A PET deer, who would let children ride on his back, has had his head and antlers hacked off by trophy hunters.
Owners Manfred and Narelle Wagner were shocked to find their beloved red deer Karl lying headless on their Myrtleford district property on Saturday.
“I’m upset and gutted – it’s like shooting your prized bull or horse,” Mr Wagner said.
The 10-year-old stag’s antlers are estimated to be worth up to $20,000 with red deer’s heads thought more valuable than sambar’s.
The antlers drop off each year about August, with a new set growing through to the end of January.
Mr Wagner is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to Karl’s killers being convicted.
The couple have had Karl, named after Mr Wagner’s grandfather, since he was a calf and he ate oats, bread, potato chips and apples.
“He’d eat out of your hand,” Mrs Wagner said. “He was big and majestic, but also gentle.”
The deer, who was part of a herd of 20 at the Buffalo Creek Road property, was killed between Monday July 27 and last Saturday.
Mr Wagner, a hunter, suspects he may have been killed on the Monday night, based on his bloated body.
He could not find any bullet or arrow holes, but a scalpel was left on the grass near the carcass.
“A proper hunter wouldn’t go on to private property and shoot a pet,” Mr Wagner said.
Myrtleford policeman Leading Senior Constable Bernard Murphy said there was no excuse for the killers with most of the property surrounded by national park.
“They would know full well what they were doing, they were going into someone’s property and it’s obvious they were going after the trophy,” Leading Sen-Constable Murphy said.
“This one, because of its antlers, it’s a fair-size animal, it’s a big beast, and they’ve looked at it and said ‘this will suit us, this is what we’re after’.”
Leading Sen-Constable Murphy said there were ample deer numbers for legal hunting.
“There’s that many deer around, the need to do something like this defies logic,” he said.
“There’s plenty of places to hunt deer if they’re legitimate people.”
Mr Wagner said Karl was 2.4m tall with his fully grown antlers weighing up to seven kilograms.
Speaking to The Border Mail, Mr Wagner showed off Karl’s nine-year-old antlers from last year and held newly-developed photographs of the deer.
“It’s like someone shooting your dog in your backyard,” Mr Wagner said.
“I had a grandchild sitting on him like a reindeer.”
Anybody with information about the killing is urged to call Myrtleford police on (03) 5752 1003.
