Girl shoots elk thinking it was a deer

[RobG]

From the story

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — She saw the antlers and a big brown body in the bushes.
And with one shot from her rifle Saturday, Abby Wilson, 14, killed what she thought was a very large white-tailed buck.

It wasn't. It was an elk.

"She called her dad, who was hunting nearby, and her dad realized it was an elk," said Tom Strother, protection regional supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation. "The dad called our agent in Boone County, Adam Doerhoff, and said, 'We think we just shot an elk.'"

Doerhoff said he was surprised to get that call and thought it probably wasn't an elk, noting that animal misidentifications are very common.

Strother said the elk that Abby shot was more than 200 miles away from that Peck Ranch herd, in an area between Hallsville and Centralia.

Glad dads are getting kids out in the wild. It doesn't always go as planned. Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[cedahm]

I think this is a perfect example of a hunter who probably wasn’t ready to be alone. I think that very topic was raised recently on this forum.

I agree with this 100%. They did the right thing after the fact, but the chance of an experienced adult hunter being able to ID the bull and prevent the shot was higher than hers.

 

[noharleyyet]

She may not know what an elk looks like but she sure should know what a whitetail looks like. And that isn't one.

..sorta like the difference between a brow and a branch....one isn't the other.

 

[Southern Elk]

If there's no elk season, she did nothing wrong. There was no law saying she couldn't shoot it. It most likely escaped from captivity. Those animals are fair game. I know several instances in my home state of MS where people have shot exotic animals that escaped game farms.

 

[TRS_Montana]

..sorta like the difference between a brow and a branch....one isn't the other.

If my situation is going to be brought in for comparison on this subject, I will note that I knew I was shooting at a branched spike. My mistake was, in a lapse of cognitive function, I was convinced the regs required the bull to have a branch, not a brow.

As I'm apparently the current forum expert on the subject of misidentified targets, I will say that there are plenty of assumptions being made on this thread by a lot of people who were not present during the event. When we read a story like this, it is impossible to separate ourselves from the personal biases that are introduced through past experiences, stories, etc., and those of us who have not encountered a difficult situation or made a similar mistake have a, generally, hard time relating to the possibility that something like this could happen.

I don't know this girl or her dad, so I can't speak to the integrity of either. What I do know is that the best of people make mistakes. I always find it peculiarly enlightening to typical human psychology when people are presented a situation through a third party and consider themselves better poised to pass judgment than the authorities directly involved. The animal was confiscated and the state has not yet decided that further action is required. In my mind, the dad did the right thing, the girl learned a valuable lesson, and both have provided a handful of hunttalkers a chance to climb upon the peaks of wisdom by displaying the purest, self-perceived ethical code they can sculpt with a keyboard.

 

[tjones]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Southern Elk]

So if I see a ram in a unit with no sheep season I can shoot?

That's a different scenario. They don't have wild elk where this one was shot. My opinion (and I could be wrong) is that this elk likely escaped from captivity and it's fair game.

 

[schmalts]

If my situation is going to be brought in for comparison on this subject, I will note that I knew I was shooting at a branched spike. My mistake was, in a lapse of cognitive function, I was convinced the regs required the bull to have a branch, not a brow.

As I'm apparently the current forum expert on the subject of misidentified targets, I will say that there are plenty of assumptions being made on this thread by a lot of people who were not present during the event. When we read a story like this, it is impossible to separate ourselves from the personal biases that are introduced through past experiences, stories, etc., and those of us who have not encountered a difficult situation or made a similar mistake have a, generally, hard time relating to the possibility that something like this could happen.

I don't know this girl or her dad, so I can't speak to the integrity of either. What I do know is that the best of people make mistakes. I always find it peculiarly enlightening to typical human psychology when people are presented a situation through a third party and consider themselves better poised to pass judgment than the authorities directly involved. The animal was confiscated and the state has not yet decided that further action is required. In my mind, the dad did the right thing, the girl learned a valuable lesson, and both have provided a handful of hunttalkers a chance to climb upon the peaks of wisdom by displaying the purest, self-perceived ethical code they can sculpt with a keyboard.

I can agree with you. Well said. I may have been harsh on my previous comment but I can't help but see this as one step closer to shooting at something in the bushes moving around. But if you can't I'd an elk from a deer, what about a horse, or llama? She wasn't ready to be alone hunting yet if you can't tell the difference. More blame to the father on this one.

 

[CodyCass]

If there's no elk season, she did nothing wrong. There was no law saying she couldn't shoot it. It most likely escaped from captivity. Those animals are fair game. I know several instances in my home state of MS where people have shot exotic animals that escaped game farms.

"There is no elk season in Missouri, so free ranging elk are protected," said Tom Strother, an MDC Protection Regional Supervisor. "It is a Wildlife Code violation to shoot a free ranging elk as there are no provisions that outline a hunting season like there is for white-tailed deer."

