudley entered a plea of no-contest to violating the California Fish and Game Code for using his boat in August of 2023 to drown a deer and then claim he legally shot the deer with an arrow.  

California Fish and Wildlife wardens received a tip of an individual who had drowned a deer in the Sacramento River in Butte County near Gridley. The witness stated they had been fishing with Dudley and others on Dudley’s boat, when Dudley saw a buck deer swimming across the river. 

According to the witness, Dudley, who had an archery tag to hunt deer, decided he would drown the deer instead of using a legal method to harvest the animal. Dudley drove his boat to where the deer was swimming, and circled the animal for several minutes, preventing it from reaching land. The witness stated the deer appeared to be panicking and suffering, and it eventually drowned as a result of the Dudley’s actions. 

Wardens learned Dudley then went back to the boat ramp and left, later returning with a different, smaller boat, to avoid getting blood in his expensive fishing boat. When wardens contacted him, Dudley denied drowning the deer, and claimed to have shot it with an arrow, which would have been legal because he possessed a hunting license and a tag.  Dudley showed the wardens the deer, which had a puncture wound that Dudley said came from his arrow.

CDFW wardens have extensive training in these types of investigations in addition to the normal police-academy training that all peace officers receive in California, and were able to conclude the puncture wound was made by pushing an arrow into an already dead animal.

Over the course of the investigation, wardens executed a search warrant at Dudley’s residence, and located additional evidence. According to the Butte County District Attorney, the law in California provides that when someone unlawfully takes a game animal, the method of the unlawful take gets forfeited upon conviction. As an example, if someone shoots an animal illegally, the firearm used would be seized and forfeited. In this case, because the item used to illegally kill the deer was the boat itself, wardens obtained a search warrant and seized Dudley’s custom-made boat, motor and trailer.  The forfeited custom boat, motor and trailer were estimated to be valued at $80,000. The boat will be pressed into service for Fish and Wildlife warden use. 

Dudley was also sentenced to one year of probation, with an order prohibiting hunting for that time, as well as $235 in fines payable to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.