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OVERCAST Temp: 51 °F Wind: WNW at 7 mph Wednesday, February 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 2, 2003 Residents, wildlife remain at risk from illegal hunting spree By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune Medford resident Gary Hawk doesn’t have anything against hunting. In fact, the 70-year-old admits to having hunted his own fair share of game before he decided that watching wildlife gave him more pleasure than shooting at it. But he has serious issues with whoever has been shooting at the wild deer that routinely visit his three-acre South Stage Road property looking for orchard apples. The nighttime shooting started about three months ago. Then last week, a favorite young deer, which Hawk guessed was less than 2 years old, disappeared for three days. The evening before the deer’s disappearance, three shots rang out near Hawk’s and next-door neighbor Meg Mocabee’s front yards — and not far from various "No Trespassing" and "No Hunting" signs. "I went down with a flashlight and that’s when I found the blood," Hawk recalled. "When the little fella didn’t show up the next day, I was concerned and I thought it might have been him, but by the second day I knew. The third day my neighbor called and said the little guy was lying about 10 feet from his door." One of the animal’s hind legs appeared to have been blown off several inches above the knee by a shotgun. Hawk made a covered bed of hay, put antibiotics in a pail of water and left some food for the animal to find. Though he would like to think the animal might be OK, neighbors have reported seeing it stumble more and more over the past week. The animal has been seen more regularly in the last couple of days and appears to be doing better. Mocabee, who only recently moved in next door to Hawk, said she was disgusted that the little deer had been shot and was especially concerned that someone was shooting across her property. The shots that may have injured the young deer were fired 20 to 30 feet from her sons’ bedroom windows. "I have no problem with hunting out in the woods during hunting season, and I almost expect to hear shots from the orchard, although I’m not crazy about that," she said. "But having shots fired across my yard is something else entirely." Officials at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said a bullet or a description and vehicle license number are needed to launch an investigation. Hawk is hopeful that someone with more information will come forward. "I have nothing against fair-chase hunting when they go out and hunt legally in the woods during the right time of year," he said, "but to shoot at them where they feel safe and then to wound and cripple them is just not right. "That’s taking advantage of them not being afraid. That’s not how most hunters do things." Vince Oredson, a wildlife habitat biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said whoever is shooting on Hawk’s property could face a number of violations, including hunting out of season, hunting deer at night and shooting a gun on private property without permission. "This is not a very common situation where somebody is right in someone else’s yard shooting illegally," Oredson said. "Most spotlighting and poaching goes on up in the woods. I would guess it’s not a typical hunter that’s doing that. I wouldn’t even call that kind of person a hunter. I’d call them a criminal." To report illegal hunting, contact the Oregon State Police at 776-6111. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S