Not trying to pull a “gotcha”, just want to make it clear that elk are protected in MO even though there is not a season. Again I reiterate my position that accidents happen, nobody is perfect. I think this is a great learning experience and hopefully folks view it as such.

 

[Southern Elk]

"There is no elk season in Missouri, so free ranging elk are protected," said Tom Strother, an MDC Protection Regional Supervisor. "It is a Wildlife Code violation to shoot a free ranging elk as there are no provisions that outline a hunting season like there is for white-tailed deer."

Not trying to pull a “gotcha”, just want to make it clear that elk are protected in MO even though there is not a season. Again I reiterate my position that accidents happen, nobody is perfect. I think this is a great learning experience and hopefully folks view it as such.

Thank you for pointing that out. I missed that part and my argument is not valid. I do wonder if it was free range or escaped from an enclosure and whether or not that affects the legality in any way?

 

[Zach]

I can agree with you. Well said. I may have been harsh on my previous comment but I can't help but see this as one step closer to shooting at something in the bushes moving around. But if you can't I'd an elk from a deer, what about a horse, or llama? She wasn't ready to be alone hunting yet if you can't tell the difference. More blame to the father on this one.

I can only say how my daughter would feel and not how this young lady feels, but my daughter would be distraught. Might even stop hunting if the judgmental group was vocal enough.

TRS_Montana, very well put. There is a huge difference between those who make a judgement error and take the appropriate path or recourse versus those who just plain do something stupid. I wouldn't put you in the latter category.

 

[LCH]

Didn't the dad put it up on Facebook? Poor decision to leave her alone, and then another to publicize it. Can't fault a 14 year old girl, left alone, for not knowing.

Adults frequently come into my house and want to know what kind of animal my pronghorn is..

 

[JDH]

Thank you for pointing that out. I missed that part and my argument is not valid. I do wonder if it was free range or escaped from an enclosure and whether or not that affects the legality in any way?

I doubt it would affect the legality because unless it has an ear tag or something similar there's no way to know whether it was free range or escaped before the shot.

 

[noharleyyet]

If my situation is going to be brought in for comparison on this subject, I will note that I knew I was shooting at a branched spike. My mistake was, in a lapse of cognitive function, I was convinced the regs required the bull to have a branch, not a brow.

As I'm apparently the current forum expert on the subject of misidentified targets, I will say that there are plenty of assumptions being made on this thread by a lot of people who were not present during the event. When we read a story like this, it is impossible to separate ourselves from the personal biases that are introduced through past experiences, stories, etc., and those of us who have not encountered a difficult situation or made a similar mistake have a, generally, hard time relating to the possibility that something like this could happen.

I don't know this girl or her dad, so I can't speak to the integrity of either. What I do know is that the best of people make mistakes. I always find it peculiarly enlightening to typical human psychology when people are presented a situation through a third party and consider themselves better poised to pass judgment than the authorities directly involved. The animal was confiscated and the state has not yet decided that further action is required. In my mind, the dad did the right thing, the girl learned a valuable lesson, and both have provided a handful of hunttalkers a chance to climb upon the peaks of wisdom by displaying the purest, self-perceived ethical code they can sculpt with a keyboard.

Sorry you took it that way, I should have commented on the commendable aspects (of both outcomes) and been more expansive of the differences in tone the related threads contained. I can see where you would take umbrage, my apologies.

 

[7mm08mo]

Thank you for pointing that out. I missed that part and my argument is not valid. I do wonder if it was free range or escaped from an enclosure and whether or not that affects the legality in any way?

If I understand our laws here in Missouri right which I believe I do, the code book states if there is not a prescribed season, or in other words no open season at any point in the year then they are illegal to take.

 

[tjones]

The father daughter grip and grin was probably not a wise choice either. Surely not Jose approved.

 

[Southern Elk]

If I understand our laws here in Missouri right which I believe I do, the code book states if there is not a prescribed season, or in other words no open season at any point in the year then they are illegal to take.

If that is correct, then case closed.

 

[TRS_Montana]

Sorry you took it that way, I should have commented on the commendable aspects (of both outcomes) and been more expansive of the differences in tone the related threads contained. I can see where you would take umbrage, my apologies.

Regardless of your intent, no hard feelings on my end, though I appreciate your clarification.

 

[WapitiBob]

Didn't the dad put it up on Facebook? Poor decision to leave her alone, and then another to publicize it. Can't fault a 14 year old girl, left alone, for not knowing.

Adults frequently come into my house and want to know what kind of animal my pronghorn is..

stupid stupid move whoever posted the initial story with her name.. The story is on my MSN feed this morning from USA Today. Her online life is headed for the toilet.

 

[CodyCass]

I read she is already being “bullied”. I know that word is often overused these days, but I have no doubt it is applicable for her. Damn shame.