Here’s a frustrating story out of Wiscosin about a group of snowmobilers who herded and killed deer.

Snowmobilers herd, kill four deer
By ROBERT IMRIE
Associated Press Writer

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) - A group of snowmobilers in central Wisconsin herded and killed four deer and severely injured a fifth in what a warden called a senseless act of cruelty on Monday.

No arrests have been made in the Saturday morning incident about five miles south of Waupaca, said Ted Dremel, a state Department of Natural Resources warden.

There’s talk of closing all snowmobile trails in Waupaca County until the “rogue snowmobilers” are caught, he said.

“It is senseless. I don’t know how else to describe it,” Dremel said. “It is probably something they thought was fun or humorous at the time. They did purposely run over these deer. The tracks in the snow were in a circular manner, almost looking like they were chasing the deer back to other snowmobile partners.”

Randy Yorkson, who farms the land, said people cannot believe what happened.

“I am going to guess it is somebody who left a bar. They probably had been using that trail before, knowing the deer were out there,” he said. “This is just some yahoos who don’t have any common sense.”

Landowner Virginia Niemuth, 80, immediately shut off access to her property, closing five miles of the main snowmobile trail across Waupaca County.

“There’s sick people out there,” Niemuth said. “I used to love to snowmobile, but this is too much.”

Dremel believes three or four snowmobiles were involved in a roundup of deer in a moonlit alfalfa field where 30 to 40 animals were known to feed. Witnesses reported hearing snowmobiles in the area about 3:30 a.m., he said.

Three deer were found dead in the field. A snowmobile stopped atop one and ripped open its stomach, Dremel said. A fourth deer with broken legs was euthanized.

The fifth deer was dragged from the field and tied to a tree about 25 feet from a road. Investigators think someone may have planned to return for that deer, Dremel said.

“It looked like the deer wrapped itsel f around the tree and choked itself to death,” he said.

Dremel said he has never heard of this kind of “cowboy-style” attack on deer with snowmobiles.

“Usually, it is an accident - a deer standing in a trail and a snowmobiler can’t avoid it,” he said.

The dead deer included two bucks and three does. One was a fawn.

Investigators have no suspects. Six snowmobile clubs have offered a combined $7,500 for information leading to arrests, Dremel said. The Waupaca County Crime Stoppers and Fox Valley Humane Association in Appleton also have offered rewards totaling $1,500.

Investigators have received some leads but none from a witness or someone who talked to anyone involved, Dremel said.

Information can be phoned into the DNR’s tip line at 1-800-TIP-WDNR.

“This is not characteristic of the snowmobile community in Wisconsin,” DNR Chief Warden Randy Stark said in Madison. “Obviously, we are looking to get any public assistance we can in iden tifying who is responsible for this.”

I hope they throw the book at those idiots and prosecute to the fullest extent allowed by the law -- and then some.

And if the guilty parties are the actual owners of the snowmobiles used in this senseless act, I hope they are confiscated as well.

cheeseheads on beer

Another good example of a few bad apples ruining it for everyone. If there were three or four machines involved then there is little chance that they can all keep their mouths shut. One or more of them will get bragging about it in front of the wrong person and that will be it. Maybe at work, maybe at a bar, super bowl party - it will happen. They probably left plenty of evidence behind, including their boot tracks and snowmobile tracks, plus the strap. I'll bet there are still bits of venison or hair still on one or more of the machines or their clothes. I wouldn't be surprised if they took pictures with cell phone cameras.

Not sure of the laws in Wisconsin, but I'd imagine that on top of the game violations that they could be charged with cruelty to animals, which could be way worse than the game fines. Credit the DNR chief for keeping things in perspective when he said “This is not characteristic of the snowmobile community in Wisconsin"

This is the kind of crap that retards like PETA live for. That's awful. I sure hope they catch those bastards and chuck 'em in a dark cell.

snowmobilers - i could go on and on about them. they cost me on the average of 5 grand a year, just won't listen and drive wherever they want

People here are just sick about this.These are some sick deranged people.I have part of The Iron Snowshow trail going through the back part of my property and have to say have had no problems with Snowmobilers

I live about 70 miles from there and I am an avid snowmobiler. This is a sad sad deal. JUst like when someone goes nuts with a gun people want to blame the sport in general. Its the same thing here...people did this. These people need to be punished severely. If they'd have used guns from vehicles on the road then hunters would be blamed.
In defense of the snowmobile we have alot of organized trails up here that go into the Chequamegan National Forest. These trails often become a "lifeline" for the deer in a tough winter allowing them to move from area to area to feed without expending tons of energy or damaging legs.
I hope and know they will absolutely grill these guys for what they did. (Unless they are related to Madoff the ponzee scheme guy.....he's obviously above the law!)

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
snowmobilers - i could go on and on about them. they cost me on the average of 5 grand a year, just won't listen and drive wherever they want

$5000 a year?I'd be crawling up the sheriff's ass about that if I was you.

gottem!!!

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Thanks jb! Glad they caught them, now all they have to do is punish them, but a slick lawyer will get them a hand slap! TO bad the animal rights folks aren't all over this!

Hanging is too good for this kind of scum! Strip them down naked and drag them a couple miles behind a snow mobile.

Do people feel the same way about those who run down coyotes and run over them with a snowmobile? Personally, I think, even a coyote deserves better treatment. Regards, Bill.