Herald staff
MONROE — Duck hunters, who proclaim they’re just that but don’t act like it, were cited by Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies for various "petty" violations Sunday morning at Crescent Lake near Monroe, one said.
"Clearly we are not doing anything illegal," said Bob Chorush of Seattle, organizer of the "field of dreams" method of hunting. "They’ve just decided to harass us with petty tickets and things."
Chorush was cited because his boat extended too far beyond the bed of his truck. Others were cited for not properly displaying parking wildlife permits, Chorush said.
Chorush and others have made frequent trips to Crescent Lake since October, frequently floating in their boat with a 7-foot-tall papier-mache and fiberglass duck mounted on top. The "duck hunters" would fire frequent shotgun blasts into the air, obviously scaring any nearby ducks away.
On Sunday, about 30 animal-rights activists protested duck hunting nearby. Chorush proclaims that he’s just a duck hunter, not protesting the hunt.
"We would be in violation of the law if that were the case," he said. "We’re just duck hunters like everyone else."
However, he admitted that some of the protesters had a point. Some carried signs saying: "Hunting is terrorism to animals."
"We’re probably more open-minded about the demonstration than some of the other duck hunters," he said.
He believes the deputies and state Department of Fish and Wildlife officers who were there when he arrived had "decided to discourages us from being there." He vowed to fight the citations — and to return to the lake for more unorthodox hunting.
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