'Lock her up': Girl who mistakenly shot elk 'bullied' as wildlife officials decide her fate

[sarisataka]

'Lock her up': Girl who mistakenly shot elk 'bullied' as wildlife officials decide her fate

Wildlife officials have not decided whether any citations or warnings will be issued after a 14-year-old mistakenly shot a protect elk.

Abby Wilson, 14, shot the elk on Saturday in Boone County, thinking it was a large white-tailed buck. Her father, Donald White, immediately called the Conservation Department upon realizing his daughter's mistake.

"There is no elk season in Missouri, so free ranging elk are protected," said Tom Strother, an MDC Protection Regional Supervisor. "It is a Wildlife Code violation to shoot a free ranging elk as there are no provisions that outline a hunting season like there is for white-tailed deer."

As of Tuesday, conservation officials had not finished their investigation into the unusual case or decided whether warnings will be issued.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/15/lock-her-up-girl-who-mistakenly-shot-elk-bullied-wildlife-officials-decide-her-fate/865541001/

[avebury]

1. No sympathy here for the girl or her father.

If you want to go hunting then you should be able to properly identify what you are shooting at and know what your hunting license covers based upon the hunting season.

Her father is equally culpable for the deed as she was out in the woods under his care. A hefty fine and loss of hunting licenses for a period of time would be a good thing.

[procon]

2. Lock up her irresponsible parents.

I went hunting a lot with my dad when I was the same age at this girl, but my dad was always right beside me. He was constantly giving me instructions, teaching me, showing me the right way to do things, and correcting my mistakes. I was only allowed to actually shoot when he gave the OK. It was annoying at the time, but my dad did the right thing.

A child that young should not have been turned loose with a high powered rifle without close parental supervision while hunting. At that age a child is not capable of sound judgement and she lacked the experience and training to even recognise the difference between a 120lb deer and a 730lb elk. If her father (presumably he knew what a deer looked like?) was with her, none of this would have happened.