Wednesday, January 17, 2007

When Deer Misbehave

All of these happened within the last 24 hours:

AURORA COLORADO – A family awoke Tuesday morning to the sounds of a 250 pound deer hopelessly trapped in their basement window well. Thanks to a combined effort from Aurora Animal Control, Police and Fire Departments and the Colorado division of Wildlife, the deer was saved.

Authorities first tranquilized the deer and then members of the Fire Department’s technical rescue team assisted in lifting the deer free from the window well. The deer was taken to Cherry Creek State Park where it was released.

CANBY, OREGON - A large deer with an impressive display of antlers got into some trouble in Canby on Tuesday. Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Miller and an Oregon State Police officer responded to a report of a deer entangled in a rope in south Clackamas County. A resident of South Pellican Road said the deer was in distress.

Deputy Jeff Miller reported the deer was unable to free itself from the grip of the entangled rope suspended from a tree. The rope was snarled in the deer's antlers.

It occurred to the law enforcement officials that a stun gun might do the job by momentarily incapacitating the animal. It would be just long enough to untie the bonds of rope from the deer antlers and set it free. The plan worked. Miller said he did not have to resort to destroying the animal, which ran off free to roam the forest again.

JACKSON, michigan - An unexpected patient causes a commotion at Foote Hospital in Jackson. Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, a doe smashed through the window of the hospital's administration building, ran through a room, down a hallway and into the physicians lounge. The deer was severely injured, so Jackson Police put her down.

About five people were in the office at the time of the incident, they were not hurt, just shook-up. Records were not destroyed.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

TENNESSEE NEWS: Record Deer Harvest

Tennessee Deer Hunters Break All-Time Record
Excellent year breaks previous harvest record by slim margin
by Richard Simms
posted January 16, 2007

Tennessee deer hunters have broken an all-time record... barely.

As of Tuesday morning TWRA's Deer Harvest database shows that 179,819 deer have been harvested and checked in by hunters. The previous record set during the 2004-2005 season was 179,542. Chances are a few more deer harvest records will filter in but it is clear that it has been an outstanding year for Tennessee deer hunters.

State deer biologist Daryl Ratajczak said, "the weather was very cooperative for deer hunters, especially on key opening weekends when the most hunters take to the woods. Hunting was a little easier this year because we had less of a mast crop and hunters were able to pattern deer a little more."

Records show that 44 percent of all Tennessee deer hunters killed at least one deer this season, he said.

"We’d like to increase that number. We’d love to see more hunters successful," he added. "But we think the opportunity is out there. It’s really based more on the limitations of the hunter. I don’t know how much we can do about that."

Many hunters in Tennessee killed more than one deer this year. More than 400 have registered more than 10 deer each.

Chattanooga-area deer hunters have done well. In Hamilton County, hunters have taken 1,563 deer, higher than any other metro county.

Deer herds have clearly become too large in a large portion of Middle Tennessee, according to TWRA, which has established a special Unit L hunting area with especially liberal bag limits.

Partially due to a growing deer herd and better opportunities, there is a growing movement among hunters to be more selective, passing up smaller bucks so they can grow larger. This year more than 50 percent of the bucks killed have been at least 2 1 /2 years old, with seven- or eight-point antlers.

"That’s great to see those older deer increasing," Ratajczak said. "Keep in mind those older, smarter deer are harder to harvest. We don’t have a specific goal for harvest of our older age bucks, but we’re very happy with what we’re seeing now. We want to maintain where we’re at."