Murder in the Meadow

My early Sunday morning was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.  Answering it I found Willard on the other end informing me that he had just discovered a nice buck lying dead in the creek bottom meadow.  Although I had observed this buck numerous times I had yet to encounter him in a good photographic situation.  Now all hope of a future encounter was dashed.

The arrow points to the dead whitetail lying in the field.  The killing shot was delivered from near the camera position.  As can be easily discerned, the house in the background could easily have been in the line of fire.  This building is a hunting camp and during the summer members use it as a country getaway with families vacationing here, and that was the case last night when the thoughtless predators unleashed their deadly projectile into the darkness.

The buck lies in the meadow; an unnecessary wasted life. 

My finger points to where the bullet entered the buck's skull.  With no obvious signs of injury I had to look closely to discover the tiny spot of blood at the base of the bucks left antler.  Pressing my finger into the area forced blood and brain material from the tiny hole where the bullet had passed through.

Undoubtedly the buck collapsed instantly upon impact, the result of massive brain trauma, as the wildlife criminals watched while illuminating him with their powerful spotlight.  Moments after the shot they drove off without any attempt to retrieve their kill. 

The unsettling images posted here are the result of Thrill Killers; criminals who maim and kill wildlife simply for the excitement of watching a creature suffer or die.  People who perpetrate these crimes have no appreciation or concern for nature and her wild creatures; and very little for their fellow humans that they share this planet with. 

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