Reward for information regarding deer shot at Perryville Battlefield

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, November 29, 2017

The Friends of the Perryville Battlefield (FPB) is offering a $500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the person who shot a deer at about 8 a.m. Friday at the state historic site. 

The shot was fired from a large flatbed truck on White’s Road near the intersection of Battlefield Road, according to a press release from FPB. A witness saw the shooter leaving without the deer in the truck, the bed of which was “shiny.” A .270 rifle was used.

Joni House, manager of the park, said the person will be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” The Department of Fish and Wildlife has pulled bullets from the scene to run ballistics on. 

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“Everything about this was illegal. It was illegal and stupid, and people could have gotten hurt,” she said.

Chad Greene, president of FPB, said they have many people who visit the park early in the mornings to walk or hike. There are also many houses in the vicinity of where the deer was shot.

“That bullet could have carried and could have been bad for someone,” Greene said. “There could have been someone walking there.”

People could have also been out there visiting to see the animals — the park, House said, has become a sort of wildlife refuge. About $300,000 in federal grant money has been invested for conservation efforts with the planting of native grasses. In the release, it states that “thousands” come to the park to see native wildlife, including Northern Short-eared Owls.

“We don’t want people to get shot or come upon that,” House said.

Greene said the grasses have created a bit of an “oasis” for native wildlife at the park and the neighboring 300 acres of private lands also being held for conservation efforts.

“It was not meant to be that, but it ended up being that,” he said. And that’s something that has to be protected, he said.

Greene said part of the push on the natural grasses was an effort to return the park to what it would have looked like when soldiers were there.

“It gives visitors a perspective of what the landscape would have looked like … It’s fortunate, we can stand where those guys stood and see what it looked like,” he said.

They have bird programs during the year and the park is a way station for monarch butterflies.

“We’ve tried to create something for kids and adults to come out and see stuff like that … It’s a pretty cool place,” Greene said. 

Greene said he doesn’t have an issue with hunting — but hunting at the park is illegal, especially from a vehicle.

“Shame on that person — that’s not sport. The park is big and it’s pretty well marked. My guess is, someone saw a ‘trophy,’ and wanted a trophy. It was big,” Greene said of the deer.

Someone came upon the shooter in the act, which is what startled them and prompted them to leave without taking the deer, Greene said. He said he wasn’t surprised at the fact he and House were quickly contacted. 

“We have a lot of people who value this place — neighbors and friends. People who come here from all over the world,” Greene said. “People here are very protective of it.”

The deer meat has been processed and will be donated, House said, explaining that they didn’t want the meat to go to waste.

Greene said, “As we take from the land, we can give something back. Maybe something good will come out of something bad.”

SO YOU KNOW

Anyone with information regarding the shooting of a deer at the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site on Friday morning can call Conservation Officer Jason Wells at (502) 517-6444, or the park at (859) 332-8631. A $500 reward is being offered by the Friends of the Perryville Battlefield to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person involved.