Pair arrested on poaching charges

Four assault rifles, about 40 pounds of frozen meat and piles of 20-year-old deer antlers all point to a case of alleged poaching against a father and son from Williams, authorities said.

Paul Eugene Kemp, 45, and Joe Hayden Kemp, 20, were released Sunday from Colusa County Jail with an order to appear in court Feb. 27 at 1 p.m., a jail spokesman said.

They were booked earlier that day on suspicion of possession of unregistered assault rifles, possession of non-game bird and several administrative poaching violations related to deer tags, Game Warden Patrick Foy said.

If convicted, both men face fines and up to a year in jail.

Wardens on Sunday seized four assault rifles and frozen deer meat at Paul Kemp’s home on the 5000 block of Walnut Drive in Williams. A pile of more then 150 deer antlers was discovered at Kemp’s home, some more than 20 years old. Authorities also seized about 40 pounds of frozen deer meat and waterfowl, Foy said.

Foy said the state’s wildlife laboratory would examine the confiscated meat samples and antlers to determine where and when the animals were taken.

Authorities received a number of reports from hunters alleging the Kemps were involved in illegal hunting, Foy said. Upon investigation, a warden discovered several deer antlers hanging in a tree on Paul Kemp’s property. The antlers appeared to be from recent kills, Foy said.

Deer can only be taken with a hunting license, valid deer tag and during open season, generally from August to October. When a hunter takes a deer, they are required to report the time and location of the kill to the state, Foy said.

“This makes it possible for biologists to manage the herd,” he explained.

Jim Lidberg, project chairman for the California Deer Association, said poaching is a large and frustrating problem statewide. Lidberg said poaching interferes with the “careful management” of deer population efforts, which directly impacts the number of deer tags issued.

“There’s been a 30 to 40 percent population decline for deer over the last 30 years or so,” Lidberg said. “Then these twits come along and mess up the work people are trying to do to get the population levels back up.”