Freeburg mayor, former Cardinals pitcher cited for using bait and other hunting violations
The Illinois Conservation Police has issued 29 citations and 22 written warnings to eight people for allegedly violating state hunting laws in rural Freeburg.
Those cited include Freeburg Mayor Seth Speiser, 58, and his friend and neighbor, Danny Cox, 63, a former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and manager of the Gateway Grizzlies.
Among the allegations are that the hunters baited deer, which is illegal in Illinois due to ethical standards and risk of disease spread, and provided out-of-state guests with in-state hunting permits and tags.
Some of the citations require appearances in St. Clair County circuit court. Others can be handled with $195 fine payments. Evidence seizure tags show that buck antlers were confiscated in at least three cases.
Conservation police officers, who are part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, issued the citations and written warnings as part of an investigation on Nov. 18, the first day of this year’s firearm deer-hunting season, according to IDNR spokeswoman Jayette Bolinski.
They went to adjacent properties owned by Speiser on Illinois 15 and Cox on Buck Ridge Road to check on possible illegal baiting after using an Illinois State Police airplane for aerial surveillance three days earlier.
About two-thirds of the alleged violations occurred on Cox’s property.
“(Police) discovered nine baited deer stands or blinds with corn, molasses and mineral salt with trail cameras at each location,” Bolinski said.
“In addition, after cross-referencing IDNR records with hunting-permit records and addresses, police determined numerous individuals had harvested deer without proper permits and tags.
“Police also determined that Danny Cox allegedly provided permits to out-of-state hunters that were actually listed as Illinois hunters,” Bolinski said.
Cox was issued six citations for alleged failure to wear blaze-orange clothing, placement of bait for deer, firearm deer-hunting with aid of bait, take of an 8-point buck with aid of bait, take of a 10-point buck with aid of bait and use of someone else’s archery deer permit.
Citations also were issued to Danny Cox’s sons, Kyle Cox, 32, of Belleville, and Kamdan Cox, 27, of Clarksville, Tennessee, and others from Georgia who were hunting on his property.
Danny Cox didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Deer baiting is illegal in more than 25 states, including Illinois.
One reason is that it violates the ethical “fair chase” standard, giving hunters an unfair advantage when they pile corn under a stand, then just sit and wait to shoot deer that come to feed, according to Bolinski.
“We also discourage the use of bait because it causes deer to congregate at a food source, and that can contribute to the spread of diseases and make it more difficult to manage the herd and keep it healthy,” she said.
Some states have problems with chronic wasting disease, a fatal neurological illness that occurs in white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose.
Speiser issued four citations
Conservation police issued four citations to Speiser for alleged violations, one for placement of cracked corn to bait deer, one for firearm deer-hunting with the aid of bait and two for the unlawful take of a white-tailed deer.
Citations also were issued to Seth Speiser’s son, Mitchell Speiser, 25, and Mitchell Speiser’s brother-in-law, Brian Forrester, 34.
The mayor hasn’t responded to a request for comment made Thursday through Freeburg Village Hall.
A field report submitted by conservation police officer David Ray described his contact with Seth Speiser on Nov. 18, when the mayor was hunting from an elevated box blind on his property. The BND obtained the report through a Freedom of Information Act request.
“I observed cracked corn scattered beneath the leaf litter 20 yards in front of the blind,” Ray wrote. “Seth exited the blind with his shotgun (dressed) in full camouflage. Seth was unaware he had to wear his blaze orange vest and hat while in a blind. Seth left his hunting license and deer permits back at the truck.
“I stated you guys know you can’t hunt deer over bait as I brushed away the leaves with my boot exposing the cracked (corn). Seth stated ‘Yes’ and Mitchell nodded his head in agreement.”
Seth Speiser admitted to putting out the cracked corn several weeks earlier, according to Ray’s report.
Conservation police cited Mitchell Speiser for alleged unlawful take of a white-tailed deer and failure to wear the required blaze-orange hat and vest.
