Free Republic

On Dec. 19, 2016, Kansas game wardens came to the home of Mark and Kim Mcgaughey regarding a deer they said the family kept illegally as a pet. The mule deer doe, which the family had named Faline and which they had had for about 22 months, was eventually shot and killed by game wardens a few minutes later on the property. (Video courtesy of Taryn Mcgaughey) brader@wichitaeagle.com A western Kansas family is angry that game wardens killed a deer that had been their pet for 22 months and “was like one of the family.” Kim Mcgaughey said the deer...

Nestled in the Pacific Ocean approximately 30 miles from the mainland of Santa Barbara sits a beautiful island where majestic Roosevelt elk and Kaibab mule deer roam free. Ferried across a treacherous channel, these grand species were brought to Santa Rosa Island some 80 years ago, but their days are officially numbered. A complete slaughter of these magnificent animals is scheduled to occur before the midnight tide rises on Dec. 31, 2011. Sharpshooters will be en route to the island soon to comply with a 1996 court settlement and 2007 legislation that reinstated the extermination order.

The worst deer-hunting country in California is right in our own backyard on a near impenetrable stretch of land in the San Gabriel Mountains. For hunters, it's an irresistible challenge. The day before the deer season opener earlier this month, Arl Farris is scaling a 45-degree slope heading up a 6,250-foot high ridge in the San Gabriel Mountains. Ahead is a gantlet of disintegrating granite, overhead chaparral and thorn bushes that snap his face as he presses through. Behind is a valley of pines and broken cliffs and fog as lovely as an Ansel Adams photo. Footing is very unstable,...

BILLINGS, Mont. - A new study suggests natural gas development in western Wyoming is forcing mule deer into less suitable winter range and affecting the animals' movements in an area known as the Pinedale Anticline. The number of mule deer on the Mesa winter range dropped a "disconcerting" 46 percent from 2002 to 2005, according to the report from Western EcoSystems Technology Inc. Models and maps indicated that, through at least three winters, deer tended to favor areas further away from well pads. Such behavior suggests that seasonal drilling restrictions may not be achieving what land managers had intended, the...