Corpusfishing.com

[FlakMan]

Fourth person arrested in blow dart shootings
Flour Bluff man turns self in Monday
By Susan McFarland (Contact)
Monday, November 3, 2008

A fourth person suspected of shooting area birds with blow darts turned himself in to police Monday morning.

Bradley Michael Alexander, 21, of Flour Bluff, surrendered at the Port Aransas Police Department about 8 a.m., Lt. Darryl Johnson said.

Police believe Alexander, along with three other men, shot the birds while taking breaks at their place of employment, a restaurant in the 300 block of North Alister Street in Port Aransas.

Police know of at least six birds that were hit with the darts since mid-August. At least one, a grackle, had died. An American oystercatcher was caught, rehabilitated and released, and the others remain on the loose.

Alexander was arrested on warrants for two counts of exceeding bag limits during closed hunting season, two counts of illegal means and methods and one count of discharging a projectile in city limits.

Alexander pleaded no contest to the charges, which are misdemeanors, Johnson said. He was fined $2,760 by Port Aransas Municipal Judge Duncan Neblett and then released.

Port Aransas resident Christopher Gene Shaw, 25; Eric Paul Yates, 23, of Gregory; and 18-year-old Christopher Michael Long, of Port Aransas, were arrested Thursday and charged with discharging a projectile within city limits.

In addition, Shaw and Yates were charged with two counts of exceeding bag limits during closed hunting season and two counts of illegal means and methods. Long was charged with killing a protected non-game bird and illegal means and methods.

[Rock Hopper]

Get a rope.

[robul]

Nice.. Im glad they where able to hit them with a few charges..

[kweber]

no biggie...
the City of San Antonio will probably hire them for silent grackle patrol on the RiverWalk.
after all the Christmas Season is near and so are the hoards of grackles.
_________________
the creepy uncle that scares the kids....

[panthera]

Not to sound like an idiot but can someone define projectile. Arrows and blowgun darts obviously but what else? Spitballs... This is not an area of Texas to mess with birds. I'm glad they were fined a little too but dayum.

[skunked]

I've never heard that it was illegal to fire a projectile in the city limits. I guess that includes BB guns, air soft guns, slingshots, bow and arrows, ect. What about the guys that practice with their bows in the back yard? I also did not know that grackles were a protected non-game species?????????

I'm not trying to stir the pot, but I'm pretty sure that quite a few on this board has stalked birds some time in their life with a pellet gun. I don't know the specifics on the other birds, but if they were game birds or protected birds, then they should definately be punished! But $2700 for killing one grackle is a little excessive.

This event, in my not so important opinion, was way over publicized. I have seen very bad people get away with way worse and pay much less.

Just my opinion.

[Jason Slocum]

Its legal in Corpus to shoot bows and arrows in ones back yard. However BB guns are illegal to shoot. FYI Jason Slocum

[frayed]

Why are grackles protected?
_________________
Jeff

Get Busy

[allwheel4x]

It's just about illegal to do anything anymore-unless you spit on your country,do alot of dope,defend your self with a GASP firearm,lie,cheat,steal and mess over your fellow man for fun or profit. Not too fond of grackles myself!

[Fishnut]

The way the law reads it that all birds are protected unless listed as a game species and given a closed season and bag limit or on the non-protected list which is the eurasian starling, Feral Pigeon and European Sparrow. Some species can be taken when they are depredating on crops or causing a healh hazard but the rules are fairly vauge and up to interpretation by the state or federal game warden but they are mainly given for Ichterids the black birds which would include grackles but they are mostly protected with a few exceptions like SA

This is more detailed
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/protected/

Hope this helps
_________________
Learn how to Fish Hunt and Golf then work the rest of your life to pay for it

[landlocked beachbum]

I find it ironic in the extreme that the city is making a big deal out of some guys doing stupid crap like this but yet you can't get a cop to call you back AFTER your car is broken into, AND..................................... that's a lot of break ins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
_________________
Dave


"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein

[ironmanstan]

First of all these birds weren't killed for food, or because of over population, or for destroying crops or human habitat. They really weren't killed at all at the moment of impact, they were mamed and left to die by blowdarts, for sport and laughs. I think we all know what a blowdart is, its a plastic bead with a very small dia. hard wire sticking out of it about 3-4inches long. So these birds are now flying around with darts sticking through their necks, breasts, and other body sections. They will die from infection most likely. No I'm not perfect on this as I was once a kid with a bb gun, now i'm a big kid with bigger guns. Just my opinion.
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.

[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

[Bandera Brent]

A little off topic... In my subdivision, we have a buzzard with an arrow stuck straight through it that has been around for at least 3-4 years....Kinda weird, we saw him when we moved in, and see him about 2-3 times per year flying or sunning on top of a telephone pole!

[ironmanstan]

I bet whoever shot it sees it every now and then too. Kind of a haunting reminder.
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.