Three men who are part of a film crew were charged in two Southern Iowa Counties for illegal hunting. A DNR conservation officer received a report last November that a Missouri man may’ve illegally shot a buck with a bow along the Iowa/Missouri border.
The investigation led to 31-year-old Jesse Bolin, his 28-year-old brother Paul — who are both from Tarkio, Missouri — and 33-year-old Steven Cole of Hamburg. A search warrant led officers to find 23 illegal deer racks, 12 turkey beards, ducks and geese waiting to be mounted, and illegal deer and pheasant meat at Cole’s home. Officials seized a deer that had been killed illegally at Jesse Bolin’s home, along with archery equipment and a camera.
The three men had apparently filmed the illegal shooting of the deer in Iowa. Cole pleaded guilty to several illegal hunting charges and was fined $10,400 in Page County. He was ordered to pay a 1,900 fine in Fremont County. He also faces two years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Jesse Bolin, who is a police officer in Mound City, Missouri, pled guilty to unlawfully taking a deer and not having a hunting license and was given a civil penalty of $1,200. Paul Bolin pled guilty to not having a valid archery license for deer and was fined $654. The Bolins face possible hunting violations in Missouri.