Maybe they shoulda used a maul?
or at least posted on TGR for advice?
http://billingsgazette.com/news/stat...626a89e87.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by tfa
Teens attempt to kill deer, but take wrong approach
After hitting a deer with a car, a group of teenagers in Park County decided to put the animal out of its misery by using a baseball bat.
Sam Sheppherd, warden captain with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 3, said the group of 15- and 16-year-olds were in the Cokedale area outside Livingston when the collision occurred on Friday.
“They attempted to put it out of misery, but they did it in an incredibly poor-judgment fashion with baseball bats,” Sheppherd said.
The deer was severely hurt in the crash. The teenagers’ blows with the bat did not kill the deer. The animal was later killed by a FWP warden.
Sheppherd said the teens didn’t face any animal cruelty charges because the animal was already mortally wounded.
“We had a real long and serious discussion about what they’ve done,” Sheppherd said. “We used it as a learning opportunity and a major butt-chewing.”
Sheppherd said this isn’t the first time the public has tried to take matters in their own hands when it comes to injured wildlife. The decision ultimately should be left up to law enforcement or FWP, he said.
“We are not encouraging people to get out and blaze away at a deer,” said Robert Gibson, information and education manager with FWP District 5. “We have to determine first if it is mortally wounded or how badly it’s hurt.”
Gibson said if an animal is injured, an FWP warden or biologist will report to the scene to assess the situation. The Montana Highway Patrol or county sheriff can also respond.
Even if someone has a gun, they are not encouraged to take care of the situation on their own.
“We don’t want people shooting something because they think it’s wounded,” Gibson said. “We are worrying about discharging firearms in the road right-of-way. A rifle or a pistol in the roadway, we would be worried about that.”
The same goes for sickly animals. Gibson said most of the calls they receive are from people saying there is an animal in their yard that appears sick.
“People think they are so sick and suffering that we need to put it down, and in many instances, that deer had something not good for it to eat, had diarrhea and was weak, but in two days will be fine,” Gibson said. “It’s going to get better and hop away.”
If deer do appear sick, Gibson said FWP wants to be notified to determine the illness. He said there are several sicknesses that can effect an entire herd.
Gibson said if an animal is injured or appears sick, contact local law enforcement who can in turn contact the warden on duty.
