Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said police officers and a dog handler searched a property on Allanton-Scroggs Hill Rd about 11pm on Friday, after a concerned farmer thought he heard gunshots he thought were aimed at his stock.
Police found a 16-year-old boy and 19-year-old man in a paddock, and two men aged 18 and 34 were found 200 metres away.
Police found no firearms on them.
‘‘The four of them admitted that they’d seen a sheep in the paddock and decided to go chase it,’’ Snr Sgt Bond said.
‘‘They didn’t know what they were going to do if they caught it.’’
The 16-year-old was referred to youth aid and the other three received warnings for unlawfully being on property.
