Cory Gene Fritzler, Guiding and Outfitting Illegal Deer Hunts, Iowa 2021

A Northeastern Iowa man has been sentenced to federal prison for guiding and outfitting illegal deer hunts.

Cory Gene Fritzler, age 46, from Lansing, Iowa, was sentenced on September 23, 2021 to two months’ imprisonment, two months of home detention, and fined $5,000.

Fritzler was found guilty of conspiracy after a March 18, 2021 guilty plea.

The evidence at Fritzler’s plea, sentencing, and other hearings established that Fritzler operated a guiding and outfitting business in Northeastern Iowa known as ‘NE Iowa Outfitters.’

The Northeastern Iowa region is nationally recognized as a prime geographic area for hunting mature whitetail buck deer. Hunters travel to Northeastern Iowa from all over the United States to hunt high-value, mature buck deer with large antlers.

Fritzler agreed to conduct an illegal hunt with two hunters from Florida who were actually undercover law enforcement officers during the 2015 hunting season. The agreed-upon cost of the illegal five-day hunt was $3,450 per person, plus an additional $500 per person for illegal licenses that Fritzler provided.

Fritzler recruited others to participate in the illegal hunting scheme by applying for and receiving Iowa hunting licenses and tags to cover the deer.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tim Vavricek and investigated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

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