A Jeremy Ranch resident called the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Dec. 20 to report one of her neighbors for shooting at deer in his yard.
The sheriff forwarded the case to Utah’s Department of Natural Resources, which determined the gun in question was an airsoft gun.
"A homeowner fired an airsoft gun into the grass in his yard to haze some deer that were eating his landscaping," DNR spokesperson Faith Jolley said.
Airsoft guns, which fire small, plastic pellets, can still cause injury. Jolley said the deer in this case were unharmed.
Utah law prohibits harassing wildlife, including letting dogs chase away hoofed wildlife, Jolley said. She said the homeowner didn’t actually shoot the deer but was trying to scare them off with the noise.
The DNR investigation didn’t find any violation of the law, so it isn’t citing the homeowner. His name hasn’t been released.
