NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (WOAI/KABB) – A hunter is facing 74 charges after game wardens say he illegally killed at least 13 white-tailed bucks across three Texas counties over 11 months.

Darrell Maguire, 55, of New Braunfels, faces numerous wildlife and drug offenses stemming from an investigation into poaching incidents in Comal, Hays and Bexar counties between the fall of 2024 and late summer 2025.

Authorities allege Maguire often used a crossbow to shoot the deer from his vehicle, decapitated the animals to take their heads, and left the rest of the carcasses to waste.

Darrell Maguire, 55, of New Braunfels, faces numerous wildlife and drug offenses stemming from an investigation into poaching incidents in Comal, Hays and Bexar counties between the fall of 2024 and late summer 2025. (Texas Parks & Wildlife))

Darrell Maguire, 55, of New Braunfels, faces numerous wildlife and drug offenses stemming from an investigation into poaching incidents in Comal, Hays and Bexar counties between the fall of 2024 and late summer 2025. (Texas Parks & Wildlife))

The investigation was launched in June 2025 following the discovery of several buck carcasses in Comal and Hays counties. Game wardens recovered crossbow bolts from front yards and porches in residential neighborhoods where several of the shootings took place. Investigators believe Maguire illegally killed at least eight bucks in these residential areas from June through September 2025.

RELATED | Family repairs damage after five deer crash through front door

As the investigation expanded, wardens found that Maguire had also exceeded the annual bag limit during the 2024 hunting season, allegedly taking five white-tailed bucks over the legal limit in Bexar County.

Maguire was arrested in September 2025 on wildlife and drug possession charges. Wardens reported finding evidence linking him to multiple poaching scenes while executing a search warrant at his home.

The 74 charges filed against Maguire include:

Hunting without landowner consent, a state jail felony.Possession of a controlled substance PG 1/1B (methamphetamines), 5.86 grams, a second-degree felony.Hunting white-tailed deer at night, a Class A misdemeanor.Hunting white-tailed deer from a vehicle from a public roadway, a Class A misdemeanor.Failure to retrieve and keep white-tailed deer in edible condition, a Class A misdemeanor.Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor.Comment with Bubbles

JOIN THE CONVERSATION (3)

Maguire also faces multiple Class C Parks and Wildlife Code violations. The case remains pending.