SWATARA TOWNSHIP, LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. -- A Lebanon County man who combs the woods looking for shed deer antlers posts videos to YouTube whenever he hunts, both of his findings and of his prized 'man cave'.
One of his videos got him attention he didn't want prompting a visit from a Game Commission Officer and the loss of some of his prized possessions.
"I think when you do so well, I think even the Game Commission wonders why you do so well," said John Eisenhauer, a hunter from Swatara Township.
Eisenhauer loves hunting. You can tell by the trophies in his 'man cave' and by the videos he posts online. He especially enjoys shed hunting where he collects the antlers that male deer drop every year. One of his prized finds got the attention of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Eisenhauer says he didn't know it was illegal to pick up a skull with antlers attached until an officer showed up at his front steps.
'I said, `well that sounds like a really dumb law, but you can have the antlers.. I could care less about the antlers,'" he said.
He says the officer then asked to see his man cave. Eisenhauer agreed. Once downstairs, the officer told Eisenhauer multiple signs he had on display were still in use by the Game Commission, and the officer needed to take them.
"They push this narrative: 'they're still using these signs!' They threw hundreds out to the garbage. When I bought these, they still had wax paper between them," added Eisenhauer.
Eisenhauer says he doesn't believe the conduct of the Game Commission was appropriate, but a spokesman said the officer was just doing his job.
"When you have a situation -- you might possess something unlawfully, as well, and think nobody should take it from you.. I don't know where to go with that," said Travis Lau, Director of Communication with the Game Commission.
Eisenhauer has since been given back a red sign and swears the other signs taken are legal too.
"The signs were viewed in the course of a regular investigation where there was an infraction... and he wasn't charged," said Lau.
"I would like my three signs back, and I would like an apology from the Game Commission for their conduct," stated Eisenhauer.
The Game Commission says it will look at someone's social media if they've been reported, and that this incident is still under investigation. Eisenhauer says he's reached out to multiple agencies, including the Governor's office, to have someone take a look at the Game Commission.