BURNS, Ore. — A second mule deer has died and at least three more were injured after being struck with blow gun darts within the Burns city limits over the last four months. The Oregon Hunters Association is offering $1,000 in reward money for information leading to a citation.
Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Troopers responded to a citizen report of an injured deer in Burns around noon on Feb. 13. They found a mule deer doe in failing health with a blow dart lodged in her side. Unable to save her life, troopers euthanized the doe where they found her, near Court St. and Railroad Ave.
Troopers found the carcass of a mule deer fawn in the same area with a similar blow dart lodged in its neck on Nov. 6, 2020.
Between November 2020 and February 2021, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) biologists and OSP Troopers found three additional mule deer in the area with blow gun darts lodged in their bodies. In all three cases, biologists sedated the animals, surgically remove the darts and released the deer. They expect the deer to recover.
Blow gun darts (which are illegal to use for hunting deer in Oregon) are effective at killing small animals like rabbits and squirrels. When used on larger animals, the darts cause damage that may be mortal over time. Injuring an animal with a non-lethal weapon and leaving it to suffer and likely die is extremely cruel, according to ODFW biologist Rod Klus, who assisted in saving the three wounded deer.
“Either the wound will lead to an infection, or if the stomach or intestines are punctured, the deer will die, but it will take a while, and it will be painful,” he said, “It takes a deer anywhere from
