Wright is charged with shooting two deer while hunting over bait and hunting without a valid license. The two deer had attracted many onlookers at the nearby golf course due to their large size and beautiful racks. Hunters, however, were also interested in the bucks as trophies, including Wright.
She was discovered with one of the dead bucks at a stand after people complained of someone hunting within city limits. The stand appears to have been placed just outside of the city limits. However, officers found the ground covered with carrots and grain to attract deer. Wright reportedly admitted to coming out the week before hunting season to drop grain to bring the deer under the stand to be shot. I remain perplexed why it is so much fun to sit in a stand over baited ground to shoot an animal feeding.
These violations remain only misdemeanors for hunting deer over a baited area as well as for hunting without a valid deer license and for having deer over her limit. She is also charged with gross misdemeanors for transporting an illegally taken animal and for taking or possessing wild animals with a restitution value of more than $1,000.
Wright insists that she was not aware that she had to rake up the bait before killing the deer. For that reason, she insists “[t]he charges on the first deer are being disputed.”
She posted her trophy picture on http://www.northlandoutdoors.com) which ran with picture with a caption that reads: “Val Wright of Two Harbors shot this 10 point buck on opening day south of Silver Bay that dressed out at 199 pounds.”
That should be helpful in her prosecution.
Source: Duluth News