TN man pleads guilty to deer hunting on prison property

LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A 53-year-old man has pleaded guilty to deer hunting on Tennessee state property.

Terry Sellers, of Henning, was ordered to pay $17,500 in restitution to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and has lost his hunting privileges for six years. He pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal possession and one count of hunting without permission in the Lauderdale County General Sessions Court.

According to the TWRA, Lieutenant Tim Ward received reports of a 15-point, double drop-tine deer killed in Lauderdale County in January 2025. Ward was familiar with the deer, which had been spotted frequently around West Tennessee State Penitentiary (WTSP), where hunting is reportedly prohibited.

Ward launched an investigation and interviewed several witnesses, and a ping warrant was issued for Seller’s cell phone data. The court order authorized law enforcement to access his cell phone’s location data to determine its location on specific dates and times, according to a release.

Investigators determined Sellers illegally killed three deer on WTSP property. The three bucks had a combined gross score of 491 5/8 inches and were declared contraband by Lauderdale County General Sessions Judge Scott Lovelace.

The TWRA will now use these deer for educational displays.