Deer carcasses found dumped along roadway

Published 6:00 am Thursday, January 29, 2004

Ronnie Durr poked lightly at the mangled mass of deer remainsdiscovered Wednesday morning on Weeks Lane.

“It looks like there’s about three deer there,” the LincolnCounty solid waste-litter coordinator said as he stood upwind fromthe carcasses.

Durr considered what to do with the remains that were illegallyleft at the top of a hill within eyesight of Highway 550. He saidsituations like dead animals or animal parts put him between a”rock and a hard spot.”

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“We’re going to attempt to do something with it,” Durr said.

Durr said animal carcasses are not accepted at the landfill’stransfer station, and relocating them elsewhere to allowdecomposition is also illegal. He said county supervisors have beenhelpful in picking up animal remains and finding a place for a deephole to bury them.

“I reckon that’s what’s going to happen,” said Durr, adding thathe would be contacting District Five Supervisor Gary Walker to gethis assistance.

Wednesday’s discovery was the latest in an ongoing problem forDurr and Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks officials.

“This has been a problem all over the county,” Durr said.

Randy Carr, district supervisor in the Lincoln County DWF&Poffice, said an officer had been sent to investigate the Weeks Lanediscovery. Carr said a law was passed two years ago to make carcassdumping illegal and establish up to a $500 fine.

“Catching them is a different story,” Carr said.

Carr, whose district also includes Pike, Walthall, Marion,Copiah and Lawrence counties, said Lincoln County roadsides are notthe only places were deer carcasses have been found. He mentionedseveral incidents where remains were found along creeks.

“That’s the worst place in the world to put it,” Carr said.

Last year, Carr said, about 50 deer hides were discovered near alow water bridge on a cut-through road north of Gallman in CopiahCounty. He indicated the site had become a breeding ground forfilth and decay.

“The water was green,” Carr said.

In cases like Wednesday’s, Durr and Carr said the choice partsof deer meat are cut out and the rest is thrown away.

“Responsible hunters don’t do that,” Durr said. “Clubs haveresponsible means of containing deer parts.”

Durr and Carr said clubs usually have a pit where deer remainsare placed for disposal. At the end of the deer season, the pit iscovered.

“Not many people do that, but most of your good clubs will,”Carr said.

In addition to the dumping being illegal, he also alluded tovisibility and public relations difficulties.

“It’s an eyesore and gives hunters a bad name,” Carr said.

In general, Carr said this year has been one of the worst as faras hunting violations.

“Spotlighting has been out of control this year,” said Carr,mentioning 60 arrests in his six-county coverage area.

Carr said the office has made over 1,000 hunting violation casesthis year. He said he appreciated tips from concerned citizens whohave called the office 1-800-670-9615 number to report possibleviolations.

“They’ve got more eyes than we have,” Carr said.

In disposing of deer remains, Carr said hunters can leave themon their own property. Instead, he added, some hunters take theremains to dump on someone else’s property or elsewhere, like aroadside or creek.

“It’s just a bad problem,” Carr said.

And Durr said it’s a problem that’s not new.

“It’s been a problem that’s been around ever since peoplestarting shooting deer,” Durr said.

However, Durr said the problem could be solved if people simplywould not dispose of remains illegally.

“The best thing is prevention,” Durr said.