
If you decide to put a deer into the back of your vehicle it is probably a good idea to make sure it is dead. A couple of poachers found this out the hard way and got them caught by the game warden. They were cited for shooting a deer from a vehicle, but that is just the beginning of their story.
Apparently, they tried to do a quick shoot and grab of a four-point buck that ran out in front of them. The driver shot the deer from his window then the pair loaded him up. The only problem was that the deer was not dead. The wounded deer then came to his senses and jumped out of the bed. They got caught when they stopped to look for the deer.
Here is the story that appeared on the police blotter on Syracuse.com.
The Undead Deer — Albany County
“On Thanksgiving night, Nov. 22, ECO Brian Canzeri responded to assist Albany County Sheriff’s Deputies in the town of Berne who had stopped a pick-up truck with two occupants. A witness spotted them shoot from the truck and then drive off. Fresh blood on the tailgate, rear bumper and floormats of the truck, along with hunting attire, rifles and spotlights inside the truck supported information from the witness. ECO Canzeri obtained statements from both suspects about the evening’s events. While driving on Bradt Hollow Road, a 4-point buck had run in front of the suspect’s vehicle. The passenger shot out of the driver’s side window, hitting the deer. Both subjects then loaded the deer in the back of the pickup and drove off. However, the deer was not dead and approximately a mile down the road the deer jumped out of the bed of the truck. They turned around to look for animal and were stopped by Deputies as they tried to flee. The wounded deer was located soon after and put down. ECO Canzeri seized two rifles and two spotlights. Both suspects had suspended drivers licenses. One had an arrest warrant pending and the other had past hunting violations in Washington County, including taking deer with the aid of an artificial light as well as an order of protection prohibiting him from possession of firearms. On Nov. 24, three more dead deer were found in the area with evidence showing that they were connected to the men. ECO Canzeri issued tickets to both subjects for taking big game deer with the aid of light, shooting within 500 feet of a dwelling, discharging from a public road, loaded gun in a motor vehicle, taking by means not specified, and taking deer from a motor vehicle. Additional charges may be filed.”
This story reminds me of the movie Tommy Boy where Chris Farley and David Spade hit a deer with their car and proceed to load it in the back seat. In the movie, the deer wakes up and goes berserk, destroying the car, if you have not seen the movie it is pretty funny.