Wow! Pa game commission & antihunting org!!

[Pa greed commission]

I know that Pa is often accused of being "environmentalist extremist" oriented these days with their catering to audubon and other conservationist orgs. They continually take their input as THEE input towards program "tweaks" which generally means killing more deer... They ask them what vision they have for "OUR" gamelands and implement them. And all this is to the detriment of the hunters of Pa. But....

A pgc higher up has been lobbying in Harrisburg with the help of HSUS! A 100% antihunting organization!! In the past when our game commission was "hunter oriented" it would NEVER have even considered partnering with such radical idiots and certainly not been seen in public with them! If this doesnt raise some eyebrows with our pro-hunting Pa legislators, then nothing will.

http://www.outdoortalknetwork.com/art350.html

[Altjaeger]

Nice broad, general slam and slander with not real detail as to what was discussed or promoted as far as details. Nice propoganda.

[Pa greed commission]

Why on earth is concern not justified?

I dont care WHAT they were discussing, but if you must know it was legislative bills in regards to poaching fees. But doesnt matter. They went together to the same legislators in a concerted effort. They should not acknowledge these "antihunters" as a legitimate consideration worthy agency, let alone go out of their way to create an alliance for cryin' out loud!!!. Pgc legislative liason and HSUS front woman in a show of solidarity. Gee thats just GREAT! They are a GAME management agency and this is a HUGE conflict of interests, its not as if controversy of this type thing hasnt been swirling mightily these days anyway and previously our game commission and Id like to believe MOST agencies around the country wouldnt want a thing to do with them!!

I think this is a VERY disturbing trend as of the last several years that began with backroom dealings with audubon, we payed a heavy price for their newfound friendship now audubon if pgcs BFF. And Pgc is getting bolder and not feeling the need to hide these "alliances" any longer. But HSUS? I can only imagine the price we will pay for this love-fest??:eek:

Call it propaganda, blown out of proportion or whatever you like. IMHO, in this instance there is no good excuse and there should have been NOTHING of this sort in the first place that could be blown out of proportion. (not that I think it has been)

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

User CP
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For anyone interested it is Alan R McDaniel Jr
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Alan

[Pa greed commission]

Apparently Alan doesnt care for hunters sticking up for themselves against audubon or hsus??

Oh well, I'll sincerely miss your input alan. lmao.:rolleyes::p

I dont have to put you on ignore alan. I always thought it funny when a grown man had to cover his eyes from something being posted because he couldnt stand it or control his emotions like a 3 year old. Ive read tons of posts on various topics by various idiots through the years. Never put any of them on ignore. I also survived after reading their posts, didnt pull my hair out or pull my tongue in and out with my fist like a cartoon character either. lmao. but hey...to each his own.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Works Great!

Alan

[Pa greed commission]

http://www.sportfishermen.com/board/images/smilies/newsmilies/monkes.gif

[Altjaeger]

I have several concerns. First Mr Slimsky is hardly a neutral observer and has a bit of a reputation for playing bit fast and loose with the truth around here.

HSUS is as you say an anti-hunting propaganda organ. I agree that any game agency should be and I suspect is cautious in dealings such as Slimsky alleges. Therefore I do want details.

Last is that the broadbrush allegations used by Mr. Slimsky are exactly the kind used by PR and PSYOP operators when they want to spread a lie by using enough details that are true to appear legitimate.

The situation in PA has been under discussion for several years so you walked into a group educated in the facts. Perhaps that is new to you, but so far you manipulations of facts and the truth are geting you nowhere but as the butt of jokes. Maybe you would do well to reconsider your approach, if not you message.

[Pa greed commission]

"I have several concerns. First Mr Slimsky is hardly a neutral observer and has a bit of a reputation for playing bit fast and loose with the truth around here."

I havent seen that fast and loose with the truth to be the case, though I dont think Id call him a "neutral observer". Thing is, he is the one doing the reporting in this case, but its been confirmed by the other side. Its fact. They just, for some reason, think that its all ok because of the cause. I happen to disagree strongly.

"HSUS is as you say an anti-hunting propaganda organ. I agree that any game agency should be and I suspect is cautious in dealings such as Slimsky alleges. Therefore I do want details."

Slinsky was not the initial source. He got wind of the story and ran with it. There are many "regulars" who follow the political happenings in Harrisburg. This "incident" isnt a really big secret, nor a plot hatched by usp.

