FWC sniffs out illegal bait site

A hunter in Tate’s Hell has been charged with hunting over bait in a management area.

Travis Huckeba, an officer with the Resource Protection Unit of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Law Enforcement, was working information of an illegal bait site given to him by uniform patrol when he and Capt. Craig Duval located the suspect’s truck in Tate's Hell Wildlife Management Area.

Once there, Huckeba posed as another hunter and closed the distance on the suspect who was in a tree stand. While approaching the bait site, the hunter yelled to him, "Hey man, you didn't see my truck parked in the road?" thinking he was another hunter.

At this point, Huckeba identified himself and ordered the suspect to unbolt his gun and come down from the tree stand. The hunter complied and was charged with the hunting violation.