MOUers Be Advised, While this dreadful accidental(?) killing needs to stop ASAP, know that interfering with legal hunting is a punishable offense, and likely to create emnity between hunters(trappers) and birders. This we do not need.
I would suspect interfering with a legal trapline or a trapper would also be illegal. So instead of any vigilantes going out to save owls themselves, call the local DNR and get a CO out there to assist in clearing up the matter. Jim in S. Mpls "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves."- Leo Tolstoy >From: "Mike Hendrickson" <[email protected]> >To: "MOU-Net" <[email protected]> >Subject: [mou] Possible owl killings >Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 21:51:48 -0600 > >Today while leaving Sax Zim Bog along Co. Rd 133 I saw a red truck pulled >over on the west bound lane. As my car approached I saw a man walk across >the road and toss something in the air. I was wondering what could he >tossed in the air. All I saw was something give a white flash and then the >man walked backed to his truck. > >I stopped opposite of him along the shoulder and looked in the direction of >where he tossed that object. What I saw was a dead great grey owl hanging >up side down in a tree over the ditch. I looked at the truck and saw a >small boy in a hunter orange hood look at me. I asked him, " hey did you >just hit that owl with your truck and toss it in the tree" ? Then I saw >the boy's father in the ditch next to or lamost under a brush pile setting >something with his hands. The man yelled " What did he say"? and the boy >repeated my question to the man and the man yelled at me " I found the owl >in the ditch and tossed it over to the other side". I looked at him and >watch his hands and noticed he was setting a trap with his hands for >mammals. The man looked agitated as I stared at him and I decided to drive >off. I could not reach the owl in the tree and I called a friend who might >have connections to get the owl carcass out of the tree. > >As I think about it more the whole situation did not make sense to me. Why >in the world would a person pick up a owl near his trap and toss it over to >the other side and in a tree? I quickly figured out that the guy was using >some sort of bait that attracted mice or other small prey and the owl came >in and hit the trap and set if off and the owl died. Of course that made >more sense than what this guy told me. What is even stranger is I called >Tony Hertzel and I mentioned this to him and he told me he received a >report of a dead owl in a tree up side down about 3 miles east to where >this guy set his trap! > >The trap location is easy to find. Get off 53 on go west on 133 and drive >thru the mix forest as soon as you get in the open bog there is large brush >pile on the right side of the road and under the brush pile is a trap of >some kind. I will be there tomorrow and I am going to stop and look down >and see if another owl hit the trap. there are several owls along this >stretch of road. The man drove a ford red pick up with a black and white >topper. It wasn't a new truck but a older truck and I did not get a license >number as it was covered up in snow. > >It is not illegal to set trap with a license and it is trapping season. I >have no idea what penalties I can get for accidentally killing an owl or >owls. > >Michael Hendrickson > >Minnesota Birding Treks >http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/
