PINETOPS, N.C. — When a tip led wildlife officers to a home in Pinetops Sunday morning, they could not believe what they found - 26 dead deer.

"The deer were in various states of decay," said Lt. Sam Craft, with North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. "Some were just the heads with the antlers, and others were whole deer left to lie in the field."

Sixteen heads, mostly of bucks, were found in the yard. Ten additional deer were found in various fields across the county.