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- NATION, Page 47American NotesHUNTINGThe Buck Starts Here
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- Its tail twitches and its head turns. It has antlers, a soft
- coat, innocent eyes -- and a heart of steel. Meet RoboDeer, the
- radio-controlled decoy buck. West Virginia's department of
- natural resources has sent the dummy deer into the bush just
- twice -- but that was enough to ensnare 11 illegal highway
- hunters. "We try to place it where an individual would be
- looking for a deer," says DNR Sergeant Kaven Ransom.
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- RoboDeer is the pet creation of Pete McCuskey, owner of
- Mountain Security Specialties, who watched hours of deer videos
- to learn and duplicate genuine buck motions. "We strove for the
- most natural movement," he boasts.
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- RoboDeer does have some defects. His head has blown a fuse
- or two, and his hide has been perforated by bullets. But while
- the DNR readily displays the deer, it insists on keeping one
- detail absolutely secret: the location of its motor. DNR's
- Ransom would say only, "It is in an area that typically would
- not be shot at."
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