Boat driver drowned buck

[Lee Borgersen]

Northwestern Minnesota residents say buck drowned because of pontoon driver.
 
 Sep 21, 2015 at 7:03 p.m.






  ...
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is investigating the death of a large buck that grew tired and eventually drowned after being followed and harassed by a pontoon driver.


The incident happened Sept. 6 on Tulaby Lake, which is in both Becker and Mahnomen counties in northwest Minnesota.

  ........
“It was out swimming in the lake, towards the north end of the lake on the Mahnomen County side,” said Ray Thorkildson, who sits on the Tulaby Lake Association Board.

“The (guy) gets between the deer and land to block it and it turns away. Ultimately he ends up chasing it, according to a witness, and it ends up drowning — a beautiful big buck.”


Thorkildson said his son was able to drag the deer’s body to shore, where they helped load it into a pickup truck driven by DNR Conservation Officer Angela Warren, who confirmed there is an active investigation into the case. She could not be reached for further comment.

“I’m really upset and I sure hope something is done to the perpetrator,” Thorkildson said.

The owner of the pontoon is known, he added, and it’s also known that the person who chased the buck was visiting the owner of the pontoon. He declined to release any names, but says the information was given to the DNR.

Thorkildson said several people witnessed the incident and were sickened by the sight.

“One guy went out there and confronted the guy, asking ‘What are you doing?’ He got a photo of the pontoon and the registration number.”


Col. Ken Soring, DNR Law Enforcement Division director in St. Paul, said he could not comment on the specific case until he reviewed the file.

But in general, in addition to whatever fine is imposed in district court, restitution for an illegally killed deer is $500, and that doubles if it is found to be a trophy animal according to the Boone and Crockett Club score chart, he said.

“It had a rack on it,” Thorkildson said. “It was just absolutely a gorgeous buck.”

Animal harassment incidents are unusual in Minnesota, Soring said.

“It’s more of a rare occurrence; it’s not real common,” he said.


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[Bobby Bass]

Just something flat out wrong with someone who does something like that.

[glenn57]

got that right bobby. I actually got on someones case for the same thing long time ago on a small lake up north. kinda teed my off!

[Onin24Eagle]

Here's a photo of the deer:

[gophergunner]

This stuff is absolutely repulsive.  He should lose his boat, all his gear, and if he towed that friggin' party barge to the lake, they should take his vehicle too.  And jeez......I wonder if he was drinking?  Slobs like this should be made examples of.

[beeker]

damn nice trophy buck.. i would hope they fine this asshat according to how big that buck is. and seize all his stuff or his buddies stuff.. whoever stuff it was he used.

were are the protesters? didn't we all know bucky the famous lake swimming whitetail.. think of all the tourist that won't pay to not catch walleyes and take pictures of the deer now?

[whiteoakbuck]

That's a great looking deer and a very sad way to go.

[Onin24Eagle]

This is right in my backyard.  I fish that lake quite a bit and hunt deer just a few miles north of there.  What's really sad is the fine is only $500.  That's a nice buck but I don't think it's big enought to be classified as "trophy" by Boone and Crocket.  As a nontypical it would need to score 185 or higher to be considered a trophy by their standards.  That deer is probably only around 160 at best.  The state should drop the B&C requirement and double the fines for anything over 130 using the B&C scoring system.  There are many really nice bucks out there that would be a "trophy" to most hunters that don't come close to B&C standards.  To have those bucks killed by idiots or poachers and get a "slap on the wrist" fine is almost as sickening as the act itself.

Here's a better idea.  Any doe or fawn killed illegally should be a $1000 fine.  Bucks would be $1000 plus $10/inch based on B&C score.  That ought to make some people think twice.

Just my $.02

[gophergunner]

Oh GMAFB! Anyone who doesn't consider that buck a trophy needs to re-evaluate why they go hunting in the first place!

[Onin24Eagle]

I agree gophergunner.  If that buck were to come by my stand during the season it would be a no-doubter.  I'd take it for sure.  It's Boone and Crockett that doesn't consider it a trophy based on their scoring system.  A buck needs to be an absolute giant to make their books.  My point is that the state needs to drop the B&C standard.  Use their scoring system, sure.  Just have a much lower minimum score before doubling the fine. 

