Dandy, 2006Today at about 4pm, Don Murphy and his dog, Jenna, found the remains of Dandy on Empey Road, off McConnell Road. It appears he was shot in the head and his antlers were cut off and left at the site, along with his head and skin. His ear tag was missing. It appears he was shot today as we had received reports of sightings from people on Thorpe Road yesterday.
Not only did these poachers shoot Dandy out of season, they did so on a Sunday and showed they were aware of their lawlessness by not treating his remains with any appropriate respect. A simple phone call to us admitting that Dandy had been shot in error, if that had been the case, would have been the right thing to do.
What a horrible discovery for Don! What a strange coincidence that he should be the one to find Dandy so soon after his death and dismemberment!
Our only consolation is that we know where all our fallow deer bucks are and the search has ended -- albeit sadly -- but ended nonetheless after more than two weeks of worry and concern.
Dandy was a very strong and beautiful buck who was one of the oldest in the herd and, at times, he served as Max's lieutenant in protecting and calming the herd. He often spent time on his own, independent of the others but also enjoyed a friendly rivalry with Mike for that second-in-command status and was tolerant of younger bucks and deerkeepers.
Not only did these poachers shoot Dandy out of season, they did so on a Sunday and showed they were aware of their lawlessness by not treating his remains with any appropriate respect. A simple phone call to us admitting that Dandy had been shot in error, if that had been the case, would have been the right thing to do.
What a horrible discovery for Don! What a strange coincidence that he should be the one to find Dandy so soon after his death and dismemberment!
Our only consolation is that we know where all our fallow deer bucks are and the search has ended -- albeit sadly -- but ended nonetheless after more than two weeks of worry and concern.
Dandy was a very strong and beautiful buck who was one of the oldest in the herd and, at times, he served as Max's lieutenant in protecting and calming the herd. He often spent time on his own, independent of the others but also enjoyed a friendly rivalry with Mike for that second-in-command status and was tolerant of younger bucks and deerkeepers.
6 comments:
Jane, I am so sorry. My deepest condolences. You must be heart-broken at the indignity and furious with the injustice of it all. Thank you for keeping us informed.
My deepest sympathy.
However, one correction with regard to the law, please:
|| Not only did these "hunters"
|| shoot Dandy out of season,
There is NO season on "livestock" (Fallow deer) in Ontario. That's like saying a hunter shot one of your sheep or cows out of season.
All of us understand how a novice "hunter", or one with with exceptionally poor eye sight, may have mistakenly taken Dandy for a white tail. This is called an accident.
However, after Dandy was shot, as soon as "the hunters" picked up a knife, instead of the phone, they committed an illegal act. This is called a crime, and it's a felony in Ontario.
Apologies for being so blunt,
but Fallow deer are "livestock" and they have been farmed in the community for many many years. What these "hunters" did was no different than shooting and then butchering one of their neighbour's cows, sheep, horses, etc. That is not an accident nor is it a case of mistaken identity.
It is a criminal act and anyone with any information about this crime has a responsibility to come forward with information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of this crime.
Anyone with information should contact:
Frotenac OPP: 613-372-1932
5282 Hinchinbrooke Rd., Box 141, Hartington, ON K0H 1W0
It is all so confusting...according to the CFIA our deer are livestock, but according to MNR they are in a special class of non-native species.
You are right to insist that either way, Dandy was no white-tail deer and even if they thought he was, it was a Sunday and out of season for anything but bow hunting in that area.
To add to the confusion, the Reserve is in the City of Kingston (City Police) and Dandy's remains were found in Loyalist Township (OPP).
Allan & Jane
Our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to Don.
I have rarely been as disgusted as I am with this entire event. My deepest sympathies to those directly and indirectly involved with these deer. Might I suggest the offering of a reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible? I would be willing to contribute and have contacted Wendy in regards to this. I'm sure once the word gets out many people will donate - $1,000.00 sounds like a nice figure... We all know that money talks.... :(
Joanne - good idea. I will also donate toward a reward if Jane and Alan believe this is a move they would support.
There is also a larger issue of hunting out of season for the residents in our community & the safety of our kids, dogs, hiking, riding horses, etc., who go back into the woods when the season is over?
Jane - A crime was committed. It shouldn't matter where you are located and where the crime was committed -- that is a burden (working out jurisdiction) for the City & OPP to work out in the course of doing their jobs? I recall reading about a similar incident where the shell casings were matched to a hunter's gun - so something may come of this yet.
- Trish
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