TOWN OF BLANCHARD — A tip that a hunter used a rifle to shoot a large whitetail buck during bow-hunting season led to the arrest of a New Glarus man near Blanchardville on Sept. 16.

Joel M. Zimmerman, 36, faces a charge of endangering safety by intoxicated use of a firearm, according to the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office. He was taken to the jail, where he posted bond and was released to a responsible party.

A deputy responded at about 8:45 p.m. to Gould Hill Road to assist a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warden.

The warden, Nick King, said Zimmerman seriously wounded an 18-point buck on private property where he did not have permission to be hunting. Gun season for deer doesn’t begin until Nov. 21.

Zimmerman showed signs of impairment from drinking alcohol and submitted to field sobriety tests and a breathalyzer test, King said.

Further violations are pending, King said. The wounded deer was dispatched by a legal bow hunter.

Lafayette County Chief Deputy Troy Loeffelholz said the deputy on scene assisted with transporting Zimmerman to the jail.

The criminal charge Zimmerman faces is a misdemeanor, King said. State court records show no criminal history for Zimmerman.