CASPER - Wyoming Game and Fish wardens continue to investigate the poaching of two deer in Highland Park Cemetery, a department spokeswoman said Monday.

Investigators suspect someone used a bow to kill the deer earlier this month without being detected, said spokeswoman Robin Kepple. The cemetery is just a block from Wyoming Medical Center and well within the Casper city limits.

Cemetery workers reported finding a gut pile amid the headstones last Wednesday. As Game and Fish wardens investigated, they discovered a second gut pile in the area.

"We've got piles laying right there by the graves," Kepple said. "It's just a bad crime. We are hoping someone will step forward and help us."

Investigators think the deer were poached between Oct. 16 and 19. They found evidence indicating the animals were killed with a bow, but Kepple declined to elaborate.

The cemetery grass offers a good food source for deer, and large bucks have been spotted there, game officials said.

"Someone saw them and couldn't resist the opportunity to poach them," Kepple said.

Kepple said she could not recall any animals being poached before at the cemetery. However, hunting within the city, while illegal, occurs every year.

Many of the poaching incidents within the city involve the use of bows.

"That is a method of killing the animals that they can use and not draw attention to themselves," Kepple said.

The perpetrator could be charged with hunting in a closed area and, if the deer were male, taking an antlered animal without a license or out of season. The latter crime can result in a fine and the loss of hunting and fishing privileges for five years.

In most circumstances, firing a bow within Casper is also illegal, according to city municipal code.

Anyone with information on the poaching can contact Game Warden Aaron Kerr at 307-473-3419. Wildlife violations can also be reported at (877) WGFD-TIP or online at gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/enforcement/stoppoaching/submitTip.aspx.

Contact Joshua Wolfson at 307-266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.