Massachusetts

Locals Alarmed by Dead Animal Carcasses Placed in Woods

The carcasses of pigs and chickens were piled up in the woods in Haverhill, Massachusetts, shocking residents in the area.

One bird was stuffed between branches of a tree, and it's all legal.

On Tuesday, Crystal Pringle's son was walking along the trail on Brandy Bow Road when he found the stomach-turning scene.

"He was acting very angrily and standoffish," said Pringle. "I knew that something had gone wrong."

It was a coyote bait pile, but its placement near the trail is causing concern among neighbors.

"I take my dog out there all the time," said Austin Sciacca, who lives near the trail. "I don't want her rolling around in dead animals that people left. If it's natural, it's one thing, but if you're leaving it out there, it's another thing."

Marion Larson of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game said Wednesday is the last day of the coyote hunting season in the state, and hunters are known to pile up carcasses to attract prey to a specific location.

She said the chicken in the tree helps the wind carry the scent.

The land is own by the city of Haverhill. According to a spokesman for the city's conservation department, coyote hunting is allowed on the premises.

The man who is claiming responsibility for the bait, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he has been getting a lot of heat online since Pringle first posted about her son's incident on Facebook.

"This is not responsible," said Pringle. "I am not anti-hunter. I come from a family of avid hunters, and this is not responsible. You do not bait by where people are walking."

There are no state regulations for hunters to clean up after themselves when they are finished hunting, but Larson said it is encouraged.

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