Thats a pretty cool story. Congrats to your uncle. Only exotic thing i have seen here in Virginia is my hunting buddy in his wife's cheetah thongs and i wanted to shoot him too!

http://blog.syracuse.com/outdoors/20...nly_shoot.html

Read the above article. In NY, these hunters shot someones "PET" that escaped the local zoo. They will loose their hunting licenses, and the DEC will probably fine them as well.

"PETs", or whatever you may call them are protected in NY, unless specifically listed in the hunting laws, like hogs.

As previously stated thank the lord I do not live in the liberal state of New York, but the great state of Texas instead.

Follow up on that story and post back, I'm curious to see what happens. But again, this is a different situation. This was a hunter mistakingly killing something. I still doubt that they will lose their license. Also, look up your states rules about feral swine. By your definition they are also "pets" but your state says "DEC's goal is to eradicate feral swine from New York's landscape. Feral swine in New York can have tremendous negative impacts on native plants, native wildlife, livestock, agriculture, and humans including" Which tells me they do care about exotics and want them shot.
-Jake

pigs have been listed as an invasive species. elk have not been, and be rest assure these hunters will not be hunting for a very long time. You must know your target and identify the animal before pulling the trigger, or face the fines.

Very nice deer, thanks for sharing the story!

I have a buddy who owns property west of San Antonio, somewhere around Comfort or Junction, TX. They have Axis deer there, and he usually shoots one every year. Where I hunt, NE of Austin, there are no exotic game ranches to 'supply' anything fancy. I get to shoot hogs whenever I can find them though, and I'm good with that.

It surprises me that someone would get in trouble for shooting an exotic (non-native) animal as long as they were in an area where they had a right to be. Oh well, just another reason I'm happy to be living in Texas. And yes, I can shoot a dog if I see one running free on my property in the country. There's a $500 fine for allowing one's dog to run loose in an unincorporated area. That's not to say I shoot every dog I see. I don't need to create unnecessary difficulties with the neighbors, but if one is causing trouble (chasing cows or game or acts in a menacing manner towards me) it's gonna catch a bullet.

Very nice sika buck. We have them in Virginia on the eastern shore. I have hunted over there for game management.

They aren't anyone's pet here they are wild as are the chincoteague ponies that are on the island and will sneak up on you while hunting.

In texas. In Ohio you'd have to go to jail for awhile. Here in Michigan, it's a felony.

Thats a very nice sitka buck!

ATB

Not so about Ohio. In Ohio you need to have a reason to shoot someones dog. But, as long as you have that reason, you are fine. My cousins dog was shot a few weeks back by a farmer. And she has to pay him for the loss from the chickens the dog killed. So yes, on your own property in Ohio, you are allowed if you have reason to do so.
-Jake

Also, Blur, did you follow up on that news story at all? Last I saw was that more had been shot because they couldn't get them rounded up, and only a few were returned. I'm still curious as to if the hunters were punished or not.
-Jake