If you are familiar with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment ofAnimals), then you are aware of the fact they will do almost anythingto protect animals. This year's efforts to save Ohio's deer from theannual statewide gun season has backfired.For safety's sake, hunters in Ohio are required by law to display atleast 400 square inches of hunter's blaze orange on their person when inthe woods. Capitalizing on the fact that hunters do not usually shootorange, PETA recently bulk purchased blaze orange vests and have beenaffixing them to live-trapped deer in Youngstown suburbs.According to PETA spokesperson Katie Reese, a total of 405 vests weresuccessfully put into circulation prior to this week, with additionalspecimens still being caught and vested. Youngstown entrepreneur GuyLockey, of Guy's Outdoors, has spit in the face of PETA by offeringrewards for the returned vests this week. Hunters who successfully bag avested deer receive $5 and a chance for a random and biggest animalaward. As of Tuesday, 308 of the vests had already been recorded asbagged with most of the hunters registering for Mr. Lockey's drawing."It's so easy, you can see them coming a mile away" said one first yearhunter after checking in his first spike buck.ODNR officials are worried that the poorly thought out plan by PETAmight get somebody shot instead of saving the deer. "Hunters have turnedtheir plan upside down, we're just hoping that nobody gets hurt and arehoping that none of the vested animals get tangled in brush" said anunnamed ODNR official. "PETA has really outdone itself this time."
(Thu Feb 28, 2002 - 1:41:37 pm)
