Sad incident in Wisconsin . . . .

M

Montana Pete

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A news story has made the front page of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and was also on the front page in our local paper. Furthermore, it was an up-front story on the radio news this morning.

In Wapaca County, here in Wisconsin, a group of snowmobilers ran down and killed four deer. One was a fawn. A fifth deer had a broken leg and had to be put down by wardens.

The news stories reported -- quoting game officials -- that snowmobile tracks in the snow suggested that two of the snowmobilers herded the deer toward three other snowmobiles. The waiting snowmobiles then deliberately ran the deer down.

The incident was reported by the farmer who owned the land the snowmobile trail crossed, who had given permission to route this marked trail across his property.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to attack snowmobilers. I'm sure many are more furious than I am.

Here's my point. How much damage did this incident do to the image of this sport? We have a major metropolitan newspaper featuring this in a major way on the top half of the front page. It is all over radio and TV news in this state.

There's a sense of terrible, needless cruelty.

Does anyone think that the farmer is going to renew his permission to run the trail across his land? He was very upset.

It seems incredible the brainless and heartless things that are done -- again, in great injustice to the sport, and to the tens of thousands of outdoors people who love deer and enjoy snowmobiles.

I anticipate that some may post to this thread insisting that these articles are "anti-hunting" and should be disregarded out of hand. I really don't think so. That's always the dodge when very unpleasant stories come out about incidents in the woods.

For what it's worth, sportsman's associations in Wisconsin have already subscribed and posted a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of these bozos.

Hope I am not out of line posting this, but I do believe that about 99 pct of the people visiting this forum are good-hearted folks who would be as saddened as I am by this incident.

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I'm going back to edit this about an hour after posting. I've done more reading of the news stories.

The woman who owns the land where the incident occurred has closed five miles of her land with the trail, effectively shutting the snowmobile trail. State authorities report that to circumvent the closed section of the trail -- presumably, using public land -- would require 35 to 40 additional miles of extent.

The landowner has publicly stated that she will reopen her land ONLY if the miscreants who killed the deer are found, apprehended, and convicted. If not, her land will remain closed indefinitely.
 
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Pete

You are absolutely correct. This sort of thing sould never happen. Being a land owner myself, and yes, I've posted my property, because I've found too many deer shot and left to rot.

We had two hoodlums in our area, this year, that bragged about shooting over 100 deer from the road and out of season. They got caught, but as usual, not punished enough for their actions.

Keith
 
it only takes a few to leave a huge black mark. much like some retards on 4 wheelers ripping up a farmers field.
 
The small percentage of jerks on dirt motorcycles, atv's, and snowmobiles makes all the rest look bad. It's just the same as the poachers who shoot trophy deer and elk and only take the heads, or just shoot animals and leave them to rot in the field. All of them need to be sentenced to something unpleasant related to their crime IMHO, not cruel and unusual either just unpleasant. :mad:
 
I've never had anyone run over a deer on my property but occasionally someone shoots one. Is that significanlty different?
 
nonsense

Its stories like that, that give us bad names. The trajedy that gose unreported is people out running snowmobiles and atv in winter ranges. When they see deer and try and get close for pics or just a look see, they have no Idea when those deer run off, they are putting them at serious danger of death that night. The deer do not have alot of energy to spare this time of year and will simply freeze to death during the night in there beds.

It's very sad and the people that do it have no idea what they did, because if they new they would stay away.

Just a thought,

Willys
 
I only have a couple of problems with the story. I have a snowmobile and last year i hit a lab that came out of nowhere it did $800 dollars damage to the front end. I can't imagine the damage it did to the snowmobiles hitting a deer.
It also says they suggested it appeared they were herded towards the other snowmobilers, no one saw anything, I would wait to see what facts they come up with.
 
We all need to do more when we encounter such activity.

My son and I were in an area (some what remote), and saw 2 ATVs being ridden around stumps and posts to keep them out of an area. We did not report them. Should have took pics and gave them to the DNR officers. Nothing beats the officers catching them "red handed".

(Where did that term 'red handed' ever come from?)
 
Larry Elliott said:
The small percentage of jerks on dirt motorcycles, atv's, and snowmobiles makes all the rest look bad. It's just the same as the poachers who shoot trophy deer and elk and only take the heads, or just shoot animals and leave them to rot in the field. All of them need to be sentenced to something unpleasant related to their crime IMHO, not cruel and unusual either just unpleasant. :mad:
Click to expand...
I hate TV commercials where they show ATV's, 4WD vehicles and the like tearing out across the land throwing dirt, mud and what have you acting like they're having the time of their lives. It's all in the same vein.
 
Couple of comments,

Harassing wildlife with snowmobiles is as old as the machines. It's SICK, but it's not a new problem. It's not about "hitting them" or wrecking your snowmachine it's just that a large percentage of the riders have never seen a deer up close and suddenly they're more able than the deer. IME most often deer runners are folks from town. People run the animals to exhaustion and then take pictures or just set and grin stupidly because "they got close to the awesome deer." Running down coyotes is another sick "sport" although this one DOES include hitting the animal. This is most often practiced by the locals themselves. Harassing from airplanes and helicopters is just as bad. Hunting from motorized vehicles including planes is illegal everywhere as far as I know although AK perty much looks the other way, having a "legal distance" that you can land away from your quarry. I can't count the number of people who're proud of flying around until they "locate" animals then they'll land somewhere close and "hunt" the trophies.

"Caught red handed" is a poaching term as I understand it. Gener'ly speaking if the Conservation Officer walks up to find you elbow deep in viscera you'll be "red handed."

al
 
I could be wrong....but didn't the term red-handed come from a detective service that was trying to catch bank and train robbers back in the old west. They would put something (dye?) in with the money so it would turn the robbers hands red. This is still used in modern days with exploding dye vials/packs.

Hovis
 
I agree with you Mickey..

MColeman said:
I hate TV commercials where they show ATV's, 4WD vehicles and the like tearing out across the land throwing dirt, mud and what have you acting like they're having the time of their lives. It's all in the same vein.
Click to expand...

and then when someone wants to limit the rec vehicle use because of such irresponsible behavior the manufacturers cry foul. Just like the tobacco ads of yore, such commercials do breed bad behavior in those prone to it. Too bad the makers don't take the high road.
 
For what it's worth, our local paper had the banner headline today-- three of the vandals who ran down the deer have been arrested. The amount of bad publicity this has attracted for the snowmobile sport is hard to imagine.

I realized they are just the "alleged" perpetrators, but according to the story, when questioned by the police they fell out among each other, and began signing statements indicting each other. A falling out among thieves, so to speak.

It appears there are two more snowmobilers that were involved but have not yet been apprehended.

I wonder if the $10 K reward had anything to do with it. The police said they were receiving so many tips they had difficulty finding the time to run them all down.

Turns out the state snowmobile organizations came up with the reward.

It's quite common for a some of the bad-egg snowmobilers to get a "gill-full" during these so-called "poker runs", and hit the trails wide open in the dark at up to 70 mph. Into trees, barbed wire -- you name it.

Last year in Wis. I believe about 12 snowmobilers went to the great snowmobile beyond -- soused out of their heads, throttles wide open, deer in their crosshairs.

Broke my heart.
 
Late 90s MI 'lost' 40-45 every winter and all you see are shoulder shrugs.

I have said and dont mind repeating it "if hunters killed 40-45 in MI every hunting season there would be new TV stations come on the air to rail against hunting".
 
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