14 year old girl shoots elk
Elk
While deer hunting, 14-year-old Missouri girl shoots elk 200 miles from herd and gets bullied relentlessly.
I listened to the interview with her and her father (who called Game and Fish immediately) and read some of the cruel comments that people made about her.
She handles it great and says that the comments don't bother her because people don't know the kind of person she is.
I tried to copy and paste the web page - didn't work.
Just wondering on others thoughts.
I have no issues with it. What happened, happened and the oddity of it even happening threw everyone off, including law enforcement.
As far as the losers who spew hatred about it - get lost.
I agree....Elk aren`t supposed to be in the area and there were no ear tags. It`s not like she shot a donkey while hunting deer. Simple mistake but somebody leaked the pick and story...you NEVER see a juveniles picture and name in any other criminal type incident. That`s what they should be looking into...if the family did it...they`re IDIOTS and endangered their child.
Interesting point there, Franklin.... dead right.
I’m a little troubled by the misidentification, but I grew up in CO and dreaming about Elk Hunting because the neighbor had a 6X6 on the wall...
But in a state with no herd (to speak of) it probably never occurred to anyone to worry about species ID in Hunter Ed.... though I doubt it will ever be overlooked again.
So I hope that there was no ill intent and assuming not, I hope the authorities handle it accordingly.
But no way can they release any part of the animal to that family, because of the precedent it would set...
The Haters would spout the same foolishness whether it were an Elk, a fork whitetail or Jumbo the Elephant with Cecil the Lion stuck under his toenails, so nothing to be done about them other than to keep a low profile....
There is a very long thread about this on the Community Forum.... I don't see it as bullying to point out that it was in fact illegally shot.... since Missouri is spending millions of dollars to introduce elk to the state. If an adult had made the mistake he probably would have been ticketed...... She's just a kid so I don't see a problem with giving her a pass...... But I think it was a huge mistake by her father and the Conservation Officer to allow trophy photos to be taken and then even worse to allow them to end up on the internet on social media..... But now I understand that the father is asking the DNR if they can have the elk back...... And I agree that there is no way they should be allowed to get the elk back..... Or else more guys will shoot elk and expect the same treatment.....
In a lot of states, this sort of thing would have resulted in heavy fines and loss of hunting rights. Personally, I can't blame the girl. Some mistakes are too easy to make.
She shot it in the wrong state. Here it would be an escapee and legal. I certainly hope the state uses common sense in this situation.
No doubt some may try the same thing if the elk is returned. But now, the awareness is out. Next time the penalty will be more stiff and you will now see language in the MO game laws specifically addressing elk...
It should be a fine for taking a game animal out of season with an exception. It was not poaching, that’s all. It was a mistake by a young inexperienced hunter. Maybe more hunters education identifying animals
I don’t think she should get any kind of leniency for this. Either her or her father should get some kind of penalty for this. It was a misidentification. I am one of three people I know of who have had a horse shot and killed by someone hunting. An elk doesn’t look like a big deer. An elk looks a lot different than a whitetail, plain and simple. I’m not saying they should throw the book at her, but to just say it’s a case of misidentification...well, that’s setting a bad precedent as well. The dad certainly has a lot of nerve for asking for the elk back. Part of being a responsible hunter means knowing when something isn’t right about your target.
Well, fortunately that is for the court and law enforcement to decide. Kind of hard to punish for a crime when one may have not been committed. Tag was for a deer which means they couldn't fix it to the elk and bring it home.
Unless there is a game law in MO saying you can't shoot an elk or a law saying you can't shoot an animal (elk) that is protected game in another state, kinda hard to punish and not be lenient...
HDE-If a tag is for a deer, it’s for a deer, not any four legged animal that could be mistaken as a deer.
Missouri game laws are "Permissive" meaning you can only shoot what is specifically permitted by statute. There is no statute allowing the taking of elk in Missouri so they can take action against her.
I agree with AndyJ. First rule of shooting is "know your target". Anyone that can't tell the difference between an elk and a whitetail should not be left left alone, regardless of age. If she violated a game violation, she should be held accountable.