"The situation in PA has been under discussion for several years so you walked into a group educated in the facts. "

I didnt see you reporting the hsus incident. Id say you know less than 1/10 of what is available to know on the topic of Pa deer management.

"that is new to you, but so far you manipulations of facts and the truth are geting you nowhere but as the butt of jokes."

I see a few jokers, but no jokes. Being the "butt of jokes' among a couple of uneducated clowns is Better than being the "butt" of the horse i guess. Hows that feel btw? Its clear you have some twisted agenda, that makes you attack anyone speaking the truth on these things, even attacking posters in other threads and other message boards. And as can be seen, i never disrespected you until you do me. Not that I care mind you. I think most normal people myself included would prefer intellectual debate over school kid squabbling. But you definately only qualified for the latter, and if that is your "thing" then knock yourself out.

BTW, does Texas have an AUDUBON society branch by any chance??"

Maybe you would do well to reconsider your approach, if not you message."

No thank you. If I need advice I'll ask. If need to know anything about Pa wildlife management just ask. If you need to know about pgcs dalliances with the queen of hsus, ask THEM. KInda odd when a hunter gets attacked by another supposed hunter over concern with hsus involvement.

[venado]

DAFC, if the bill is a good one from the PGC's point of view, I certainly don't see anything wrong with the PGC letting the people that have to vote on the bill know that diverse groups favor its passage. If that means gathering HSUS, hunters, non-hunters, democrats, Republicans, and all Indian tribes, etc. together then so be it. On the next bill any of them may find themselves on opposite sides. Of course that is "rational" thinking. It is typical of the "irrational" thinker to be an isolationist and often go down in flames when trying to get bills through a Legislature that is also made up of people with different opinions and with different external pressures being applied.

Certainly anyone using anything from Slinsky's pen for support has to make that person as suspect as the PGC siding with HSUS on one issue. I don't believe I'm remembering the wrong guy. Slinsky, wasn't he that "Special" fellow that spoke before the Legislature with that "Special" fellow Levengood of the USP? If so, that YouTube video was a real hoot that we enjoyed greatly when it came out. He was predicting "only 50,000 deer in PA by 2009, trust me", and I think even his strongest supporter would have to admit that Jimmy may have missed the mark again. In case anyone missed the video and doesn't know who the Slinsky is that DAFC has used as a reference, here is a link to that excellent video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDEzYE6GIcA

[Renegade]

PA is only accused of being “environmental extremist” by those who do not understand the connection between wildlife and their environment. Which seems to be fewer and fewer in todays age of information technology. But those in complete denial will never open their minds to learning about animals and forests.
Audubon has many hunters as members, but aside from personal biases that cloud their vision, birds are a great indicator species for the shape of the environment. Not unlike canary’s in a coal mine.

But onto the premise of this thread and it’s intentional misleading title. It’s simply grasping at straws to imply any connection beyond a common interest. Now I know your relatives may be against poaching / fines and the USP opposed this bill, but both the HSUS and the PGC, and sportsmen as well, have a mutual interest in curbing this abuse of our resource. Frankly, I don’t see how anyone could be opposed to poaching legislation. The NRA of course had issues with gun confiscation, which I can understand. But it’s simple, you do the crime – you do the time – you pay the fine. For someone who claims they can’t find a deer, you’d think you / they would support it. Note that in the accompanying link provided to a highly questionable outdoor writer / oil salesman, he claims “While nothing in HB 97 can be construed as anti-hunting”.

HOWEVER, if you want to talk about anti hunting orgs. Then you should read the most current pamphlet put out by the USP and their president. If you didn’t know who wrote it you’d swear it was PETA. Have a looksy- (the actual pamphlet had cute pics of bambi on it as well.

“They deserve a chance to live... don’t they?”
By Steve Mohr, former PA Game Commissioner & President, Unified Sportsmen of PA

Another fawning season has come and gone for the whitetail deer of Pennsylvania. For most of us, hunters and non hunters alike, just seeing all of the newborn wildlife gives us a refreshing feeling.

