The wife of a good friend of mine once told me a story about working at a hunting check station in Montana. Two men brought in their harvest from a long day of hunting. The game officials were pretty surprised when the men presented two...llamas. The men were hunting in an area during an antler only period, and llamas don't simply range free - even in the wilds of Montana - somehow they mistook the domesticated South American beasts of burden for antlered elk or deer.
Well, apparently "poor eyesite" is a nationwide phenomenon because last week, a Maryland man was convicted of shooting a wild horse on the Assateague Island National Seashore, a National Park System property that borders Maryland and Virginia.
Justin Eason shot the 28-year-old mare "N2BH" during a two-day deer hunt period in January of 2011. According to officials, Eason and his father then repeatedly lied about the incident and failed to report it immediately, which encouraged the magistrate hearing their case to impose $5,000 in fine and restitution penalties, 18 months probation, and a ban from hunting on federal lands. The magistrate is also requiring the men to complete a hunter safety training course, although I think it might be a little late for that.
Via National Parks Traveler