That said, according to reports, once her dad saw the bull, he knew immediately that it was an elk. If that's the case, why the hell would he take pictures and post on social media. She made a mistake, but what he did was plain stupid.
The "bullying" is NOT from shooting the Elk...it`s for HUNTING period....just like Trump got "bullied" on the Elephant parts ban. Shooting a horse while deer hunting is quite different...and a silly analogy. That`s like saying someone shot my car...lol That Elk was not indigenous to the area...it`s a "deer like" animal and was a simple mistake. She gets charged I will never set foot in that state again.
Frankin, I agree the bullying is BS. However, IMO, IF it's a game violation, she should be held accountable. Doesn't matter whether she's a 14yr old girl or a 50yr old man. I find it hard to believe people are just blowing this off as a "simple mistake". What if this had been someone walking through the woods with a tan coat on. Would that still be a "simple mistake?"
I'm certainly not saying she should be burned at the stake. What I am saying is she should be treated exactly the same as anyone else that commits this game violation.
Franklin, you probably shouldn't ever come to CO either. When Shiras moose were first introduced back in the 70's, two bulls, two cows and two calves were released into the drainage near my house. All six were killed that fall by "elk" hunters.
They charged every one of those hunters. If you hunt, you should know what you're shooting. There is no elk on the planet that resembles a whitetail. Being 14 and stupid is not an excuse.
I agree with WYOBULLSHOOTER! I live in Missouri and we are trying to establish a herd! I feel confident that my kids would have known the difference. I think a due to her age she could only be petitioned in juvenile court for a conservation violation. I am not concerned about with her punishment but there should be some. The Elk herd here has lost the herd bull last year to poaching already. I Am more concerned that others will misidentify their targets! With no repercussions! Part two until they complete DNA testing it may not even be from the wild Elk herd as unfortunately there is penned game killing pens (High Fence) in Missouri without regulation, and he could have been a escapee!
"HDE-If a tag is for a deer, it’s for a deer, not any four legged animal that could be mistaken as a deer."
AndyJ, here is an excert from my post that may help you out - "Tag was for a deer which means they couldn't fix it to the elk and bring it home.". I am quite certain I understand the deer tag will not allow the taking and tagging of an elk in MO...
And Aspen Ghosts' post supports what I said about a law stating you cannot shoot the elk. Again, it is for the courts and LE to decide on how to proceed.
The kid made a mistake. She saw a big whitetail deer with big freaky antlers. Ooops, that's an elk pilgrim. I'm sure Missouri has some sort of accidental kill law, and she should be fined with it. Then she should have to give a presentation at the local Hunter Safety courses on species identification for a few years. Her father should be required to give a presentation on ethics. It will help young hunters, I'm sure there are kids from Missouri hunting out west. Calling the kid stupid is a bit harsh.
I had a neighbor shoot an elk a few years back thinking it was a whitetail. A grown man shot a 320” 6x6 bull elk thinking it was a deer!!
There should be punishment. If we make the argument that kids are responsible enough to hunt, then they need to be responsible enough to hunt. Period. You are holding a rifle and squeezing the trigger, and it kills. Stuff gets dead and it never comes back. If that responsibility is too much, then don't own it. If it isn't too much, then you bear the consequences of your actions. Kid or no kid. I'm all for kids hunting, but I am not for taking the responsibilities away from kids. Kids thrive with responsibility. You don't need to throw her in jail, but wrong is wrong. If you are playing big boy games, then you need to abide by big boy rules, and take the big boy punishment. Again, she doesn't need to get railroaded, but you can't get a free pass. If the father wants to take it as his responsibility then give it to him that's fine as well.
To top it off, taking trophy pics with an illegal kill is just the poorest of taste imo. Or if you're going to do that, by golly don't share them. And if you didn't recognize that it was an elk when you were on top of it, then you should have your hunting rights restricted, because you can't be that foolish and allowed to carry a gun.
