Posted on 03/16/2015 2:45:41 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
COEUR d'ALENE, IDAHO - A Hauser woman accused of attacking a hunter's falcon could face jail time.
Patti MacDonald, 60, is facing one misdemeanor count of beating or harassing an animal. MacDonald is scheduled to appear at an arraignment hearing March 24 in Kootenai County District Court.
If found guilty, she could be sentenced to a maximum of six months in jail and $5,000 in fines.
The incident occurred on Jan. 7 when MacDonald allegedly parked her red Jeep Wrangler near the spot where Scott Dinger's falcon, Hornet, was in the process of killing a duck the duo had successfully hunted. As Dinger, 50, approached the scene, he saw his falcon, clearly injured, flying away.
Dinger found Hornet dead about an hour later and said the bird had suffered a fractured skull and broken leg.
Craig Walker, an Idaho Department of Fish and Game regional conservation officer, became aware of the incident the night it occurred and began an investigation. In his report, Walker wrote that his office received a phone call from an unidentified woman who said she saw a falcon take a duck from the air and then went to the aid of the duck and tried to scare away the falcon.
When the falcon remained in place holding the duck, the woman said she removed a scarf that had beads on it and beat the bird.
"The woman later stated that she had been very upset about the duck being injured, but felt bad about injuring someone's pet, because she 'beat the crap out of it really hard,'" the report states.
The report adds that another investigator was able to use the office's caller identification system to identify the anonymous caller as MacDonald.
Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh told The Press that after reviewing Walker's investigative materials, his office determined to pursue the misdemeanor charge.
"The same penalties apply as with an animal cruelty charge," McHugh said. "This statute is more specific and appropriate for the alleged conduct."
Dinger told The Press that the charge was "unacceptable" and added that he wants the prosecutor's office to pursue a federal charge for "the unlawful take of a protected species."
McHugh said pursuing federal charges is beyond his office's jurisdiction.
"I certainly have no objection with Fish and Game pursuing that charge," he added.
Another time, I was pulling into the parking lot where I work, and something between cars caught my eye...I asked the guy to stop, and got out to look, there was a hawk standing on top of a quivering crow, which was letting out the most horrible sounding cries of distress, as the hawk had it talons buried deeply into the breast of the crow. The hawk had its wings extended and drooped downwards as if guarding its kill, and it regarded me with very little interest except to just stare at me to let me know where I stood in the scheme of things.
I have to admit, I have always liked crows (because I have never had to live near a roost!) and I felt pity for it, but...that is just the way things are.
Somedays you are the crow snatching a robin chick from a nest...sometimes you have a hawk’s talons buried in your chest. That is the way of things.
She probably thought they ate her carryon bag.
The “animal rights” fools have no idea how nature works. What does this moron think a falcon is supposed to eat, tofu?
I had on owl or hawk fly into the side of one of my trailers on the Skyway (troll road outside of Chicago)a number of years ago (past statute of limitations). Nothing I could do about it. I saw something large fly up then heard a thud.
Yep.
I feed some squirrels at the local park, and this winter I saw a big goshawk had come around and was hunting them. I just got my buddies fattened up for the winter, and now he was going to get some easy meals off them. What are you gonna do? That’s nature.
Is the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act predicated on them being endangered species? If so, why would the government be interested in protecting the other raptors?
LOL...sorry guys!
bada-bing!
Birds of prey are also illegally hunted for their feathers unlike most any other species.
Alternate reality headline:
“Hauser woman missing since Jan 7th”
I’m not much of a fan of government regulation. Maybe I should have made that clearer.
Beautiful bird!
Or carrion bag...
Because falcons are even more rare than eagles...
They are protected last I heard, under the engangered species act, which is why getting a permit is a big deal for falconers.
Isn’t it, though? Looking at the way it was looking at me, it made me glad to be as big as I am. I would hate to be a squirrel or chipmunk and see that look...
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