A 38-year-old convicted felon faces dozens of charges after allegedly shooting a trophy whitetail and having his wife tag it.

According to the charges, the man shot the buck in October 2021 over a baited food plot. The deer was discovered after someone took it to a local taxidermist some time after it was killed. The buck was already decomposing, and had sketchy details behind how it was harvested. Someone alerted conservation wardens who conducted an investigation that eventually led to the charges.

Published reports state the wardens interviewed the suspect and he said he shot the deer with a bow and arrow. Further investigation revealed the buck had been shot with a muzzleloading rifle. The man, Adam Rhodes of Burlington, Iowa, is a convicted felon who is not allowed to own or use firearms. Additional reports from investigators revealed that cellphone records linked to Rhodes indicate that he confirmed shooting a buck and then asking his wife to pretend that she shot it.

For more information on this story, check out the article by the Des Moines Register here.