Coupled with this population boom, comes thousands of phone calls and emails reporting lost or abandoned wildlife. A helpless whitetail fawn will melt the hearts of young and old alike. With over 200 white spots and big innocent eyes, most folks cannot resist the temptation to help them and most abandoned fawns will end up going home with the rescuer. In most cases, these fawns are not lost or abandoned. Mom is usually within sight, hearing and scent distance. She stays away to simply draw predators away from the fawns’ location.
Once these fawns are picked up and removed from their natural environment, their lives will have changed forever. Only after these fawns are picked up, does the Good Samaritan begin to ask questions. “What do I feed it? How do I take care of it? Who do I call?” After a lengthy time of debate, a phone call is usually made. The call will go to the Police, directly to the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) or perhaps a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

In the densely populated region of South East PA, many of these fawns will end up at a licensed rehab center. These rehab centers are not funded by the PGC. They are usually staffed by dedicated volunteers and depend on donations to help meet their financial needs.

Upon arrival at the rehab centers, the fawns are given the best, dedicated and mindful care possible. The length of stay often depends upon the availability of space at the facility. Some rehab centers can hold 20 or more newborn fawns at any given time.

When it is time to move on, the call will be made to the PGC dispatcher. The dispatcher will inform the local Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) to prepare for arrangements to pick up these fawns.


The WCO will call the facility and arrange for the pick up in preparation for release back into the wild. Many WCO’s have relayed to me that this is not “...not their favorite detail.”

The WCO will arrive at the facility with enough crates, cages, boxes, etc, to transport the fawns to a location suitable for release. I’ve also had WCO’s tell me that multiple trips had to be made to pick up the fawns. After thanking the rehab facility leadership and its staff for their time and dedication, the WCO will then proceed to the site of release. With the nervous, big eyed passengers in tow, they all arrive at a somewhat remote location. At this final location, one by one all of the fawns are removed from the vehicle and killed.

In the South East, the means of death is most often death by clubbing. I had one WCO tell me that clubbing was the easiest and quietest. He had said “All I have to do is bend over and hold out my thumb. When they reach out for what they think is a bottle, I whack them on the head with a hammer handle. Then I throw them over a bank or a pit.”

Folks, if you are not furious, sick in the stomach, teary eyed or feeling helpless, you had best check if you still have a pulse.

No, it is not a favorite task of the WCO. Every year, hundreds, if not thousands of fawns, meet their fate at the hands of the PGC.

This is all simply because a past PGC Executive Director made a policy that all fawns taken from the wild will be killed. There are other options.

Where is the public outcry? Every year, on a global level, people protest the clubbing of seals. Why does Pennsylvania accept the clubbing of the fawns... or commonly referred to as Bambi?

To Stop the PA Game Commission Fawn Killing Policy please contact Governor Edward G. Rendell’s Office –

Now I have to ask Steve “where was your personal outcry when you were a sitting commissioner on the board and this policy was put into place”?
The memo directs that, “In cases where the mother of the animal is known to be dead, or if the animal has been raised in captivity for an extended period of time, acquire the animal and dispose of it discretely and humanely. In those cases where you consider it likely media attention will follow, you should be guided by the specific advice of a region office supervisor.”


Now of course the PGC was going to offer a response. After doing so several writers looked into it, and when they got the response from the PGC they decided not to run with the story. This included several writers who are not known for being friendly to the PGC. But here’s one that did.

Killing of fawns sparks dispute
By PJ Reilly, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/ New Era – July 24, 2009

In Pennsylvania's wildlife rehabilitation community, it's known as "the Bambi letter."

A directive issued May 30, 2002, by former Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director Vern Ross informs all wildlife conservation officers (WCO), deputy wildlife conservation officers and agency dispatchers about the procedures to be followed when deer, and some other animals, are removed from the wild.

"In cases where the mother of the animal is known to be dead, or if the animal has been raised in captivity for an extended period of time, acquire the animal and dispose of it discretely and humanely," the letter states.

Bainbridge resident Stephen L. Mohr, a former member of the Game Commission's board of directors and current president of Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania, on Thursday sent to the media a two-page flier in which he claims Game Commission officers are killing thousands of orphaned deer fawns every year.

"I had one WCO tell me that clubbing was the easiest and quietest," Mohr states in the flier. "He had said, 'All I have to do is bend over and hold out my thumb. When they reach out for what they think is a bottle, I whack them on the head with a hammer handle. Then I throw them over a bank or a pit.'

"Folks, if you are not furious, sick in the stomach, teary eyed or feeling helpless, you had best check if you still have a pulse," the flier states.

All fawns should be given a chance to live, Mohr said, and the Game Commission should establish locations where orphaned fawns can be reared and released back into the wild.
"If they are turned loose and bears kill half of them, so be it," he said. "That's nature at work. But they should at least have a chance."

Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser accused Mohr of "taking a nugget of truth and wrapping it in lies and exaggerations."

He said Mohr, whose Unified Sportsmen organization is suing the Game Commission for allegedly mismanaging the state's deer herd, "hates" the agency and is only interested in directing public criticism at it.

"This is classic Mohr attempting to raise anger against the Game Commission," Feaser said.
Feaser admitted about 100 fawns removed from the wild each year are killed by Game Commission personnel, and that some of those are clubbed to death.

"The preferred method is a .22-caliber hollow point to the head, but it's not always possible to safely discharge a firearm," he said.

Feaser rejected Mohr's claim, however, that it's the agency's policy for all orphaned fawns taken into custody to be killed.

There are a handful of wildlife rehabilitators around the state, he said, that are licensed by the Game Commission to take in orphaned fawns, raise them and then release them back into the wild.

"If we can get them there, we'll try, but that's not always possible because there aren't that many around," he said.

Mohr said he doesn't believe there are any such rehabilitators in the state.

"The Game Commission doesn't license anyone to take in deer," he said.

Not true, said Peggy Hentz, founder of Red Creek Wildlife Center in Schuylkill County and president of Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators.

Red Creek has been licensed to rehabilitate orphaned deer since 2003, she said, and there are about 10 other similarly licensed facilities throughout the state.

The nonprofit Red Creek rehabilitated and released 12 deer this year and about 30 last year, Hentz said.

"Most of the deer we get are brought in by the Game Commission or by people who were directed to us by the Game Commission," she said.

According to Feaser, the 2002 policy letter was drafted at a time when fears were high across the country about the spread of chronic wasting disease.

Mohr was a game commissioner at that time. He said the policy was established by Ross without input from the board of directors.

"I opposed it at the time, but nobody listened to me," Mohr said.

Chronic wasting disease is an always-fatal sickness spread from deer to deer that was rapidly moving east from western states, such as Colorado and Nebraska. It has now been found in deer in 11 states, including New York and West Virginia.

Because of those fears, farms across Pennsylvania that raise deer stopped taking in orphaned deer, as they had previously, Feaser said.

And wildlife rehabilitators at the time were not licensed to take in deer.

Feaser said Mohr fails to mention in his flier that the Game Commission's first direction to people who call the agency claiming they've taken in an orphaned fawn is to put the animal back where they found it.

"In most cases, the fawn wasn't orphaned at all," he said. "The mother was probably 100 yards away trying to draw attention away from the fawn."

Mohr also doesn't state in the flier that it is illegal for anyone to remove a fawn from the wild in the first place.

"That's when the problems start," Feaser said.

For instance, in 2006, two people in Clinton County were charged and gored by a buck they were attempting to chase out of a yard in a residential area.

A state trooper grabbed the buck by its antlers while it was attacking a woman and then shot and killed it.

An investigation by the Game Commission revealed a neighboring family had illegally taken in the deer as a fawn, and had continued feeding it up until the time of the attack.

"Fawns will imprint on humans if they're around them long enough after they're born," Hentz said. "Once it happens, it can't be reversed."

Last year, Red Creek Wildlife Center received a buck that had been removed from the wild as a fawn and kept in an apartment for 10 days, before a neighbor threatened to report the person who took it. That person then surrendered the animal.

"We put that fawn in with our other deer, and it acted normal," Hentz said. "When we released the herd, all the other deer steered clear of people. This buck tried to jump in a guy's pickup truck, and we had to put it down.

"It was imprinted on humans."

Beginning this fall, Hentz said she is going to offer classes training wildlife rehabilitators how to rear fawns for release back into the wild.

"Hopefully, we can get some more rehabilitators out there licensed to take deer," she said.
It's no small task, she admitted. Rehabilitating deer is expensive, requires a lot of space for pens and the facility has to be in an area where deer can be released.

"You're not going to see the Schuylkill Center's Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic near Philly taking deer," she said.

Mohr insists his decision to talk now about the killing of fawns has nothing to do with Unified's pending lawsuit against the Game Commission, in which the organization claims the agency's deer management program has reduced the state's herd to unacceptable levels.
He said he's publicizing it "because nobody seems to know about it."

"I think they should know," he said. "Then they can make up their own minds about whether it's right or wrong."

Then word on the streets is Jim Slinsky, USP’s self proclaimed expert, reached out to HSUS and tried to bring them on board but HSUS wanted no part of it. They didn’t find Mohr’s press release to be credible since it was all based on hearsay. I guess even HSUS has standards.

