Im MAD as hell .
 

Hunters came on our property last night and killed our beloved donkey thinking it was a deer .We have been spoiling this poor creature for the last year as he had been abused before he found his way to us .He had gotten to the point that he would rest his head on my shoulder and let me and my wife pet him .He actually belonged to our 4 year old great nephew but stayed in our pasture and always greeted me when I came home from work. The hunter did at least go to my neice as confessed but I think he needs to be reported for illegal night hunting and prosecuted .Im all for legal hunting but dont be shooting something if you donr know for sure what it is especially on private property .And people wonder why we wont let them hunt on our land .
End of rant ,but Im still pissed .:(
John

John, you have every right to be pissed off. If you have his name, you should see about prosecuting him to the fullest extent of the law. There should also be a monetary value put on the donkey that the violator must pay. Sorry for your family's loss as any animal that is brought into a family is thought of as part of the family.

That Sucks !!!! You should make the bastid eat it.

Agree with Ken 100% and should be reported and reimburse you for everything. A idiot with gun is to be scared of.

Throw the book at them! Trespassing, destruction of property, are just a few things I can think of.

Wow, just wow. You have to wonder what some of these idiots think with. The fool shot at something he clearly couldn't see, in the dark, with no idea of what was behind it. Like the others say, his ass would be in all the legal trouble I could throw at him. I feel bad for you and your family.

I hate to read stories like this .Sorry for the loss of your pet.I hate hunting and what it stands for.I could easily watch a human get harmed or killed before a defenseless animal is murdered.

There no excuse for what happened. Hunting on private property without permission, unexceptable period. I agree with everyone above it needs to be reported. In our state his hunting rights woud be taken away for life, charged with trespassing, fined and restitution to you. Sorry for your loss.

Thanks guys ,we are still in shock from this ,that donkey had become quite a buddy to me and Joan .If he was close enough to hear us pull in the driveway he would meet us at the fence for a treat and some petting .My great nephew is broken hearted ,he loved that crazy donkey as much as we did . Im still not sure what will happen ,I need to cool off before I see this guy.

Do you know the guy that shot it?

Not much I can add, the other guys said it all. Sorry John.

I dont personally know the kid ,but his family owns land behind ours .

John, I am so sorry. I am sure Joan is just heartbroken, give her a hug for all of us.

I agree with what the guys said, this guy needs to be prosecuted. What if it happened to be you, or Joan, or someone you know who had been out on your property. Shooting on private property, without the homeowners permission, no matter how many times he says I'm sorry, is illegal.

My heart goes out to your family.

My brother in law who actually owned the donkey does not want to press charges against the guy as he is only 17 years old and said he was very sorry .I dont agree with this at all ,I think he should be prosecuted fully ,otherwise what will keep him from doing it again ? I really think he just doesnt want to make the neighbor behind us mad as its his grandson that was in the wrong.

John, what if animal control finds out about this ? Or finds the donkey on your property, it is my understanding that YOU could be prosecuted for not reporting the kill.

John at the end of the day...its your property, he illegally hunted at night, he was trespassing. This is not up to your brother-inlaw.....its up to you. If it means getting your neighbor upset...SO BE IT. The kid has to learn how wrong he was.

What really concerns me the most is some punk kid shooting at something BEFORE fully identifying what it is!!
What if this was you or Joan out there???

I understand it's a 17 year guy. Ok if you don't press charges, what is he doing to make up for your loss? There still needs to be some kind of consequence, like working around your place until the donkey is pay fore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't let him just walk, or he will never learn anything from his actions. He need to own up.

Our neighbor across the road brought his backhoe over and buried the donkey for my brother in law .The kid still needs to be reported in my opinion even though he is going to pay for the donkey .We miss hearing the donkey breying or GOING OFF as we called it .We heard shooting after dark tonight in the distance and wondered if the idiot was back at it .

That is a question that I would ask myself. How many times has this kid done it before ? How many other people have covered for him in the past ?

Kids today don't seem to face many consequences. There are many laws to protect them, which I understand. But many parents also do not think that their kids "deserve" to be punished. What do you really know about this kid ? He could be the neighborhood troublemaker, or even known by the local cops, they just haven't been able to catch him.

I know I may sound vindictive. But I have seen some kids bat their eyes, give an innocent smile and get away with things. Only to find out later that they are bad kids who get away with everything cause mom and dad cover for them.

Ultimately, you and Joan need to do what is right for you two.

