CHELSEA -- Game wardens are blaming poachers for a dead bull found Monday morning in a field off Searles Mills Road.

Dexter Thompson, who owned the Hereford steer, discovered the dead bull around 7:30 a.m. Monday about 150 yards from a dirt road, said Kris MacCabe of the Maine Warden Service. Thompson found a bullet hole behind the animal's front shoulder and called police.

"We're not sure (why the bull was shot)," MacCabe said. "It does seem it was a case of night hunting. Neighbors reported they heard a shot at 1:20 (Monday) morning."

The single gunshot originated from the area of the dirt road, MacCabe added.

Wardens were still at the scene Monday evening.

"We've been able to collect some evidence," MacCabe said.

Potential charges include killing of domestic animals, in addition to other poaching-related charges, he said.

Thompson plans to have the bull butchered for the meat, which is still viable.

"We took care of it this morning as soon as we found it," he said.

Typically, bulls sell for as much as $1,000, but buyers are not interested in dead animals, Thompson said. There were about 15 cattle in the field, including a black Angus that Thompson recently purchased for $2,000.

Thompson said he has always allowed hunting on his land and does not expect to change that practice.

"I think somebody was jacking," Thompson said. "I have had no problems with the hunters, until now."

Usually, night hunters use a light to blind a deer, thus preventing it from moving and creating an easy kill. Many deer shot at night are hit in the front quarters -- but Thompson's bull was not.

"It must have been standing broadside and they shot right into the belly," he said.

Asked how a 1,200-pound bull with a red body and white head could be mistaken for a deer, Thompson was at a loss.

"I have no idea," he said.

Though MacCabe said poaching has not been a particular problem in the Chelsea area, game wardens across the state say they have seen an increase in deer poaching, including more than 80 complaints about night hunting this year.

Last winter's heavy snowfall led to a high mortality rate, which caused the state to issue fewer any-deer permits this year in hopes of rebuilding the herd.

Biologists expect 4,000 to 5,000 fewer harvested deer this year.

"The deer haven't been moving too good because of the weather. So (hunters) get frustrated, and they start baiting or they feel they need that confidence boost," said Warden Sgt. Kevin Adam.

Anyone with information regarding Monday's bull shooting is encouraged to call Operation Game Thief at (800) 253-7887 or the Maine Department of Public Safety regional dispatch center at 624-7076.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Craig Crosby -- 623-3811, Ext. 433

ccrosby@centralmaine.com