Drive-by poachers still putting people at risk in Lyon County
By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)
Originally published 02:16 p.m., May 27, 2008
Updated 02:16 p.m., May 27, 2008
People firing guns from the road into wooded areas and pastures narrowly missed striking seven people in recent weeks in northern Lyon County.
“Please refer to these people as poachers,” Brandon Houk, regional biologist for the National Wild Turkey Federation, said of the shooters. “As far as I’m concerned, when they’re shooting from the road, they’re poachers. ...
“People haven’t learned from Beau Arndt’s tragedy, unfortunately,” he said.
Houk referred to 18-year-old Beau Arndt of Americus, who was shot and killed in a road-shooting incident on Dec. 15, 2007. A Topeka man, Theron Thomas Kent, 57, has been charged with a felony count of involuntary manslaughter and three misdemeanors: attempted unlawful methods of taking wildlife, criminal hunting, and criminal discharge of a firearm.
Arndt was hunting geese with two friends the day of the fatal shooting. Decoys had been placed in the farm field, and each hunter was hidden in a personal blind when a pickup truck slowly drove by and a rifle shot was fired at the field.
The shot struck Arndt, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Last month, in an area not far from the Arndt shooting, a couple and their two children inadvertently placed themselves in danger as they hunted mushrooms on the family’s property in northwest Lyon County.
A man in a vehicle fired indiscriminately into the area where the family was searching. They took down the license plate number and description of the vehicle and called law enforcement immediately. The case was turned over to the Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Within days of that incident, Houk was turkey-hunting with friends near the Wabaunsee-Lyon county line when shots coming from the road whizzed past them.
The men in the vehicle were shooting at a turkey, and Houk managed to talk to them before they left the area.
“We had a pretty good confrontation,” Houk said. “This guy actually had his son with him. ... I said, ‘Is this what you want to teach your son about hunting? You’re setting the worst possible example.’”
Houk said the shooter also lied to him by saying he had the landowner’s permission to hunt on the property. Even with permission, though, shooting at turkeys from the road is illegal and is dangerous to others who may be hunting or trekking through the outdoors for enjoyment. Their vehicles may not be visible to hunters, and if they live on the property there would be no vehicle to alert others to their presence.
“They may think it’s a casual thing, they can go out and hunt and nobody will care,” Houk said. “They don’t realize how dangerous that can be.”
Kansas Wildlife and Parks conservation officer Dave Adams was investigating the shooting incident involving the mushroom-hunting family.
Adams was critical of people who ignore hunter-safety education, especially those who drive around the countryside, holding loaded guns in their laps or within arm’s reach.
“It’s something we stress in hunter education. You just don’t transport a firearm that way,” Adams said. “It’s unethical, it’s unsafe. It’s not illegal; maybe it should be. ... They make a decision before they ever get in that vehicle that they’re going to take advantage of an opportunity if it presents itself.”
Adams said that discussions are ongoing about gun laws and changes that may be needed. He wants the legislature to enact a law that would make it a felony to shoot from a vehicle when that act involves injury or death. Laws that require guns to be carried in cases or out of the vehicle’s interior also need to be enacted, he said.
“When they get ready to hunt, they load ’em up,” he said. “That’s the ethical thing to do.”
Current laws set certain prohibitions about hunting and shooting from the roadside or on property without consent of the landowner.
“There’s a loophole in one of them,” Adams said.
If, for example, someone has shot a deer and it does not fall, the hunter can pursue the animal to find it.
“We hear that story occasionally,” he said, mentioning one alibi used by roadside poachers.
Another familiar refrain involves coyotes, which can be shot from the road.
“Coyotes are not a game animal. It’s kind of a loophole, I think personally,” Adams said. “We hear this story all the time, ‘Oh, I was shooting at a coyote,’ because somehow they think it’s going to make them look less bad.”
As a result of those exceptions in current laws, it often is difficult to press charges against people believed to be shooting from the roadside.
The rash of poaching upsets both Adams and Houk because of the way it reflects on hunters who do obey the laws.
