[mou] Possible owl killings

[Jim Ryan]

MOUers Be Advised,
While this dreadful accidental(?) killing needs to stop ASAP, know that 
interfering with legal hunting is a punishable offense, and likely to create 
emnity between hunters(trappers) and birders. This we do not need.

I would suspect interfering with a legal trapline or a trapper would also be 
illegal. So instead of any vigilantes going out to save owls themselves, 
call the local DNR and get a CO out there to assist in clearing up the 
matter.

Jim in S. Mpls

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing 
themselves."- Leo Tolstoy



>From: "Mike Hendrickson" <smithville4@charter.net>
>To: "MOU-Net" <mou-net@cbs.umn.edu>
>Subject: [mou] Possible owl killings
>Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 21:51:48 -0600
>
>Today while leaving Sax Zim Bog along Co. Rd 133 I saw a red truck pulled 
>over on the west bound lane. As my car approached I saw a man walk across 
>the road and toss something in the air. I was wondering what could he 
>tossed in the air.  All I saw was something give a white flash and then the 
>man walked backed to his truck.
>
>I stopped opposite of him along the shoulder and looked in the direction of 
>where he tossed that object. What I saw was a dead great grey owl hanging 
>up side down in a tree over the ditch.  I looked at the truck and saw a 
>small boy in a hunter orange hood look at me. I asked him, " hey did you 
>just hit that owl with your truck and toss it in the tree" ?  Then I saw 
>the boy's father in the ditch next to or lamost under a brush pile setting 
>something with his hands. The man yelled " What did he say"? and the boy 
>repeated my question to the man and the man yelled at me " I found the owl 
>in the ditch and tossed it over to the other side".  I looked at him and 
>watch his hands and noticed he was setting a trap with his hands for 
>mammals. The man looked agitated as I stared at him and I decided to drive 
>off. I could not reach the owl in the tree and I called a friend who might 
>have connections to get the owl carcass out of the tree.
>
>As I think about it more the whole situation did not make sense to me. Why 
>in the world would a person pick up a owl near his trap and toss it over to 
>the other side and in a tree? I quickly figured out that the guy was using 
>some sort of bait that attracted mice or other small prey and the owl came 
>in and hit the trap and set if off and the owl died. Of course that made 
>more sense than what this guy told me.  What is even stranger is I called 
>Tony Hertzel and I mentioned this to him and he told me he received a 
>report of a dead owl in a tree up side down about 3 miles east to where 
>this guy set his trap!
>
>The trap location is easy to find.  Get off 53 on go west on 133 and drive 
>thru the mix forest as soon as you get in the open bog there is large brush 
>pile on the right side of the road and under the brush pile is a trap of 
>some kind. I will be there tomorrow and I am going to stop and look down 
>and see if another owl hit the trap. there are several owls along this 
>stretch of road.  The man drove a ford red pick up with a black and white 
>topper. It wasn't a new truck but a older truck and I did not get a license 
>number as it was covered up in snow.
>
>It is not illegal to set trap with a license and it is trapping season.  I 
>have no idea what penalties I can get for accidentally killing an owl or 
>owls.
>
>Michael Hendrickson
>
>Minnesota Birding Treks
>http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/