So when it comes to putting animals down for whatever reason, what does the AMVA (Amer. Medical Veterinarian Assoc.) have to say about it in their "Guidelines to Euthanasia"?
It is stated in there that...
"EUTHANASIA BY A BLOW TO THE HEAD
Euthanasia by a blow to the head must be evaluated in terms of the anatomic features of the species on which it is to be performed. A blow to the head can be a humane method of euthanasia for neonatal animals with thin craniums, such as young pigs, if a single sharp blow delivered to the central skull bones with sufficient force can produce immediate depression of the central nervous system and destruction of brain tissue. When properly performed, loss of consciousness is rapid. The anatomic features of neonatal calves, however, make a blow to the head in this species unacceptable. Personnel performing euthanasia by use of a blow to the head must be properly trained and monitored for proficiency with this method of euthanasia, and they must be aware of its aesthetic implications."
http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf see page 13

[Laturkeyhtr]

I am no fan of HSUS, but I am sure that those in authority considered the situation carefully before they got involved w/ them.

From Slinskys article:

Poaching is despicable, but regardless of big fines and jail time, unfortunately it will continue.

But that shouldn't deter legislators from trying to curtail it. Personally, I think loss of hunting privileges does more than the fines. I have also been a proponent of the violater losing everything including his vehicle when he commits a crime, but so far courts don't turn that way. As much money as hunters and wildlife conservation organizations have put into bringing back various species or enhancing others, the courts haven't grasped what harm the poachers have done.

[Bob S]

I would like to see this reported by someone other than Jim Slinsky. As long as he is the only named source, I have to believe his long standing anti-Pennsylvania Game Commission reporting is probably at work here.

Just because PGC officials and HSUS officials were at the same meeting doesn't mean they are working together.

[Laturkeyhtr]

He said Mohr, whose Unified Sportsmen organization is suing the Game Commission for allegedly mismanaging the state's deer herd, "hates" the agency and is only interested in directing public criticism at it.

That seems to be SOP for all of their members and those in agreement with the unified folks. Playing on the sentiment of those non hunters, cheap shot. That is right up there with suing the PGC. But then that is what we have come to expect from them.

Renegade, you again shared very insightful articles and thus far has not been contested by our local naysayer. ;)

[Laturkeyhtr]

I failed to comment on the fact Mohr's article actually keeps the PGC fro doing their job instead of the more important projects. Also over estimating the number is right up their alley with sharing mistruths. But the fact is there are probably (I don't have the figures nor am I going to look for them) way more deer hit by vehicles than are clubbed to death.

It is sad they he doesn't undertake a program to educate their members and general public on "fawn removal" when in fact they need to be left right where they are found.

[Renegade]

Thought I would post another recent article from one of Pa's more "known" outdoor writers and the reply he got from the PGC.

Erie Times-News outdoor writer Mike Bleech checked in with the Game Commission for clarification on its policy. He received this response from press secretary Jerry Feaser:

“Once again, former Commissioner Mohr takes a nugget of truth, wraps it in a lie and covers it with half-truths and innuendo. It is important to note that he was a member of the Board when the original policy was put in place in 2001, and he did not object at that time. Since his departure from the Board, the policy has been altered, something he fails to note.

“When concerns about CWD first hit (back when Wisconsin became CWD-positive) in 2001, many states, including Pennsylvania, began taking action to close high-risk behaviors. One of the concerns was the rehabbing of fawns and then releasing them may be a potential avenue for the disease to spread easily. It is important to note that it was a rehabber who also was a taxidermist in New York that was the source of CWD being found in the wild in that state.

“The policy that was put into effect stated that fawns should not be taken to rehabbers and that they should be put down humanely, which includes the use of blunt force trauma – an approved method of euthanasia by the American Veterinary Association Standards. However, they were not instructed to “club” all fawns, as former Commissioner Mohr suggests. As research has evolved, the original policy was modified in recent years. Rehabbers trained to properly rehab fawns for their eventual release back into the wild without becoming habituated to humans ARE permitted to do so and to release the fawn where they were found. WCOs do NOT go to rehabbers, take rehabbed fawns and euthanize them.


