- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,007
November 19, 2002
Hunter who downed elk to pay fine, lose license
by R. Cathey Daniels, Oak Ridger staff
Bill Fred Campbell, 68, of Jonesboro, will pay $1,240 in fines and restitution fees and lose his hunting license for one year for killing an elk during an Oak Ridge Reservation deer hunt in October.
Campbell, using a 12-gauge shotgun, shot the elk when hunting on Lou Cagle Road, a woodland area on the Oak Ridge Reservation west of Highway 95 and south of Bear Creek Road.
According to wildlife managers, Campbell said he mistook the bull elk for a deer when hunting in thick undergrowth.
The approximate 600 pound bull elk was likely a nomad from an state elk reintroduction program in the Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area in Campbell County, about 30 miles in straight-line distance from Oak Ridge.
For comparison, the largest buck shot that weekend was approximately 184 pounds.
After realizing his mistake, Campbell sent his hunting partner for officials, stayed with the elk and then admitted his mistake to officials, according to Jim Evans, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency manager for the Oak Ridge Reservation.
Campbell was charged with the Class A misdemeanor of killing elk in a closed season. Evans pointed out that as of yet, there is no open season on elk.
Campbell faced a maximum of $2,500 in fines, no more than 11 months, 29 days in jail, possible loss of his gun and hunting privileges, as well as reintroduction costs for the elk, which could have run in excess of $1,000.
He ended up with a one-year loss of his hunting license, $100 in court costs, $140 in fines and $1,000 for restitution of the elk.
This was the firost charge for killing elk out of season in the state, said Evans.
Since January 2001, elk have been released into the woods of Campbell County as part of the reintroduction effort in East Tennessee.
Elk have also been released in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, starting in the winter of 2000.
Tennessee's elk restoration zone includes almost 70,000 acres in Anderson, Scott, Campbell, Claiborne and Morgan counties.
The cost of the project is estimated at $1.1 million, funded by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association.
Reservation deer hunts were held in October and November and a final hunt is scheduled for Dec. 7 and 8.
The hunts were initiated in 1985 due to the frequency of deer/vehicle encounters near the reservation.
R. Cathey Daniels can be contacted at (865) 220-5515 or danielsrcd@oakridger.com.
Hunter who downed elk to pay fine, lose license
by R. Cathey Daniels, Oak Ridger staff
Bill Fred Campbell, 68, of Jonesboro, will pay $1,240 in fines and restitution fees and lose his hunting license for one year for killing an elk during an Oak Ridge Reservation deer hunt in October.
Campbell, using a 12-gauge shotgun, shot the elk when hunting on Lou Cagle Road, a woodland area on the Oak Ridge Reservation west of Highway 95 and south of Bear Creek Road.
According to wildlife managers, Campbell said he mistook the bull elk for a deer when hunting in thick undergrowth.
The approximate 600 pound bull elk was likely a nomad from an state elk reintroduction program in the Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area in Campbell County, about 30 miles in straight-line distance from Oak Ridge.
For comparison, the largest buck shot that weekend was approximately 184 pounds.
After realizing his mistake, Campbell sent his hunting partner for officials, stayed with the elk and then admitted his mistake to officials, according to Jim Evans, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency manager for the Oak Ridge Reservation.
Campbell was charged with the Class A misdemeanor of killing elk in a closed season. Evans pointed out that as of yet, there is no open season on elk.
Campbell faced a maximum of $2,500 in fines, no more than 11 months, 29 days in jail, possible loss of his gun and hunting privileges, as well as reintroduction costs for the elk, which could have run in excess of $1,000.
He ended up with a one-year loss of his hunting license, $100 in court costs, $140 in fines and $1,000 for restitution of the elk.
This was the firost charge for killing elk out of season in the state, said Evans.
Since January 2001, elk have been released into the woods of Campbell County as part of the reintroduction effort in East Tennessee.
Elk have also been released in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, starting in the winter of 2000.
Tennessee's elk restoration zone includes almost 70,000 acres in Anderson, Scott, Campbell, Claiborne and Morgan counties.
The cost of the project is estimated at $1.1 million, funded by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association.
Reservation deer hunts were held in October and November and a final hunt is scheduled for Dec. 7 and 8.
The hunts were initiated in 1985 due to the frequency of deer/vehicle encounters near the reservation.
R. Cathey Daniels can be contacted at (865) 220-5515 or danielsrcd@oakridger.com.
