News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
In the wake of an incident that killed a small mule deer buck in Sisters last Thursday, police are urging children to refrain from chasing deer.
According to reports of the incident, a group of middle school-aged boys chased a group of deer in the vicinity of the Little League ball fields behind Sisters Community Church. One young buck attempted to jump a fence and fell, breaking his spine and dying a painful death.
A deputy responded to a report of the incident, but School Resource Officer Don Pray says no crime was committed. Still, he would like to talk to the boys involved, though they were not identified.
"There was no intent in it," Pray said. "We'd just like to talk to them. We're not going to arrest anybody for it."
Deliberately abusing an animal is a crime, but Pray said the incident was apparently just kids chasing deer because they thought it was fun.
That doesn't mean that Pray condones the action. In fact, he says it's a bad idea.
"If we see 'em, we stop 'em," Pray said.
It's a safety issue for the kids as well as for the deer. Deer can turn belligerent and, with sharp hooves and great strength, they can be very dangerous to people.
Pray said deputies are frequently called to clear deer off the Sisters Elementary School play fields, where they like to graze and access water. School officials don't want deer on the fields when students are at play. Deputies herd them slowly toward the gates.
The recent incident is not the first such case where deer have been injured escaping from students.
"We had one that got hurt pretty bad at the high school; it got hung up on a chain link fence," Pray said.
Authorities agree that it is best to leave the deer alone to avoid potential injury for a person or for an animal.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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