Texas Game Wardens say a New Braunfels man is facing a stack of criminal charges after an investigation into what officials describe as repeated deer poaching across three counties—much of it allegedly happening in neighborhoods, with bolts later found in front yards and on porches.
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department laid out the allegations in the original post: 55-year-old Darrell Maguire has been charged with 74 offenses tied to the illegal killing of at least 13 white-tailed bucks in Bexar, Comal, and Hays counties, with carcasses allegedly left to waste after the heads were removed.
Wardens say the poaching stretched from 2024 into 2025
According to TPWD, the suspected activity wasn’t a one-off. Wardens accuse Maguire of capturing and killing deer from fall 2024 through late summer 2025.
In the 2024 hunting season, investigators determined he also exceeded the annual bag limit in Bexar County—allegedly taking five white-tailed bucks over the legal limit. Then, from June through September 2025, TPWD says he illegally killed at least eight more white-tailed bucks in residential areas across Comal and Hays counties.
Why neighbors would feel it: crossbow shots from a vehicle and bolts on porches
The details that jump out for a lot of Texans aren’t just about wildlife rules—they’re about public safety in places people live. TPWD says Maguire would often shoot the animals with a crossbow from a vehicle, including from a public roadway, before removing the heads and leaving the carcasses behind…