Judge Bans Oklahoman From Hunting for the Rest of His Life

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A Norman man who shot and killed a 2-year-old buck used for breeding has been banned from hunting for the rest of his life.

Judge Jerry Bass handed down a 10-year suspended sentence Wednesday to Justin Ray McDaniel.

McDaniel, 27, pleaded guilty to the charge of theft of an exotic animal last year.  The crime is a felony in the state of Oklahoma and carries up to a 10-year prison sentence.

The judge also told McDaniel he can never obtain another hunting license again in any jurisdiction and must pay $33,000 to the deer's owner, Mark Kwitowski.

"People like you should not be hunters," Judge Bass said.

McDaniel said he killed the buck, "Pretty Boy," with several arrows because of his "ego."

"I'm really sorry," McDaniel said prior to his sentencing Wednesday.

The deer's owner, Mark Kwitowski, said he was pleased with the verdict.

"This is the first stepping stone for anybody who decides they want to pick up a weapon like a bow or a rifle and shoot a penned deer behind a fence thinking that they're going to be able to show the state they killed a big buck," Kwitowski said.

Prosecutors said the buck was appraised at $55,000 and had the potential to produce semen worth thousands of dollars a year.

"For an animal that's 2 years of age to already have about 240 inches of antler on his head, that's phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal," Kwitowski said.

McDaniel was also ordered to serve 10 days in jail on weekends for a misdemeanor charge of providing false information to an authorized hunting station.

The men said several hunting publications have already contacted them about the case.  Since the shooting there's been nationwide interest in how this was going to turn out.