S.C. authorities deploy robotic deer to deter nighttime hunting
Be afraid, poachers in South Carolina.
Be very, very afraid.
That next deer you are tempted to shoot illegally while it is feeding on tender tree leaves might “bite” you instead.
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources is deploying a lifelike robotic deer to deter nighttime hunting, and the agency’s law enforcement officers are watching.
During the summer the Foothills Chapter of the Quality Deer Management Assocication, a conservation group, funded purchase of the device for use in upstate counties. It was purchased from a firm named Custom Robotic Wildlife.
The standing whitetail deer lookalike weighs 22 pounds and can be set up in minutes, according to the wildlife department. It is covered with taxidermy-prepared skins and has removable antlers so that it can be used as either a doe or buck.
The robotic movements are in a front leg, the head and tail.
These make it appear real, and an easy target for the taking of venison in violation of the law. What the shooter might harvest instead is an expensive ticket and trip to a courthouse. Tom Higgins
Some Carolinas game lands remain closed
Because of recent flooding, several game lands in the Carolinas remain either partially closed or totally off-limits to all public access.
Closed completely in South Carolina are the Santee Dam Wildlife Management Area in Clarendon County and the Wateree River Area in Richland County. Vehicular access is barred to Gunter’s Island on the Little Pee Dee Heritage Preserve and Waccamaw River Preserve, both in Horry County.
Roads remain closed on three Eastern North Carolina hunting areas – the Lower Roanoke River Wetlands in Bertie and Martin counties, Buckridge in Tyrrell and Holly Shelter in Pender. Observer News Services
Catches of the week
▪ A 29.3-pound king mackerel at Oak Island Pier by David Ross of Concord.
▪ A 26.5-pound king mackerel at Oak Island Pier by Edward Blackwelder of Greer, S.C.
▪ Sailfish boated and released off Hatteras Island by Yvonne Green of Stokesdale and Michael Smith of Liberty.
▪ A 24-pound blackfin tuna off Hatteras Island by Derek Swanson of Reidsville.
▪ A 21-pound blackfin tuna off Hatteras Island by Jim Wright of Indian Trail.
▪ A mix of 20 smallmouth and spotted bass boated and released during a morning of fishing at Fontana Lake by Cody George of Robbinsville.
▪ A limit of striped bass at Lake Wateree by Johnny Norris of Charlotte. The stripers hit live baits.
This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 2:10 PM with the headline "S.C. authorities deploy robotic deer to deter nighttime hunting."