Alleged Florida poacher who bragged online charged with illegally killing wild turkey, deer

FLORIDA — A Florida man has been charged for allegedly poaching wild turkey and deer, and other violations, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said.

According to the FWC, it arrested Sidney Brent Hurst, 37, of Steinhatchee, last week. The charges, which range from second-degree misdemeanors to third-degree felonies, resulted from a two-year investigation by the FWC Statewide Investigations Section and regional law enforcement officers, the FWC said.

Hurst was charged with taking over the season bag limit for turkeys, taking over the season bag limit for deer, scheming to defraud, armed trespass, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and cheating, the FWC said,

According to the FWC,  it began its investigation in the spring of 2020 in response to tips from the public and shared social media posts.

The initial investigation in 2020 reportedly provided evidence that Hurst and his young son had taken over the season bag limit for wild turkeys. Reportedly, Hurst alone had poached 15-20 wild turkeys during the spring 2020 season.

Given the extent of the alleged violations uncovered during the 2020 season, the FWC said it widened the investigation to gather all information regarding Hurst’s alleged poaching activities.

During the spring 2021 season, the FWC executed search warrants on Hurst’s social media accounts and cell phone records and investigated his movements to confirm and corroborate the timing and locations of alleged illegal wild turkey kills.

The FWC said the results from the investigative work provided evidence that Hurst had far exceeded the season bag limit of two wild turkeys per person and had killed more than 30 birds during the spring 2021 season.

“Evidence also showed Hurst killed several gobblers illegally during the closed season. The investigation in spring 2021 provided evidence that he had also committed armed trespass on multiple occasions in four Florida counties,” the FWC said in a statement.

“Hurst didn’t stop at wild turkeys. Evidence showed he harvested more than the season bag limit for deer (five deer per person) during the 2020-21 deer season. In fact, Hurst likely harvested 20 buck deer during the 2020-21 general gun season,” the FWC said.

Due to Hurst’s alleged poaching activities in 2020 and 2021, FWC investigations extended the investigation into the spring 2022 season, the FWC said. Additional evidence was collected that reportedly showed that Hurst had far exceeded the season bag limit for turkeys, killing at least 15 birds for the season.

The evidence solidified cases of armed trespass in multiple jurisdictions, and several gobblers poached during the closed season, the FWC said.

“Over the course of the investigation, we were shocked by the egregious nature of both Hurst’s illegal exploits and his social media posts,” said FWC Deputy Director of North Operations Lt. Col. Gregg Eason.

“He bragged about the number of wild turkeys he poached, often trespassing to do so, and his ability to elude law enforcement.”

On Sept. 20, 2022, FWC officers executed search warrants at Hurst’s house in Taylor County and a hunting camp in Lafayette County. Two shotguns, Hurst’s iPhone, 156 pairs of turkey feet/spurs, 155 turkey beards, and 21 sets of deer antlers were reportedly seized during the searches.

Investigators on the case were assisted by numerous FWC officers, along with law enforcement officers from partner agencies.

“If it hadn’t been for members of the public and hunters who saw something wrong and reported it, there’s a chance this individual could have continued abusing our state’s natural resources well into the future,” said FWC North Central Regional Commander Maj. Scott Lee.

“Our wildlife laws are in place to ensure resources exist for the enjoyment of future generations, and Hurst has shown nothing but disrespect to the land, the resource, and law-abiding hunters.”

Charges were filed in Highlands County to be prosecuted by the Office of Statewide Prosecutor, and judicial proceedings are pending.