A New Hampshire Fish and Game warden follows a tip to a man’s backyard. He finds a twisted game of one-upmanship, digital trophy rooms, and one of the biggest poaching cases in recent state history.
Then, the hunting investigation takes a surprising turn when it reveals another set of potential crimes – this time, behind the brick walls of New Hampshire’s State Prison for Men. Host Nate Hegyi has spent the past year digging into what happened next.
Operation Night Cat is a special three-part series from NHPR’s Document team and Outside/In. Listen to Operation Night Cat wherever you get your podcasts starting Nov. 5.
Episode 1: Why Did the Deer Cross the Road? A New Hampshire Fish and Game warden follows a tip to a man’s backyard. He finds a twisted game of one-upmanship with digital trophy rooms. Click here for an episode transcript.
Episode 2: Behind the Brick Wall The poaching investigation takes a surprising turn when it reveals another set of potential crimes – this time, behind the brick walls of New Hampshire’s State Prison for Men.
Episode 2 drops Nov. 12
Episode 3: A Duck’s a Duck Two sets of potential crimes, investigated by more than five sets of law enforcement agencies. Why most of them never took a shot at accountability.
Episode 3 drops Nov. 19
The Team:
Host, Lead Reporter: Nate Hegyi
Producer, Co-Reporter: Lauren Chooljian
Production, Original Music: Jason Moon
Fact-Checking: Dania Suleman
Photography: John Tully and Jill DeVito
Lead Editors: Taylor Quimby and Katie Colaneri
Editing help from Daniel Barrick, Rebecca Lavoie, Jackie Harris, Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Marina Henke
Investigations like this are powered by readers like you.
Investigative reporting is time-consuming. It’s expensive. And it’s a team sport.
Operation Night Cat took a whole year to report and a lot of behind-the-scenes work to deliver. Beyond pay for the reporters and editors on this story...
- • We sued the state for access to public documents.
- • Our reporters drove roughly 1,750 miles around New Hampshire to interview sources and get documents.
- • We paid fees to access court records.
- • We hired a fact-checker to confirm every detail in this story.
That’s what it takes to produce fact-based, verifiable local news that serves the public good. And it only happens when people like you choose to invest in it.
Thank you for considering a donation to NHPR in any amount. Your support helps us ask tough questions and keep our community informed.
Sincerely,
Taylor Quimby
Executive Producer, Outside/In
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New Hampshire Fish and Game Memorandum/NHPR Records RequestAn investigation into one of the biggest poaching cases in recent New Hampshire history also uncovered potential crimes inside the state’s struggling prison for men. -
Mikey Lutmerding/Eastern Ecological Science Center, U.S. Department of the InteriorFive people have been convicted following a wide-ranging investigation by NH Fish & Game into illegal hunting practices.
