Thrill Killing Animals

Josh Kerl, 21, of Portage, and Adam Stalsberg, 22, of Neshkoro aren't hunters.

They're sick.

PORTAGE, Wis. (AP) -- Two men are accused of "thrill killing" hundreds of wild birds and animals in Columbia and Marquette counties over the course of a year.

"It was just a ridiculous amount of poaching," said Casey Krueger, Portage warden with the state Department of Natural Resources.

"Any time that someone shoots something for the sake of 'a thrill' or 'to look cool' in their mind, you won't find much compassion from the Columbia County public when they shoot an animal and lay it out to rot."

Authorities say Josh Kerl, 21, of Portage, and Adam Stalsberg, 22, of Neshkoro, used a high-powered rifle and spotlight to shoot animals from their vehicle.

...He said each man will face two misdemeanor charges in Columbia County: hunting deer during closed season, and hunting a deer at night with a spotlight. Each charge carries a $2,100 fine, the possibility of 60 to 90 days in jail and a three-year revocation of hunting licenses.

According to authorities, the two killed mostly small game out of season, including hundreds of rabbits, squirrels and raccoons, but they also killed deer, turkeys, crows, snapping turtles, ducks and protected species of owls, turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks and sandhill cranes.

...Krueger called it the biggest poaching case in the area in at least 25 years.

"I hope it outrages people," Krueger said.

It outrages me.

Kerl and Stalsberg aren't sportsmen. They're cruel. They're scary. They violated laws.

Killing hundreds of animals is thrilling?

And what would happen when that thrill is gone?

Might Kerl and Stalsberg decide to kill a human being?

Jeffrey Dahmer started with animals.