14 year old girl bullied over killing an elk in Missouri

[RED]

The left never ceases to amaze me. Here there are people ostracizing this kid because she thought the animal was a deer. She saw an animal in Boone county that had antlers and was brown. Since nobody in the past 100 years has ever seen a wild elk in Boone County MO she thought it was a deer and shot it. It is kinda like shooting a mule deer in Alabama, they don't exist there in the wild and even an experienced hunter could make that mistake. Or how about somebody that shoots a Grizzly bear in Arkansas thinking it was a black bear... An honest mistake by a 14 year old girl doesn't warrant this abuse.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/15/missouri-girl-14-faces-social-media-bullying-after-shooting-elk-mistook-for-buck.html

[Marty T.]

Ah the modern social media. She made a mistake. They called the Conservation people immediately to let them know what had happened. Then they SHOULD have kept their mouths shut and the cameras off and not publicize it. No one would have been the wiser. There are idiots out there just looking for thing to gripe about. If you don't want everybody out there knowing what you are doing and then complaining about it, DON'T PUT IT OUT IN PUBLIC!!
And apparently it was a good shot.

[bruce]

Glad for her that she got the elk. Cannot see any problem with it. Very much doubt that shooting an elk is illegal in MO. Hopefully the St. G&F Dept. will not insist on retaining the carcass or antlers. As to those who are harassing her, hopefully folks will overwhelm such nonsense with positive affirmations sent to her. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

[Ken The Kanuck]

Unlucky, that being said there is reasonable expectation that a hunter identifies the animal which he or she is shooting at. Unfortunately given the circumstances I can understand why the mistake was made. Really just bad luck in this case. Personally I hope that she is applauded for coming forward, she did the right thing. Also I hope she gets to keep the meat, mighty tasty.

KTK

[Sunray]

"...doesn't warrant this abuse..." Agreed. However, the kid should have been taught the difference between a white tail and its cousin. She should also have been taught not to shoot at something when she only saw the antlers.
Kid needs a hat that fits too.

[RED]

"...doesn't warrant this abuse..." Agreed. However, the kid should have been taught the difference between a white tail and its cousin.

And why is that? She went through the standard hunting safety course required by and managed by the MO Dep't of Cons. How come the Cons instructors didn't stand up before the class and say this is an elk... don't shoot it... The reason is that according to that same Dep't of Cons, wild elk don't exist in MO. Farm raised elk have ear tags and sometimes escape. Shoot one of those and it is like shooting a farmer's hog that escaped and went feral... not a crime or a violation.

I have been hunting whitetails since 1955... for over 60 years and bagged dozens of whitetails I can't say with 100% certainty that I wouldn't (under the same circumstances) have taken that shot. I would have, however SSS'd, ( Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up). Or in this example Shoot, Grind-up, Shovel, and shut up.

I would never trust the MO Dep't of Cons. for a NY second. BTW, "cons," is also a abbreviation for convicts and con artists.

[Marty T.]

Unlucky, that being said there is reasonable expectation that a hunter identifies the animal which he or she is shooting at. Unfortunately given the circumstances I can understand why the mistake was made. Really just bad luck in this case. Personally I hope that she is applauded for coming forward, she did the right thing. Also I hope she gets to keep the meat, mighty tasty.

KTK

Agree, but I read in one of the latest articles about it that she will not get anything, meat, antlers, nothing. It will go to "feed the hungry" or so they say.

[p246]

There is no recent history of elk in Boone County. Historically in that area its white tail only. It will be a good lesson for her. I don't post any Hunting pics on social media anymore. Nowadays if someone does not agree with your hobby you are to be destroyed.

[leftyo]

agree she should not be abused or harrassed. her parents on the other hand should have done some more work on being positive of your target before pulling the trigger. even a small bull elk doesnt much resemble a white tailed deer( quite a number of horses have met their ends for the same reason). hopefully she learns from this and doesnt let the bullies push her away from enjoying outdoor sports.

[JB White]

Fourteen years old. First hunt? Buck fever? She saw the rack. Fourteen and inexperienced. Spotted her target, watched it, and was convinced it was a deer. Made a clean kill. Reported the error as soon as it was known to be one.

Reminds me of a time in Iowa sitting on a wooded hillside. Off to my left I spotted brown fur moving through the growth. Raised my Mossberg and watched over the sights. Through a small opening I could see a shoulder. Looked like a big one. Waited until it would pass through another opening to see if it was a buck or a doe. Finger slides off the trigger loop and hovers in front of the trigger....waiting for a few more steps. Thinking "If you're a buck you're burger". It was burger, but she was a cow. Lowered the gun and thought, "So that's how they do it!". I was in my early thirties, not my early teens.

Another incident involving a former classmate and friend of a friend. Going fishing and the guys told him about bear attacks in the area. Just getting him nervous as there are no known bears in the area. While hiking from the car through the woods to the fishing spot, there was movement in the bushes. Suddenly a big black head pokes through. In a flash the guy drops his tackle, whips a .41 mag out from under his open jacket and fires two rapid shots. He killed a blackfaced sheep. Then he had Hell to pay along with the farmer. Needless to say that fishing hole was off limits after that.

[Sako]

We are very lucky to have 14 year old girls willing to hunt and it would be a shame to penalize her. The elk bull would die of old age 10 times before it would find an elk cow in Missouri.

[Vern Humphrey]

Or how about somebody that shoots a Grizzly bear in Arkansas

I have a neighbor who is frequently mistaken for a Grizzly bear.

[Major Tom]

Off topic some but, My friend lives in rural Iowa and raises cattle. A few years ago he hired a company to build a rather large pond on his property. When construction was done and the pond filled with water he paid to have several species of fish put in his pond. Now the pond is about a city block from the nearest road. One day he and his grand children were fishing the pond when along comes a game warden. He wanted to see their fishing licenses which they did not have and wrote my friend up with a ticket. WOW, was he ever mad! In court the judge upheld the game warden's actions. So, even tho you build your own pond, pay to have it stocked, you still need a fishing license.

[leftyo]

Off topic some but, My friend lives in rural Iowa and raises cattle. A few years ago he hired a company to build a rather large pond on his property. When construction was done and the pond filled with water he paid to have several species of fish put in his pond. Now the pond is about a city block from the nearest road. One day he and his grand children were fishing the pond when along comes a game warden. He wanted to see their fishing licenses which they did not have and wrote my friend up with a ticket. WOW, was he ever mad! In court the judge upheld the game warden's actions. So, even tho you build your own pond, pay to have it stocked, you still need a fishing license.

always, in the eye's of the law you can own the land around water, even if you built the pond they dont see it as you owning whats in it.

[blackhawknj]

Don't think I'd bully a girl who knows how to shoot and likes to hunt.