Deer carcass dumping puts blight on a great sport

[Kevin]

Deer carcass dumping puts blight on a great sport

LITTLE ROCK – Who is the ugliest, most despicable deer hunter in Arkansas?

It could be the one who kills a deer and walks off from it because it’s late in the day, he or she is tired and doesn’t want to dress out the buck or doe.

How about the person who kills a buck, saws off the antlers and leaves the rest where it fell?

Capt. Fred Harrod of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has a nomination for this infamous title. It’s the person who shoots a deer, loads it on a vehicle, drives to a bridge over a creek and dumps the carcass or remains into the water.

Harrod said the creek dumping is not an isolated incident.

Deer parts after meat has been removed are sometimes dumped into ditches, creeks and other places – even neighbors’ property. Burying the remains is the proper way to dispose of these items.

Any experienced deer hunter, and even newcomers know that you just don’t do these things. It is unethical, distasteful, and illegal. "Wanton waste of game" is the regulation covering deer carcass dumping, and it is one that is high on the priority list of wildlife officers.

Heavy penalties are imposed on deer dumpers, and these can be more than a fine assessed by a court. Jail time is possible. So is confiscation of equipment, like vehicles, used in the breaking of the law. Killing and leaving a deer could result in forfeiture of that spiffy, late-model, 4-wheel-drive pickup.

Handling a dead deer is not the exciting portion of hunting. But it’s necessary. It is essential to properly take care of the carcass after the kill. Be prepared for this before you pull the trigger or release the arrow, AGFC staff members said.

A hunter who downs a deer has options as well as requirements. Tag the deer immediately, and proceed with field dressing. Next, decide if you want the meat. If not, give it away by taking it to a processor in the Hungers Feeding the Hungry program or by giving it with the needed paperwork to another hunter or even a non-hunter who wants the meat.

A form for transferring game to another person is on Page 27 of the 2011-12 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook. A hunter who is given a deer by another hunter does not have to count this deer in his or her season limit.

Anyone seeing an illegal dumping of a deer carcass or remains is urged to phone the AGFC hotline at 1-800-482-9262 immediately. Don’t wait until you get home or after you talk it over with hunting buddies. Make the call at once. Hopefully, you’ll have a vehicle license number to pass along. The license number is a great help to investigators and can be a critical link in apprehending the "ugliest, most despicable" deer hunter.