Russian cops have arrested two illegal hunters who shot two roe deer dead outside of hunting season and loaded them in the truck of their car.

Traffic police reportedly found the poor animals when they pulled a vehicle on Lenin Street, in the village of Yershichi, Smolensk Oblast, Russia, in February.

The two men, a driver, aged 49, and his pal in the passenger seat, aged 48, were reportedly heading back to the city of Moscow with the prey they caught over a month after the end of the season.

Police revealed that the deer’s carcasses were placed in the trunk, where they reportedly also found a hunting carbine, a pair of night vision rifle scopes, a thermal imaging device and a knife.

Both the driver and the passenger, who have not been named, were arrested and escorted to the police station.

When questioned, both revealed that they went to the forest with their registered weapons and shot the deer, despite the hunting season having ended on Friday, 10th January.

Experts estimated the material damage to around RUB 260,000 (GBP 2,904).

The public prosecutor filed for a criminal investigation against the two men for illegal hunting, according to the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs.

If found guilty, they face up to five years in jail.

The investigation is underway.