Now I know first hand what it's like to try to track an animal that for whatever reason had bad shot placement, however it looks like there are some more fuel for the anti's now.
Understandibly there's two sides to every story, but here's what the media is saying. I wonder what the real story is here?
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http://www.albertalocalnews.com/redd...line_area.html
Red Deer Advocate
Injured deer wandering around Caroline area
By Susan Zielinski - Red Deer Advocate
Published: November 28, 2008 7:32 PM Fish and Wildlife is being called upon to save a deer with an arrow in its rear flank that’s wandering in the Caroline area.
“He doesn’t move around a whole bunch. He looks pretty darn sad. It’s just a shame,” said Wyatt Neilson, who last saw the animal late Wednesday morning.
Neilsen estimates the animal’s age at about two years.
“He’s just a little guy. I wouldn’t even think he’s got five inches of antler on him.”
Neilson first saw and reported the injured animal to the conservation office in Rocky Mountain House on Tuesday afternoon.
When the animal was spotted again on Wednesday, still with the arrow, Neilson called again. He was told that once the wound becomes infected the arrow will fall out, so nothing was going to be done.
Darcy Whiteside, spokesperson for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, said officers did respond and couldn’t find the deer.
It’s not common for an arrow to be left in an animal and the decision was made to leave it alone, he said.
Neilson said he’s seen the deer more than once hanging around by the side of the road so it would be easy for a Fish and Wildlife officer to tranquilize the deer and take it to a veterinarian to remove the arrow.
“He’s suffered an awful lot. It would be nice to see him grow to an old bear with a big rack.”
Whiteside said officers talked to a number of people about the deer and it sounds like it is quite active. So officers will not try to capture or kill it.
“If a deer is active it’s very difficult to tranquilize. You have to be about 25 yards (23 metres) away and you have to make sure you have safe sights, and for an active deer it’s very, very difficult to get that close. They would end up chasing it all over the countryside.”
Neilson, who is a hunter, said whoever shot the deer has no ethics and is lazy.
“When you put an arrow in something, you’re duty bound to follow it up and finish it up *— that’s it.
“The guy that did this, he’s not a hunter. We’ve been taking a bad rap for years and years. There are good guys out there that will do absolutely everything they can to make sure the animal doesn’t suffer.”
About 90 to 95 per cent of hunters in the area are “stand-up guys” who were taught the proper way to hunt, he said, adding that the person who shot this deer probably didn’t even use a broad-head arrow that would draw blood.
“It’s not bleeding at all. There’s definitely something not right here.”
Whiteside said arrows do not have to be marked to track down the person who shot it.
Alberta hunting regulations do require hunters to follow the wildlife they injure and finish the kill, or they could face a maximum fine of $50,000 or up to a year in jail.
“Unfortunately, there are some cases where you lose track of the animal. In some cases the animal will pass away and in some cases the animal will heal.”
Contact Susan Zielinski at
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
Injured deer wandering around Caroline area
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