March 6, 2015
From PhoenixNewTimes.com
Three men are accused of harassing and herding antelopes with a helicopter near Prescott last August, possibly to help a guided hunting outfit.
A group of hunters in the area reported seeing a black-and-red helicopter buzz herds and solitary antelopes repeatedly on August 22 and 23, according to a federal complaint filed this week. The animals were “freaked out” by the chopper’s aggressive maneuvers, which in part seemed designed to drive the antelopes toward a ranch, witnesses said.
Named in the complaint are Chris Atkinson, owner of Sendero Helicopters in Texas, and his firm; Chad Smith, a manager at O RO Ranch and the owner of Vaquero Outfitters; and another man allegedly in the chopper at the time, Andrew King. Atkinson’s firm is also a named defendant. Each is being charged with two counts of using aircraft to harass animals, a violation of the 1971 Airborne Hunting Act.
Pronghorn antelopes once numbered in the millions in the United States, but excessive hunting reduced the Arizona population to an estimated 1,000 by the late 1800s, the Arizona Game and Fish website states.
The Daily Courier of Prescott published an article on March 9 about the case, adding info about Smith previously being punished by the state for a hunting violation, and about the interesting history of the O RO Ranch.