“I represent the good hunters, the honest hunters, the sportsmen who are trying to teach the kids,” Houk said. “It takes one poacher to really tarnish the hunters.”
Adams is hoping that an outgrowth of Beau Arndt’s death will be that more attention will be focused hunter safety and on the safety of people who are not hunting, as well.
Arndt recently was made an honorary member of the Kansas Wildlife Officers Association, primarily because of what Adams learned about him during the investigation and while meeting with Arndt’s family.
Adams took the information to the KWOA board of directors for consideration, and the result was more than an honorary membership; it became a show of support for Arndt’s family and a way to recognize what Adams called a “special individual.”
A video including Arndt is being made to educate hunters about safety and hunting laws.
“His death may have some benefit to a lot of people in helping promote hunting safety,” Adams said. “I think when that’s completed, Beau’s life will have the opportunity to help maybe slow some of this down, (or) at least educate people about the consequences of what can happen when people don’t do the right thing. ...
“He tried really hard to do things the right way,” Adams said. “Beau is an example of a fine young sportsman.”
Comments
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Posted by WZWRGWPEPL (anonymous) on May 27, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No wonder people call Kansan's rednecks. Behavior like this gives us bad names. Like we don't have smarts. The ones doing the poaching don't have a brain in their heads. I think that all fields should post a sign and make a Beau's Law. The poster should have a short story about what happened to this poor boy and his family. Probably wrong idea since the poachers are probably not able to read. If caught they should be prosecuted!!! They do it once, they'll do it again.
Posted by citizenT (anonymous) on May 27, 2008 at 4:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
UNBELIEVABLE!! The loss of Beau has been difficult for many. These instances just bring back the pain all over again.
Posted by wildcatmom (anonymous) on May 27, 2008 at 5:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I believe the Bobbi Mlynar means Brandon Houck, regional wildlife biologist with the National Wild Turkey Federation and son of life-long residents of North Lyon County, Jim and Jean Houck, Rock Creek Ranch.
Brandon has been a hunting safety advocate for many youth hunters, I'm glad he is getting the word out that this problem still exists in our county. For this to happen within a few miles of Beau's death is appalling to me.
Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on May 27, 2008 at 5:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It is uneducated hillbillies like the above mentioned poachers that give guns and responsible gun owners a bad name. Back road buttheads like that are an embarrassment to real sportsmen and hunters. I hope they are found and made to pay a dear price for their stupidity.
Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on May 27, 2008 at 6:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Finally the Gazette publishes the proper description of road hunting lazy poachers. I have a few other adjectives for them.
Thanks Brandon and Dave for taking a stand against the unnecessary, completely lazy and pathethetic way to chase animals. I won't even call their method hunting, it's not. So many people have adopted this method over the years that they actually think it's okay to do. Regardless if they have permission to hunt on adjacent property, there is absolutely NO excuse to shoot from the road.
Posted by madpoet (anonymous) on May 28, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
After all the publicity after the recent death, I am appalled that people are STILL shooting from vehicles. I mean, honestly, what more can we do to get the message across?! A young man died needlessly from the reckless action of some jerk with a gun (I will not call him a hunter). We have our property posted no hunting, for all the good it will do. Someone who will shoot from their truck doesn't care if they have permission to be on someone's property. We were told to press charges on trespassers we had to have "no trespassing" signs up so we slapped more up after I ran people off our pond. I agree the law should be changed. It should be a felony if you hurt someone by road poaching. You get caught a second time shooting from the road, your guns should be taken away since you're a menace to the rest of us. They take driver's licenses away after mulitple DUI convictions. Same deal; if you can't learn from your mistake you shouldn't put everyone else at risk! Pretty soon we'll have to wear flak jackets to check fences etc!
Posted by Iloveemporia (anonymous) on May 28, 2008 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Theron Thomas Kent, 57, has been charged with a felony count of involuntary manslaughter and three misdemeanors: attempted unlawful methods of taking wildlife, criminal hunting, and criminal discharge of a firearm."
thats all he got?????? sounds like murder to me
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