June 7, 2016
From NBC4i.com
SHIOCTON, WI (WBAY) — Search warrants obtained from Outagamie County Circuit Court show Edwin Singler, 53, and his son Ryan Singler, 25, are under criminal investigation for poaching a massive buck.
According to the search warrant, a DNR warden and sheriff’s deputy found the buck’s head removed and “a single set of footprints leading from the deer.”
They also found, “a spent .223 rifle casing melted into the snow….within a few feet of the vehicle tracks.” The round was a “nickel- plated .223 round, with REM FC12 stamped on the end with a blue primer sealer.”
According to other hunters, their group only coyote hunts with .223 rifles, and according to an interview with the family friend hunting with them, “the group had multiple .223 rifles in the vehicle that day.”
During a visit to Singler’s property on January 24, investigators “observed blood in the bed of the truck” and on February 5 Singler told investigators “he had nothing to tell us because he was ‘already hung.’”
During the search of both Edwin and Ryan Singler’s properties on May 6, investigators located ammo containers which “contained nickel-plated .223 rifle rounds…the same as the .223 casing recovered” and with the “same REM
FC12 printed on the casing.” The rounds also “had a blue primer sealer around the primer.”
Both Singlers are also facing charges in Nevada for illegally shooting a trophy elk last November. According to the search warrant, only Edwin Singler possessed an elk tag, but the guide confessed to a Nevada warden that “Ryan Singler shot and killed the elk.”
Charges are pending in both cases, and when contacted over the phone Monday, Edwin Singler, who has history of hunting violations, would only tell us, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”