“However, what Mohr doesn’t talk about is how unnecessary it is in most cases for individuals to remove fawns from the wild in the first place. He doesn’t talk about how a person’s compassionate acts are really killing the fawn with kindness as they feed the fawn cow’s milk (which causes health problem). He doesn’t talk about how caring individuals who removed a fawn from the wild often only turn to the Game Commission or rehabber AFTER the fawn they unnecessarily took from the wild is so ill that the only humane thing to do is put it down. For more information on this important point that Mohr glossed over, please see this link:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=176501

“And, of course, Mohr wouldn’t want to tell the story of how habituated fawns can grow into adult deer that have the potential to cause serious injury to Pennsylvanians. Such truth wouldn’t support Mohr’s effort to malign the Game Commission. For a real-world story of how habituated deer can pose a danger to residents, please see this link:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=170565

“It also is worth noting that former Commissioner Mohr doesn’t offer any solutions. What does he think we should do? Allow for partially domesticated fawns that potentially are caring transmittable diseases to be released into the wild? Sometimes a few members of the species have to suffer for the good of the overall wildlife population. Most hunters understood that principle.”

[Laturkeyhtr]

Renegade,

I knew a gentleman that had a small group of deer in his backyard before our state cracked down on him. When the buck he had reached 3.5 yrs of age, he attacked the old man and had him down when someone saw him and went to his rescue. Needless to say, the buck was soon converted to table fare. ;)

I am not the least bit surprised by Mohr's use of the truth. We all know that they can't stick to the truth, but rather chose to discolor the facts to their benefit.

As a side note: The buck mentioned above was a spike his first and even his second year, but the third year he was a 17 inch nine pointer. :)

[venado]

It is interesting how DAFC has little to say after his contentions are shot down by knowledgeable people. It seems that the majority of the perpetual complainers are long on emotion and short on facts. It can be consolatory for him that he isn't the first nor probably the last that will meet the same fate on here where we are short of emotion and long on fact.:rolleyes:

[Renegade]

While true and very obvious from here in PA., I'm glad to see it's becoming obvious to folks in other states as well. It urk's me to see the division they've managed to foster and I hate the image they've given to some that PA hunters are just a bunch of spoiled whiners. We've always had those who will never be happy and I'm sure most states have their share of those types, but those aside, it's not near as bad as they like to portray it as. Most of the complaints come from those who hunt the former "mecca" of the state in the north central area, which by proxy also has the most habitat damage and is the slowest to recover. And one certain group exploits that situation, minus the reasons for it.

Laturkeyhtr - Yes we had a similar situation just two years ago.

HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently honored Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Todd A. Brian and Trooper Stephen E. Wilcox, from the PSP Lamar Barracks, for their response to an unusual situation on Nov. 15, in which two Clinton County residents were severely injured when they were attacked by a white-tailed deer.

"There is no doubt in my mind that the immediate response and decisive action of Cpl. Brian and Trooper Wilcox saved the lives of the two victims," said Game Commission Northcentral Region Director Dennis Dusza. "With only two full-time Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officers serving Clinton County, it would have been virtually impossible for one of them to have responded in such a timely manner."

On Nov. 15, around 7:30 a.m., two Fishing Creek Road residents were the victims of an unprovoked attack by a 1.5-year old, six-point buck. The incident on Fishing Creek Road began when a woman attempted to go into her backyard to feed her cats, and a buck that was standing at her backdoor would not let her out of the house. Alerted to the situation, a man exited the house to attempt to chase the deer away and, without warning, the buck repeatedly charged and gored him.

The woman contacted the State Police Lamar Barracks at 7:40 a.m., and two officers immediately responded to the scene. They found the deer attacking the woman, who had entered the backyard in an attempt to chase the deer away from attacking the man. The State Police officers were able to wrestle the deer away from the woman, and then both officers fired shots to put it down.

After the Game Commission was contacted at 7:42 a.m., Clinton County WCO Kenneth Packard arrived at the scene and took possession of the carcass for transport to Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission Wildlife Veterinarian, who conducted a full necropsy and extracted samples for rabies testing. Shortly afterward, the test results confirmed that the deer did not have rabies.

"In mid-November, deer are in the midst of the rut, which is the fall mating season," said WCO Packard. "However, during the investigation, it was revealed that two nearby neighbors of the victims had been feeding and harboring this deer since it was a fawn."

WCO Packard filed charges against Ronald S. Underkoffler, 39, and Tina Underkoffler, 29, of Woodward Street, Clintondale, Clinton County, for their harboring and feeding the deer. On Jan. 18, the Underkofflers were found guilty and fined $300 plus court costs.