Tyler Madden (20) of Dyersburg, Tennessee, has pleaded guilty to 24 hunting-related charges spanning Dyer, Crockett, and Madison Counties, which include illegally taking 30 turkeys over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The charges include two counts of big game violation, seven counts of statewide wild turkey bag limit violation, small game season date violation, statewide waterfowl season date violation, hunting without permission, hunting from a public road, hunting from a motor vehicle, and ten counts of illegal possession.
On October 12, 2024, Madison County game wardens received multiple anonymous tips that Madden had poached a leucistic turkey, known widely by locals, on county-owned property.
Game warden Austin Parsley responded to the call, matching photos from Madden’s social media to the parcel where the turkey had been poached. Parsley also verified that no one had permission to hunt that parcel (in Jackson, hunters have to obtain written permission from the mayor to hunt county-owned land). These tips launched a year-long investigation into Madden.
“He’s been on our radar for a while,” Parsley told MeatEater. “We knew it could be big if we let it play out. We were able to monitor the situation through social media and a couple other avenues.”
Big indeed. Madden’s sheer numbers are comparable to entire Wildlife Management Areas’ documented turkey harvests in a given season.
The Smoking Gun
On April 25, 2026, Tyler Madden and another individual not involved in the case were ticketed for hunting a property without permission. Weeks didn’t have a Tennessee license at the time either. Game wardens found a dead turkey in the back of their truck and confiscated Madden’s Mossberg SA20 Tactical Turkey.
Officers noticed 42 gold “tick” marks on the gun’s receiver, Parsley told Meateater. When questioned by gamewardens, Madden admitted that they signified turkeys that he had killed with that gun or called in for other people to kill.
“That’s when the biggest breakthrough occurred,” Parsley said. “I’m an avid turkey hunter, and I know that specific gun was only released a few years ago.”
Mossberg didn’t release the SA20 Turkey until December of 2022. Even if Madden had bought one that December, the math still wouldn’t add up.
Madden let his ego betray him. At the time, he only had 11 total turkeys checked in—well shy of the 42 kill marks on his receiver, Parsley told Meateater. Parsley noted that social media played a big role in the case. Officers were able to match turkey fans from Madden’s social media posts to ones in his possession or other photos and determine which ones weren’t tagged.
Crime & Punishment
Officials confiscated 47 illegally harvested turkeys from Madden, 30 of which were taken between 2024 and 2025. The court ordered Madden’s hunting privileges to be forfeited for eight years, pay $10,000 in restitution, $4,183.50 in fines and court costs, and forfeit a shotgun and compound bow.
The investigation also led to the convictions of four other Tennessee hunters, one of whom is Madden’s brother. In total, officers recovered 79 turkey beards, 17 fans, 4 shotguns, a compound bow, and the white turkey, which kickstarted the investigation.
Madden’s staggering poaching numbers come as a gut punch to Tennessee hunters who have seen their season and bag limits decrease in response to declining numbers across the state. In 2023, the Volunteer State decided to delay its season and decrease its seasonal bag limit from three to two adult gobblers in hopes of providing better hunting opportunities in the future. Illegally taking 15 years worth of bag limits doesn’t help.
“It’s the biggest turkey bust anyone can remember in our region,” Parsley said. “As a turkey hunter, this one just hurts.”
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