Farmer’s calf apparently shot with a broadhead

DARLINGTON, Pa. — A Beaver County farmer made a gruesome discovery Nov. 1, when he found one of his beef calves dead in the middle of the pasture, having been shot through the lungs with an arrow broadhead.

Sam Kuhlber, whose family recently started to convert their dairy beef farm to a cow-calf operation, said this calf was the first to be born on the farm, and was a little more than a month old.

The Hereford calf, a heifer, was named “Autumn,” and was liked and well cared for by the rest of the herd, according to Kuhlber.

He consulted with the Pa. Game Commission, and together they determined the cause of death was from an archery broadhead. It’s unclear whether the calf was shot intentionally.

“It is so hard to say,” said Beaver County Game Warden Mike Yeck.

What may have happened

If the calf had been found closer to the road, it would have pointed toward an intentional shooting, Yeck said. Because it was found a long ways from the road, he said it’s more likely that it was shot by a hunter, either intentionally or by mistake.

Yeck said he has seen cases in the past where a hunter shot the wrong animal, and often the hunter is in a state of shock over the situation.

The best thing for a hunter to do, he said, is to contact the game commission or the local authorities, and make appropriate compensation for the loss.

The compensation can be determined between the offender and the owner, or if an agreement cannot be reached, the courts can decide.

“It’s going to be a future loss of production for us,” said Kuhlber. “There’s no reason to do this.”

If you have information about this case, or the illegal shooting of any animal, call your state’s game commission or local law enforcement. In Beaver County, the game commission can be reached at 724-238-9523.