Two women wreak havoc on legal bear hunters; hunting dog injured
Three Vermont hunters returning to their vehicle after an unsuccessful bear hunt found two women letting air out of the tires of the vehicle, and after an ensuing argument, one woman released her dog, which attacked and injured one of the hunting hounds.
The incident occurred in the 26,000-acre Groton State Forest near Noyes Pond on Oct. 9. After an investigation by the Vermont State Game Warden, the two women identified as Donna Babic and Betty Eastman were cited on Nov. 11 and on Nov. 22 they were found guilty in Caledonia Superior Court of interfering with hunters.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department announced on Tuesday that the two women were each fined $262 and lost their license privileges for fishing, hunting and trapping for a year.
Theodore Shumway and two companions were hunting black bear with hounds when a bear led the hounds onto private property before climbing a tree.
The hunters went onto the private land to retrieve the hounds and then left the bear in the tree. According to the outdoors site MeatEater, hunters are allowed to retrieve their hunting dogs from unenclosed private property even without permission to actively hunt the land.
“On returning to his truck with leashed hounds, Mr. Shumway encountered Donna Babic and Betty Eastman releasing air from the tires of his truck,” the VFWD stated. “Following an argument between the parties, one of the two women allowed a German shepherd out of their vehicle. The loose German shepherd attacked and injured one of the leashed hounds, which required veterinary care.
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“Vermont State Troopers responded to an emergency call from Mr. Shumway to defuse the situation.”
The investigation revealed that the hunters were acting lawfully; they were licensed and permitted to hunt bear. The game warden cited Babic and Eastman with violations of Title 10 VSA 4708, Interfering with Hunting, Fishing or Trapping.
“Vermonters don’t always agree on wildlife management, especially when it comes to big game,” said Colonel Jason Batchelder, Fish and Wildlife’s Chief Game Warden. “Even so, I would ask that Vermonters respect one another’s constitutional right to hunt. Intentionally interfering with legal hunters in any fashion will result in court action, especially in a potentially dangerous fashion as we saw in this case.”
Batchelder told MeatEater that the German shepherd’s attack on the leashed hound caused severe injuries to its head, legs and pelvis. The veterinary bill was “well in excess of $2,000.”
Babic told responding officers that she had intended to “make a statement” with her actions.
“I saw them come up through, and I knew they were illegally on the land, so we came up here,” Babic said in a recorded statement captured by an officer’s body camera. “We let a little air out of the tires. We wanted them to stay here because they were illegal. My underlying first thought would be that I’m sick and tired of bear dog hunting in the neighborhood, and that I knew they were illegal. I was trying to make a statement.”
Babic told the responding troopers and investigators with VFWD that she did not intend to release the German shepherd but accidentally let it out of Eastman’s back seat in the wake of the heated argument.
It was reported that neither of the women owned the private property in question.
Photos courtesy of Vermont Fish and Wildlife and Wikipedia Commons.