Arrested

Multiple antler thief attacked Murtal hunter

A man from Murtal used stolen antlers as financial security.

(Bild: facebook.com/Steve Lindberg)

In Sankt Marein, a 61-year-old man from Murtal had been stealing antlers from a game feeding area for years. A hunter caught him in the act and was then attacked by the suspect. 

In a forest area in Wasserleith on Wednesday morning, a hunter caught a 61-year-old repeat offender helping himself to antlers from a game feeding area. The man was wearing a balaclava to avoid being recognized and was already carrying two shedding poles. The hunters had long been alerted, as the thief had struck several times in the past five years. 

The hunter identified himself as a supervisor of the forest area. The man from Murtal then tried to flee. When this failed, he lost his nerve and tried to push the hunter over a steep embankment. The man successfully defended himself and managed to restrain the thief and call the police at the same time. 

Sale of antlers due to financial hardship 
According to the police, the Styrian partially confessed. He stated that he came up with the idea of taking the antlers from the deer enclosure to sell them due to massive money worries. This resulted in a total loss of ten thousand euros. The suspect was taken to Leoben prison. A total of 19 shedding poles were seized at his place of residence. 

Brave hunter suffered minor injuries 
The hunter was slightly injured during the brutal confrontation with the thief and had to be treated as an outpatient at Knittelfeld Regional Hospital. The suspect denied the accusations that he had physically assaulted the hunter.