Author Topic: .22 Deer (Read 677 times)

rockbilly · « **on:** December 16, 2005, 05:14:16 AM »

:shock: We have kicked around the best deer caliber several times, after reading this I think I will go back to my trusty old .22.

Texas Mule deer are not exceptionally large when compared to other states, but they are a fairly big animal. The following came from the Alpine TX newspaper.

Friday December 16, 2005
Arrests made in poaching case

An Operation Game Thief (OGT) reward offer publicized by news media helped lead to the recent arrest of two university students for illegal deer poaching, concluding an investigation by state game wardens with assistance from the Brewster County Sheriff's Office.

Two dead mule deer were found near here Nov. 27 on private property adjacent to the Sul Ross State University range animal science complex near U.S. Hwy. 67/90 East in Brewster County. The two deer, one an eight-point buck and the other a nine-point buck, were killed with a .22-caliber rifle in mid-November.

It is illegal to shoot deer with a .22-caliber rifle, and it's also a waste of game violation to knowingly kill deer and fail to retrieve the dead animals.

Operation Game Thief offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for killing the deer. This information was publicized by local and regional news media.

Game Warden Ray Spears said a local citizen came forward after seeing an OGT poster and provided a statement about the incident. Spears said the two suspects voluntarily made oral confessions to the crime in a videotaped interview. After coordinating with the county and district attorneys, authorities arrested the suspects Dec. 11.

The two students, both men ages 18 and 22, were each charged with one count of waste of game, a Class A Misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500 to $4,000 and/or up to one year in jail.

Anyone with information about this crime may call the Operation Game Thief Reward Hotline anonymously at 1-800-792-GAME (4263). The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

John · « **Reply #1 on:** December 16, 2005, 07:08:17 AM »

A spotlight and a 22 mag are a poachers delight. Right behind the ear. No telling how many deer are/have been killed that way.

wink_man · « **Reply #2 on:** December 16, 2005, 09:28:57 AM »

And those are the statistics we don't really get to see, just an incidence of them here and there, when a poacher is caught. As John says, a spotlight and a 22 are a poachers delight. I've always said, if you could come up with ALL the statistics, including poaching, you'd find that the 22 rimfire has killed more deer than any other cartidge.
Sincerely,
Garry

rockbilly · « **Reply #3 on:** December 17, 2005, 06:08:33 AM »

Thanks Garry. I am sure you couldn't haul all the deer killed with a .22 with a freight train. I remember growing up with many people that survived off deer meat taken with a .22. Hate to admit it, but took a few myself. In those days money was tight, so it was strictly for the meat.

Even today, I could tolerate an individual taking a deer to feed their family, but to shoot one and leave it lay is a different story. I think the guys in the story got their just due. :roll:

wink_man · « **Reply #4 on:** December 17, 2005, 06:26:38 AM »

I agree, I hope they got the maximum fine, the way to hurt a guy is definitely in his wallet. In NJ, you would also have your hunting privleges revoked for 5 years for such a crime, I hope they got that too.
Sincerely,
Garry