A 53-year-old St. Louis man is facing charges for reportedly hunting in Arnold City Park. The man allegedly used a crossbow to shoot and kill a deer in the park on Bradley Beach Road near the Meramec River, Arnold Police reported.
Arnold Police got a call around 2:55 p.m. Nov. 27 from a man who reported seeing two men wearing camouflage clothing carrying weapons and dragging a deer out of a wooded area near a gravel lot in the rear of the park. An officer went to the park and saw two men matching the description near a Kia Optima parked on the gravel lot, the report said.
The officer approached the men and allegedly saw them with a crossbow and a standard bow. In addition, the officer found a deer head with antlers in the car’s trunk, along with a bag that contained a red substance, according to the report.
The 53-year-old allegedly said he shot and killed the deer. However, the two men said they didn’t know hunting was not allowed at the park, adding that they thought they could hunt there because they did not see any no-trespassing signs, Arnold Police reported.
The officer seized the crossbow and collected the deer parts, including two bags of meat and two black trash bags that contained the deer’s front and rear quarters. A Missouri Department of Conservation was contacted, and a conservation agent instructed the officer to donate the meat to a private party so it would not go to waste, the report said.
The man who said he killed the deer was issued summonses to appear in Arnold Municipal Court for allegedly hunting illegally and discharging a weapon within city limits, and then he was released at the park. The Missouri Department of Conservation also is seeking charges against him, police reported.
The other man did not receive summonses, Detective Lt. Jason Valentine said.