The idea that deer need to be protected is hilarious. All around the Midwest (USA) you can see obvious signs of deer overpopulation. Every doe gives birth to twins. The understory in the forest is bare.
This guy is selling 60 deer decoys a year? The DNR is just playing a power game.
If the focus of the article were about poaching an animal that isn’t as common as mice, I would be more sympathetic.
Instead it seems like the focus is on the easiest poaching to catch (because of the massive numbers of infractions), not the greatest impact.
There was an old farmer in my town that had a steel deer decoy on a hill up the road from his house, poachers would shoot it, not knowing he would hear the sound, shut his gate then call law enforcement on them as there was no other way out.
Hate to say it but poaching deer is a long tradition in Wisconsin. I had a relative on the u of mn Duluth football team and they'd get protein from poached deer. But yes, in the last decades the dnr has been nore and more effective.
Now lets do a robotic rhinos and elephants. Upon detection of a shot and a specific place it came from (using radar and sound sensor) the robot turns and starts to run in in that direction unleashing a salvo from a range of weapons - from non-lethal 96GHz direct energy and infra-red sound to water cannon to rubber bullets to RPG shots with sound and light grenades ... That is for the first time offenders. If face recognition detects second-time offender - lethal weapons applied, automatic rifle, RPG with real grenades, fire throwers. Also the robot can launch drones and there is a gamut of opportunities here...
>Barring a direct shot to the circuitry, the decoys can last five to 10 years.
How to Catch a Wily Poacher in a Sting: A Thermal Robotic Deer
(wsj.com)26 points by Element_ 24 July 2025 | 29 comments
Comments
This guy is selling 60 deer decoys a year? The DNR is just playing a power game.
If the focus of the article were about poaching an animal that isn’t as common as mice, I would be more sympathetic.
Instead it seems like the focus is on the easiest poaching to catch (because of the massive numbers of infractions), not the greatest impact.
I always appreciated the cleverness of this.
>Barring a direct shot to the circuitry, the decoys can last five to 10 years.
simple [body] armor plates should do here.