Corrections Officer Arrested for Poaching Big Bucks in New Hampshire

New Hampshire conservation officers arrested Travis Cushman, the superintendent of the Merrimack County jail, last week for multiple offenses after an 8-month investigation. Officers seized three deer mounts, a firearm, and archery equipment while executing a search warrant as part of the investigation, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division. 

Cushman was taken into custody on March 25 and has since been placed on leave. Merrimack County records indicate that Cushman held various positions with the Merrimack County Department of Corrections from 2015 to 2022, including corporal, lieutenant of operations, captain of operations, major, and superintendent.

Cushman now faces seven misdemeanor charges and 10 violation charges, including unlawful baiting, use of a live-action game camera, and multiple illegal night hunting charges. If found guilty, Cushman could be charged multiple fines. His hunting license could also be suspended, although the charges don’t carry potential jail time for the one-time jailer. He is scheduled to appear in Laconia District Court on May 15. 

Court records indicate Cushman is accused of illegally hunting deer outside of legal hunting hours on several consecutive evenings in November 2023, according to WSHU. One charge claims he registered a whitetail deer harvest the morning of Nov. 15, despite a timestamped image showing the animal the previous evening.

The New Hampshire Antler and Skull Trophy Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping records of trophy animals taken in the Granite State, announced in a Facebook post on Sunday that it was removing two of Cushman’s entries. A post by the club indicated that Cushman shot a 220-pound buck in Belknap County with a gross score of 155 ⅞ inches during the 2023 muzzleloader season. That post and photos of the buck have since been removed. 

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“When you enter a buck into NHASTC, you sign that the animal was taken legally and ethically. We find these actions disturbing and will not tolerate them,” the post read. “Once the legal actions are complete, this individual will be removed from the upcoming record book.”