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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Six people have been charged in what Utah wildlife officials are calling one of the most significant poaching investigations in recent state history.
Utah conservation officer Chris Schulze says a citizen stepped up to help law enforcement crack the case.
Authorities say they believe the defendants traveled from Salt Lake City to locations throughout Utah several times each week for the sole purpose of poaching deer.
Investigators believe members of the alleged ring used spotlights to shoot many of the deer at night, and zeroed in on mating season when the animals are particularly vulnerable.
Wardens say the deer were illegally killed in Washington, Sanpete, Utah, Salt Lake, Morgan and Summit counties.
Schulze said last week that the poaching will be felt in Utah's deer herds for years.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
