Game wardens with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism are seeking information about three deer that were dumped at Wyandotte County Park, 126th and State, Bonner Springs.
Lt. Glenn Cannizzaro, a game warden with KDWPT, said that someone dumped three deer carcasses at the park between Nov. 21 and 22.
Two does and one buck were dumped, and the antlers were cut off the buck, he said.
At least one of them appeared to have been shot with a rifle, Lt. Cannizzaro said.
“They were field-dressed,” he said. “They weren’t killed there, they were dumped there.”
Authorities do not know where the deer were killed, he added. The Missouri deer season was open, and it is possible they were harvested in Missouri and then dumped in Kansas, he added, although that is unknown at this time. He doesn’t know at this time whether they were legally harvested or not.
“We’re trying to figure out why they dumped them, and whether they had proper permits, where they were harvested,” he said.
Deer hunting with a firearm is illegal in Wyandotte County, he said. Firearms deer hunting doesn’t start until Dec. 4 statewide in Kansas, but it is not allowed in Wyandotte County, where there is an ordinance stating that firearms discharge is illegal, he said. Bowhunting deer in Wyandotte County is legal during hunting season. There are separate dates for bowhunting season. Permits are required for hunting.
While there was some speculation on social media that perhaps the deer were dumped because they were diseased, Lt. Cannizzaro said there is no way to tell that without testing. He added it was not likely that all three of them were diseased. Also, he said chronic wasting disease has been found in western and central Kansas, but there are no cases in eastern Kansas.
He asked anyone with information about the case to contact him at 785-256-1206.