FERRIDAY&045; In what may have been an insatiable case of the munchies, four Texas men were arrested in the wee hours of Friday morning for possession of marijuana and a number of hunting violations.

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Agent Charles Ward heard a gunshot from a pickup truck traveling on La. 124 near Stacy, about 10 miles east of Ferriday.

When Ward stopped the pickup near Frogmore, he reportedly found four young men from Longview, Texas, a shotgun, buckshot shells, marijuana, a pipe and rolling papers in the vehicle.

Sgt. John Barker said the occupants of the truck admitted that 27-year-old Tony Brocato Jr. had attempted to shoot a doe, but both of his shots missed their target.

Barker said he, Ward and Senior Agent James Parish searched for the doe, but were unable to locate it. Barker said the driver of the vehicle, Travis Thomas, 22, &uot;was apparently&uot; not under the influence of any illicit substances.

He said he could not comment on whether the three passengers, the aforementioned Brocato, Bradley Tennison, 21, and Frank Brocato, 17, were in an altered state.

Marijuana use is known to cause silly behavior and a ravenous appetite.

The men were arrested and booked at the Concordia Parish Jail on charges of possession of marijuana, hunting from a moving vehicle, hunting from a public road and hunting during illegal hours. Thomas was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Tony Brocato Jr. received an additional charge for methamphetamine reportedly found on his person.

Barker said the group’s actions were common, in spite of stiff penalties for illegal hunting: hunting from a public road and hunting from a moving vehicle carry maximum sentences of 60 days in jail; for hunting during illegal hours, it’s 120 days in jail and up to a $950 fine.