An Adams County man, Michael Eugene Sponseller Jr., 19, of East Berlin, was found guilty and sentenced to pay $1,100 in fines and $5,000 in replacement costs and faces revocation of hunting privileges for up to six years for the unlawful poaching of a trophy-class whitetail deer in York County, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission officials.

Sponseller was found guilty of unlawful taking and possession of game or wildlife; unlawful devices and methods for using a motor vehicle to locate the deer; trespass on private property while hunting and false or fraudulent statements on reports. In September 2009, he and another individual were traveling in a vehicle on Hoke's Mill Road in West Manchester Township, when they spotted a 16-point deer in an adjacent field from the roadway, and Sponseller stalked and killed the deer, using archery equipment, during a closed season, but after taking possession of the unlawfully killed trophy buck claimed to have killed the deer during the open archery deer season in Lycoming County.PGC Wildlife Conservation Officer Chad Eyler and deputy WCO Bob Simmonds received information regarding the unlawful killing of the buck and began an investigation in October. A West Manchester Township police officer informed them that he possessed a set of 14-point deer shed antlers that were found in the early part of 2009 in the vicinity of the unlawfully killed 16-point buck and believed them to be the sheds from the unlawfully killed 16-point buck.Eyler and Simmonds inspected the 14-point antlers, along with certified Boone and Crockett Club official scorers, and had each rack measured for their green score. Both racks were submitted to to Dr. Jane Huffman, director of the Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory, Applied DNA Sciences, East Stroudsburg University, to compare DNA from each rack to see if the racks were from the same deer.After DNA extraction from both sets of antlers, Dr. Huffman determined that the racks were from the same deer.This evidence, coupled with additional expert testimony at the hearing, proved that the 16-point deer lived in and was unlawfully killed in York County, not the more than 110 air miles away in Lycoming County, as the defendant alleged.*********Today's guest of Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association member Doyle Dietz on "Experience the Outdoors," from 7:30-8 a.m. on Oldies 1410-AM is Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited chapter president Randy Emerich. A rebroadcast will be heard Sunday from 9:30-10 a.m. on WMGH, 105.5-FM, and is available on the Web at

www.wmgh.com by clicking on the "Experience the Outdoors" link.**********A 3-D course is open for public use from dawn to dusk at Bear's Head Sportsmen's Association, Delano, located off Exit 134 of Interstate 81, daily through Saturday, Oct. 23. Donations are accepted and for information call the clubhouse at 570-467-0331 or e-mail

docblazer@verizon.net.**********This year's Empire State Lake Ontario Tournament dates have been announced. Here is the schedule: Summer, through Sunday, July 18; Fall, Friday, Aug. 20-Monday, Sept. 6. For information and registration, access on the Web at

www.loc.org or call (888) 733-5246.**********First Frontier Militia, the muzzleloader arm of Bowmanstown Rod and Gun Club, will hold a muzzleloader shoot Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bowmanstown Rod and Gun Club is located on Gun Club Road, off Route 248, Bowmanstown. For information, call Roger Fisher at 610-377-2812.*********This year's "Norm Thornburg Youth Conservation Camp," for ages 13-15, will be held Thursday-Saturday, July 15-17, at the Schuylkill County Fairground. For required pre-registration or information about scholarships available through Schuylkill County Sportsmen's Association, call Pat McKinney at 570-622-4124, ext. 113, or e-mail

porcupinepat@yahoo.com.***********A trap shoot will be held, Thursday, July 15, beginning at 6 p.m., at Orwigsburg Gun Club, Gun Club Road, off Route 443 East, Orwigsburg. For information, e-mail

jafone@comcast.net.**********National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association Territorial Matches for rifle, pistol and smoothbore will be held Friday-Sunday, July 16-18, at Blue Mountain Muzzleloading Rifle Association, Schartlesville. For information, contact John Arrowood at 484-489-2735 or

arrowood755@comcast.net.**********This year's "Gunmakers Fair" will be held Friday-Sunday, July 23-25, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily, at Dixon Muzzleloader Shop, 9952 Kunkel's Mill Road, Kempton. For seminar schedule and information, access on the Web at

www.dixonmuzzleloading.com or call the shop at 610-756-6271.**********Schuylkill Trout Unlimited will hold a pig roast, Saturday, July 24, from 2-7 p.m., at Bulls Head Road, Pottsville. For reservations, call Bruce Schneck at 717-647-4362 or Randy Emerich at 570-622 1252.**********A free youth trap shoot will be held Saturday, July 31, beginning at noon, at Phoenix Park Rod and Gun near Minersville. Competition will be held for ages 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-16 For required pre-registration by Wednesday, July 28, call Bob Hendricks at 570-544-3068 or Joe Carvajal at 570-544-9523.**********Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited meets Tuesday, July 27, Aug. 24, Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 23, Dec. 21, beginning at 7 p.m., at Yorkville Fire Company, South 20th and West Norwegian Sts., Pottsville. For information, call Randy Emerich at 570-622-1252 or access on the Web at

www.schuylkilltu.org.**********Schuylkill Spurs Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation meets, Thursday, Aug. 5, beginning at 7:30 p.m., at West Penn Archery, South Tamaqua. For information, call Kevin Titus at 570-668-5903.**********This year's "Lehigh Valley Hunting and Fishing Extravaganza" will be held Friday-Sunday, Aug. 27-29, at Kempton Fairground. For information, contact Bob Danenhower at 610-398-7609 and

bobstaxidermy@ptd.net or Rick Weaknecht at 610-683-7405 and

pahunter2005@hotmail.com.**********This year's "Pennsylvania Bowhunters Festival" will be held Friday-Sunday, Sept. 17-19, at Sullivan County Fairground, Forksville, beginning daily at 6 a.m.. For information, call Bill Feese at 570-525-3635, e-mail

info@pabowhunters.com or access on the Web at

www.pabowhunters.com.**********This year's "Hawk Mountain Wildlife Art Show" will be held Saturday and Sunday, Sept 25 and 26, at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton. For information call the visitor center at 610-756-6961.**********This year's "Schuylkill County Friends of NRA Banquet" will be held Thursday, Sept. 30, beginning at 5 p.m., at the Schuylkill Mall. For additional information or reservations, call Mike McCord at 570-628-1382.