RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) -Two men have been found guilty of illegally killing deer at night.

Dylan Scott of New Hanover County and Nicholas Rackley of Duplin County were found guilty on 15 counts of unlawfully taking deer at night with the use and aid of an artificial light called spotlighting.

An anonymous tip to the N.C Wildlife Resources Commission’s NC WILDTIP (Turn-In-Poachers), on November 28, 2023,  stated that Rackley killed 15 deer the previous night and forwarded the photo to multiple individuals.

The photo was Rackley posing with 15 antlerless white-tailed deer.

During the investigation, Rackley admitted he and Scott shot 15 deer in Duplin County on the night of November 27, 2023.

Both Rackley and Scott took the dead deer to a home in Pender County to have the deer processed, where the resident admitted to processing the deer meat for Rackley.

Officers say they found four coolers full of deer meat.

Both have been ordered to pay $9,030 in replacement costs for illegally killing 15 deer at night in Duplin County.

Scott was fined $1,500, his hunting license will be revoked for 10 years, and he will receive five years of supervised probation.

Rackley was ordered to pay $750, and his hunting license will be revoked for five years.

In the past six months, NCWRC has received 598 tips through NC WILDTIP.