A bowhunter recently got more than he bargained for in Missouri.
At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary when Mike Lewis shot a deer during archery season in Nodaway County last month. But he later discovered another deer skull, with antlers, interlocked in the animal's rack.
Missouri Department of Conservation officials offered a theory.
"With the cleanliness of the skull, we suspect the deer had sparred with a 'dead head' from last year and became locked up," officials said, according to Centre Daily Times. "The hunter has a trail cam photo from a neighbor of the buck a week earlier with the skull and antlers locked up with the live deer's antlers."
The department shared images of the deer on Facebook on Nov. 2. According to the post, Lewis contacted a county wildlife agent and received permission to legally take the second skull and antlers.
"What a find!” authorities said.
Earlier this year health advisories were issued in several parts of the U.S. after toxic chemicals were found in deer and fish. USA Today reported in October on the discovery of high levels of PFAS — or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — in deer and fish from states including Michigan and Maine. The chemical is used in numerous products, such as nonstick cookware and clothing, and is linked to health problems such as cancer and low birth weight.
The discovery has led to some states issuing "do not eat" advisories for deer and fish.
"The fact there is an additional threat to the wildlife — the game that people are going out to hunt and fish — is a threat to those industries, and how people think about hunting and fishing," said Jennifer Hill, associate director of the Great Lakes Regional Center for the National Wildlife Federation.
"If people are unwilling to hunt and fish, how are we going to manage those species?" added David Trahan, executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, a hunting and outdoors advocacy group. "You're getting it in your water, you're getting it in your food, you're getting it in wild game."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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