Does your state require hunter safety card? Anyone under 18 has to have one here and now most adults do too.

I am not a hunter Ray. What are the requirements of the card ?

The Oregon Hunter Education course requires a $10 application fee and last between 14-16 hours.

All students are required to participate in a live fire exercise and different scenario in the field of when or not to shoot.

A written test consisting of 60 multiple choice and true/false questions (passing grade 80 percent)

All students are required to participate in a live fire exercise showing gun safety and different scenarios in the field of when or not to shoot.

An evaluation of the students attitude and sense of responsibility as demonstrated throughout the class

What You’ll Learn

Take any of the Oregon hunting safety courses and:
◦Learn about hunter responsibility and ethics
◦Discover how firearms work and learn about firearm safety
◦Improve your wildlife identification, game care, survival and first aid skills
◦Develop firearm handling skills and hunting techniques
◦Increase awareness about wildlife conservation and management

One thing they stress know what you are shooting at and is it safe to shoot.

Hunting in someones back yard is not a safe place to hunt PERIOD

I just checked and Georgia requires a Hunter Safety card for anyone born after 1961, so this kid should have gone through a course. Lot of good it did for him. I still would not let him off so easy. It should have been reported, otherwise he will do it again.

Animal control in our county is a big joke at best and they only get bothered by farm animals if they are running looose or in the roadways .Ga does require a hunting safety course and Im sure this kid has probably taken it but just doesnt care .I have not yet gotten his name but will .We have farm animals buried all over the farm (cows) mostly killed by coyotes .I still think he should be prosecuted but I need to find out his name first .

flash, I agree. Just hearing that another kid with a gun gets away with something makes me so mad.

Ray, I am all for gun safety. I am not a gun fan, years ago when I was managing a restaurant I was held up by a couple of young men with sawed off shotguns. Me and my staff were locked in the freezer after I opened the safe for them. We were all fortunate, but since then I never had a gun in my house.

Until grumpy decided, a few years ago, that he wanted to get an air rifle. To me it was a BB gun, I wasn't thrilled, but I said OK. Before he got the first one, he spend hours and hours with out kids going over all kinds of gun safety. They were on the internet learning about guns, and when he got the first one he made sure that they all knew what the safety was, how to turn it on and off, and how to hold a gun. The kids have all been to the shooting range and participated in tournaments. We have asked at the local gun shop if they need to have any type of safety class and were told no. But if we did want them to go thru the classes we would need to purchase a "real" gun. A "real" gun ? A gun, is a gun, is a gun. Would the punishment be any less if someone were to shoot another person and kill them with an air gun ? I only ask this because there are air rifles out there that can take down a deer.

Just curious what you think ?

I think any kind of gun should require gun safety courses whether it be air powered or not .I also agree on background checks for anyone with a felony or mental illness but some states go to extremes .Im all for LEGAL hunting too even though Im not a hunter .

Your game commision would be in charge of what happen on your property not animal control. In our state it is not legal to hunt under the age of 18 unless an adult is with you. Only legal if you are on your parents property if under 18. Safety classes for all and gun locks or a gun safe for all fire arms in your house.

I need to find out who our local Game Warden is and give him a call .

In our area it is controlled by the state police. Or just contact your game commission, they will point you in the right direction.

Im waiting on them to return my e mail ,could not find a phone number.

I too believe in locks on guns. We have 2 gun safes and when we go anywhere, the keys go with us. I trust my kids, but there are no guarantees, especially when they have friends stop by when we are gone.

My guns are always in the safe when Im gone .

Well someone reported the situation with the killing of the donkey to the DNR and gave them my name (misspelled) and my phone number .A game warden called me today asking questions and I told him all I knew ,so we will see what happens next.

Hope all works out. Keep us informed.

Did they tell you who called it in ? Let us know what happens. How are you and Joan doing ?

They dont tell who reports that sort of thing but Im glad its being looked into . We are doing pretty good ,just real busy trying to get ready for Christmas .How are you and yours doing ?

Just really busy here. I hope that this thing resolves itself soon with the DNR.

So what every became of this if you don't mind me asking?

The 2 young guys were not prosecuted as it would have left a permanent record that might have prevented them from getting a good job or military service .They were not on my property as the donkey was actually out of the pasture when he was shot .They are going to be trained further in hunting regulations and are paying restitution for the donkey .Im OK with them being educated better and hope they dont shoot another pet thinking its a deer.