I still think that tacking a dollar amount to every inch would be a better deterrent.  The bigger the buck, the bigger the fine -minimum score of 2.  Start with a base fine of $500, $1000 or whatever and then add so much per inch to that based on the score.  Maybe $10/inch is a bit steep but I think it should be at least $5/inch.  The buck in question here at $5/inch, let's say it's 160 inches, would then cost the violator an additional $800 on top of the base fine.

[Bobby Bass]

This should not be about how big the buck scored or would score or about how big a fine should be because of the size of a rack. This is much more basic then that. This was an animal that was killed because of an act of cruelty. Making the fine more or less because it was a buck or a doe should not come into play. The fine will not bring the deer back but the deeper problem is that this man is charged with taking an animals life, still an animal but if this guy did this and it was not a spur of the moment thing as he spent several minutes doing the act and was seen by several people yet continued to do it. Some serious consoling I would think would be indicated by the behavior but that is not going to happen, a fine and some newsprint time is all he is going to get but he will still be out there to do what next time?

[Lee Borgersen]

This should not be about how big the buck scored or would score or about how big a fine should be because of the size of a rack. This is much more basic then that. This was an animal that was killed because of an act of cruelty. Making the fine more or less because it was a buck or a doe should not come into play. The fine will not bring the deer back but the deeper problem is that this man is charged with taking an animals life, still an animal but if this guy did this and it was not a spur of the moment thing as he spent several minutes doing the act and was seen by several people yet continued to do it. Some serious consoling I would think would be indicated by the behavior but that is not going to happen, a fine and some newsprint time is all he is going to get but he will still be out there to do what next time?

                Very well said Bobby!

        Now Let's String Um Up!

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[Lee Borgersen]

              updated................


Boater accused of drowning buck claims he was herding it to shore

Oct 5, 2015 

  ......
DETROIT LAKES -A Moorhead man who faces possible charges in the drowning death of a buck on Tulaby Lake told the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources he wasn't trying to harm the deer.

  .....
 Steven William Timm, 55, of Moorhead is accused by witnesses of using a friend's pontoon to circle the big buck and prevent it from getting to shore.
Angry witnesses said Timm harassed the deer until it drowned of exhaustion, but Timm told the DNR he was trying to turn the deer back to shore.

One witness, David Kvidt, told DNR investigator Angela Warren that he noticed the buck swimming in the lake the morning of Sunday, Sept. 6, a few hundred yards from shore.

Kvidt said Timm was in a white pontoon fishing before he headed towards the deer and drove the boat between it and the shore.

The frightened deer started swimming further out into the lake and Timm, at one point, circled around the deer, preventing it from heading towards the public landing, Kvidt said.

Kvidt said it looked like Timm sped up and was following behind the deer. Kvidt had never seen a deer swim that fast before, he said.



Kvidt said he got into his pontoon and went out to try to get Timm to stop, but when he got there, the deer was floating belly up.

He asked Timm why he was between the deer and the shore and Timm replied, "What do you think I am, a deer killer?" according to Kvidt.

Kvidt said they were both angry, and to avoid any trouble he went back to his residence.

Timm told the DNR investigator he had been fishing in a pontoon belonging to his friend and that he'd noticed something swimming and drove the pontoon out to see what it was.

When he got near the deer, it began swimming further out in the lake, he said.

Timm told the DNR that he drove between the deer and shore while trying to get around the front of it to turn it back to shore, staying 50 yards away from the deer.







He confirmed that another boater confronted him about the deer and was angry.

Another witness, Ken Bauman, who also lives on the lake, said the pontoon driver appeared to harass the deer to its death.

Bauman's wife, child and grandkids were also present and witnessed the incident.

Baumann told the DNR investigator that he saw something swimming quite a ways out in the lake and he wasn't sure what it was until he looked at it through binoculars.

The deer was swimming towards shore and appeared to be swimming fine, but as it got closer to a pontoon, turned and swam towards the public access, Bauman said.

Timm then started his pontoon and drove between the deer and shore, then drove in front of the deer, which caused it to swim out into the lake, according to Bauman.

---

Ken Bauman, who also lives on the lake, said the pontoon driver appeared to harass the deer to its death.

---

Shortly after that, the deer drowned.

The interaction between the pontoon and deer lasted approximately five minutes, maybe longer, Bauman said.

The Minnesota DNR has wrapped up its investigation into the incident, which occurred on the Mahnomen County side of Tulaby Lake.

Timm faces a possible misdemeanor charge of using a motor vehicle to intentionally drive or chase a wild animal.

