Beheading buffalo on Cherokee Nation reservation earns Oklahoma man a three year deferred sentence
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – An Oklahoma man pleaded no contest to killing and beheading a buffalo and seriously wounding a second buffalo within the Cherokee reservation and was given a three-year deferred sentence.
Gunner Lee Richards, 25, of Broken Bow and a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, entered a plea to two counts of animal cruelty and one count of grand larceny in the Cherokee Nation Criminal Court.
The court found Richards guilty and also ordered him to $1,350 in fines and court costs.
Tryston Hunter Needham, a Choctaw Nation citizen, was also charged along with Richards, with two counts of animal cruelty and grand larceny in 2023. However, online court records show that his charges were dropped.
The owner of the buffalo herd found the female buffalo dead, and her head had been removed, the arrest warrant states. The female buffalo was carrying an almost full-term calf. The owner also discovered a second buffalo, a large adult male who had been shot, was severely wounded, and would require euthanasia, the affidavit states.
Court records show Gunner made restitution to the owner.
Extremely rare white buffalo calls Quapaw home
Bison are native to North America and Europe and are sometimes called buffalo in casual use, but they are two different animals. Buffalos, which have longer curvier horns, are native to Africa and Asia, according to several zoological websites.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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