Eric Feavel appears in court via video conference May 2, 2023, on hunting violations charges. PC: Fox 11 Online
WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — One of two men charged with illegal hunting was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $3,000, plus he was sentenced to five years in prison for bail jumping.
Eric Feavel, 41, pleaded guilty Friday to three misdemeanor counts of illegal shining of deer, and three counts of bail jumping. He was also placed on extended supervision for five years, had his hunting privileges revoked permanently, and his fishing rights suspended for three years, court records show.
Dozens of other deer shining and bail jumping counts were dismissed.
A bench warrant was issued for the second suspect, Travis Vander Heiden, after a missed court appearance. He faces 51 charges, including multiple counts of hunting after revocation, and illegal shining of deer.
According to the criminal complaints, a DNR warden responded to a field off County U about midnight on Nov. 12, 2021, due to a decapitated buck which was found in a field.
The warden noticed a vehicle traveling slowly, with someone shining deer with a handheld-flashlight out the driver’s window. The warden stopped the vehicle, noticed a cocked crossbow and bolts inside.
A check of the people in the car determined Vander Heiden was revoked from all hunting privileges. Feavel was wearing an ankle bracelet.
VanderHeiden admitted the two were shining deer. He said he was trying to start a taxidermy business, and used the meat for food.
The DNR matched the bolts in the vehicle with those in proximity to the headless buck.
“Vander Heiden said that he and Feavel have been shining and shooting at deer since 2019. Vander Heiden said the only person he shines and shoots deer with is Feavel. Vander Heiden does this to spend time with Feavel and because he enjoys eating venison,” the complaint states.
Vander Heiden estimated he shined and shot 15 deer in fall 2021, and Feavel shined and shot 15 to 20. In fall 2020, Vander Heiden admitted to shining and shooting five alone, and another five with Feavel. In fall 2019, he shined and shot about 15, and the two together shot another 15.
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