They issued written warnings to Seth and Mitchell Speiser for transporting uncased shotguns on utility task vehicles and hunting without deer permits in their possession; Seth Speiser for not wearing blaze orange; and Mitchell Speiser for falsification when obtaining landowner hunting permits and firearm deer-hunting without a valid permit.
The investigation related to the Speiser and Cox properties began on Nov. 15, when Illinois Conservation Police used an Illinois State Police airplane to conduct aerial surveillance and observed several possible baited areas southeast of Freeburg, according to Ray’s report.
Officers later walked Seth Speiser’s property and the adjacent property owned by Danny Cox, confirming and marking baited areas.
On Nov. 18, officers returned and made contact with Seth Speiser, Mitchell Speiser and Brian Forrester on Seth Speiser’s property; and Danny Cox, Kyle Cox, Kamdan Cox, Steve Pate, 62, of Marietta, Georgia, and Barry Northenor, 63, of Roswell, Georgia, on Danny Cox’s property.
Police issued at least one citation to each of the men, and Kamdan Cox was issued seven. All received written warnings.
Complete list of violations
Below are the violations alleged in citations and written warnings issued by the Illinois Conservation Police as a result of their Nov. 18 investigation:
SETH E. SPEISER, 58, of Freeburg
Citations:
- Placement of bait (corn) for deer
- Firearm deer-hunting with aid of bait
- Unlawful take of white-tailed deer
- Unlawful take of white-tailed deer
Warnings:
- Failure to wear blaze-orange hat and vest
- Transporting uncased shotguns
- Hunting without deer permits in possession
MITCHELL L. SPEISER, 25, of Freeburg
Citations:
- Failure to wear blaze-orange hat and vest
- Unlawful take of white-tailed deer
Warnings:
- Transporting uncased shotguns
- Hunting without deer permits in possession
- Falsification when obtaining landowner hunting permits
- Firearm deer-hunting without valid permit
BRIAN C. FORRESTER, 34, of New Athens
Citations:
- Failure to wear blaze-orange hat and vest
- Firearm deer-hunting with aid of bait
Warnings:
- Transporting uncased shotguns
- Hunting or taking deer with aid of bait
- Unlawful take of white-tailed deer
DANNY B. COX, 63, of Freeburg
Citations:
- Failure to wear blaze-orange hat and vest
Placement of bait for deer
Firearm deer-hunting with aid of bait
Take of 8-point buck with aid of bait
Take of 10-point buck with aid of bait
Use of archery deer permit issued to other
Warnings:
- Use of archery deer permit issued to other
Use of archery deer permit issued to other
Unlawful possession of road sign
KAMDAN B. COX, 27, of Clarksville, Tennessee
Citations:
- Unlawful take of wild turkey
- Turkey hunting without valid permit
- Failure to report turkey harvest properly
- Unlawful take of 5-point buck
- Archery deer-hunting without valid permit
- Archery deer-hunting with aid of bait
- Falsifying harvest report for 5-point buck
Warnings:
- Turkey hunting with aid of bait
- Failure to tag turkey immediately upon kill
- Possession of another person’s archery deer permit
- Failure to tag 5-point buck upon kill
- Unlawful placement of waterfowl bait
KYLE B. COX, 32, of Belleville
Citations:
- Firearm deer-hunting without valid permit
- Firearm deer-hunting without habitat stamp
- Providing false information to obtain permits
Warning:
- Firearm deer-hunting without license
STEVE M. PATE, 62, of Marietta, Georgia
Citations:
- Firearm deer-hunting with aid of bait
- Archery deer-hunting without valid permit
- Unlawful take of 7-point buck (archery)
- Failure to tag deer immediately upon kill
Warnings:
- Firearm deer-hunting without license or stamp in possession
- Providing false or deceptive information to police
BARRY T. NORTHENOR, 63, Roswell, Georgia
Citation:
- Failure to wear blaze-orange hat and vest
Warning:
- Firearm deer-hunting with aid of bait
This story was originally published December 9, 2022 at 9:47 AM.