The Mahnomen County Attorney's Office has assigned the case to an attorney, who will look over the evidence and is expected to make a charging decision this week.


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[deadeye]

It's like the guys caught on bait car.  I didn't do it is always the first response.  Even when caught red handed and on film, they deny it.  Just fess up for crying out loud.  Who is going to believe "I had to drive between the shore and the deer to get around it to chase it to shore"  You had the whole lake buddy.  Not buying his story.

[Bobby Bass]

UPDATE

DNR NEWS - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                         Oct. 7, 2015

Man charged with cruelty to animals

The Mahnomen County Attorney’s Office has filed two misdemeanor charges against a Moorhead boater following an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Steven William Timm, 55, allegedly used a pontoon to chase a large buck that was swimming Tulaby Lake in Mahnomen County on Sept. 6, causing the deer to swim further out into the lake and eventually drown.

Timm is charged with one count of animal cruelty and one count of prohibited use of a motor vehicle to chase wild animals. Each carries a maximum fine of $1,000, 90 days in jail or both if convicted.

Using a motor vehicle to chase, run, or kill a wild animal is illegal with a citation issued and restitution for the illegally taken animal. A deer has a $500 restitution value, and the restitution is $1,000 if the animal is a trophy animal.

A state conservation officer was called by a citizen who witnessed Timm drive the pontoon between the deer and shoreline preventing the animal from reaching safety. The witness drove his pontoon to Timm’s location and asked why Timm had done it, but Timm responded, “What do you think I am a deer killer?”

The officer later talked to Timm who said he noticed something in the water, drove his pontoon there to investigate, and attempted to turn the deer back to shore, but the animal swam further out into the lake.

According to the DNR, an interaction that may seem harmless and innocent may ultimately have serious consequences for deer and other wildlife.

“As the state’s wildlife management agency, we have a responsibility to protect the wildlife resource,” said Col. Ken Soring, DNR enforcement director. “Chasing wildlife with any type of motorized vehicle is unacceptable.”

Timm is scheduled to appear in Mahnomen County Court on Oct. 29.

Report game and fish violations to the TIP hotline at 800-652-9093. Cell phone users can dial #TIP. Informants can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

[Lee Borgersen]

Prosecution suspended in case of man accused of chasing deer with pontoon.

 Apr 25, 2016          updated!

 
 
MAHNOMEN, Minn. — Prosecution has been suspended in the case of a Moorhead man accused in Mahnomen County District Court of using his pontoon to prevent a swimming deer from reaching shore, resulting in the deer drowning.



Steven W. Timm, 56, had faced one count of overworking or mistreating animals and two counts of using a motor vehicle to chase wild animals stemming from an incident in September on Tulaby Lake in Mahnomen County.

According to court documents, two witnesses told authorities they saw a deer swimming in the lake heading toward the shore. Before the deer could reach the shore, the witnesses said they saw a pontoon start up and head for the deer, cutting it off from shore.

One witness said the pontoon circled the deer, preventing it from reaching the shore and that the pontoon appeared to speed up and follow the deer as it swam.

The other witness said he saw the pontoon drive alongside the deer, between the deer and the shore, before the pontoon drove in front of the deer, causing the animal to swim farther into the lake.

The deer drowned shortly thereafter.

  .....
When a conservation officer talked to the operator of the pontoon, identified in court papers as Timm, Timm said he was fishing when he noticed something swimming and he drove his pontoon to investigate.

Timm said when he got near the deer it began to swim farther out in the lake. He said he drove the pontoon between the deer and shore while trying to get around the front of the deer to turn it back to shore.

An agreement approved by the court last week states that prosecution of the case will be suspended for six months, after which the case will be dismissed if no similar offenses are committed.

The agreement required Timm to pay $500 in restitution.

The wording of the agreement states that both parties "believe the benefits to society from rehabilitation (the primary goal of this agreement) outweigh any harm to society from suspending criminal prosecution."

[LPS]

Wht a crock that he got off that easy.  He used to live here.  He was always hitting on a guys wife that I know at the golf course.  Well the husband finally got tired of it and swung a club at this creep.  Of course Law Enforcement was called in.  They both got in trouble.  The husband had to spend some time in jail and got out for work release every day.  He had to take anger management classes and alcohol classes.  I mean for a long time.  I am not sure what happened to Timm but he had to do some stuff too.  He left town.  Now he surfaces doing this.  Some people just don't have a clue.  Neither does the Law since they basically let him go.