Crossbow Carnage: Man’s Shocking Deer Beheading Spree

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A New Braunfels, Texas man now faces 74 criminal charges after game wardens say he spent nearly a year shooting white-tailed deer with a crossbow from his vehicle, cutting off their heads, and leaving the gutted carcasses scattered across residential neighborhoods in three counties.

Story Snapshot

Darrell Maguire, 55, faces 74 charges filed by Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens for allegedly poaching at least 13 white-tailed bucks across Bexar, Comal, and Hays counties.
Wardens allege Maguire shot deer from his vehicle using a crossbow between fall 2024 and late summer 2025 — an 11-month alleged poaching spree.
Decapitated deer carcasses and crossbow bolts were discovered in front yards and on porches of residential neighborhoods, helping investigators build their case.
Evidence recovered during a search of Maguire’s home reportedly linked him to multiple poaching scenes across the three-county area.

Headless Carcasses Lead Wardens to a Suspect

The investigation began after Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) game wardens discovered multiple deer carcasses, some left in residential neighborhoods across Bexar, Comal, and Hays counties. ^[4] Wardens allege Maguire used a crossbow to shoot the deer from his moving vehicle, then removed only the heads — presumably for trophy purposes — while abandoning the rest of the animal. ^[2] The pattern of kills reportedly stretched across an 11-month period, from fall 2024 through late summer 2025. ^[2]

Physical evidence played a central role in connecting Maguire to the alleged crimes. Crossbow bolts were recovered from front yards and porches in the affected neighborhoods, which investigators say linked the suspect to specific poaching scenes. ^[2] A subsequent search of Maguire’s home yielded additional evidence that wardens say tied him to several of the incidents. ^[2] The combination of physical evidence and the geographic pattern across three counties gave investigators the foundation for an extensive charging document.

74 Charges and What They Cover

The sheer number of charges — 74 in total — reflects how Texas wildlife law works. ^[1] Each illegal kill can generate multiple separate counts when a suspect violates several statutes simultaneously. Wardens allege Maguire broke laws covering hunting without landowner consent, hunting at night, hunting from a vehicle, and hunting from a public road. ^[2] With 13 alleged kills and multiple violations attached to each incident, the charge count climbs quickly even before ancillary offenses are added.

Texas game wardens have full law enforcement authority and treat wildlife poaching as a serious criminal matter, not a minor regulatory infraction. ^[4] Poaching deprives landowners of property rights, wastes a shared natural resource, and endangers public safety when animals are shot from vehicles near homes. ^[4] The alleged conduct here — firing a crossbow from a moving vehicle into residential areas at night — represents exactly the kind of reckless behavior that puts families, pets, and property at risk, well beyond the wildlife violation itself.

Why This Case Matters to Hunters and Landowners

Law-abiding hunters and rural landowners across Texas have every reason to be outraged by allegations like these. Responsible hunters follow strict ethical and legal standards: they obtain landowner permission, hunt during legal hours, and use every part of the animal they take. ^[7] The alleged conduct here — shooting deer from a vehicle, discarding carcasses in neighborhoods, and operating across multiple counties for nearly a year — is the polar opposite of that tradition and directly harms the reputation of millions of ethical hunters.

Authorities allege Darrell Maguire, 55, 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.https://t.co/1FsHMUV86b

— KATV News (@KATVNews) May 21, 2026

The case also underscores the value of Texas’s game warden system. These officers work largely in rural and semi-rural areas, often without backup, to protect wildlife resources and enforce laws that most citizens never see enforced. ^[4] Maguire has not yet entered a public plea, and the charges remain allegations until proven in court. However, if the evidence holds up — crossbow bolts, home search results, and an 11-month pattern across three counties — Texas prosecutors will have a strong foundation for securing a conviction and sending a clear message that poaching carries real consequences. ^[1]^[3]