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Forest Lake couple angry after 'pet' deer shot in their front yard

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Jan 21, 2012 at 4:03 pm

FOREST LAKE, Minn. (AP) - Homeowners who took in two deer in Forest Lake are angry that police shot and killed the animals without warning over the weekend.

But the Department of Natural Resources says Jeff and LeeAnn Carpenter should never have put collars on the deer.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that when the collars were put on the deer, that meant they could no longer be seen as wild and thus posed a health threat to other wild animals.

The DNR says the deer were seen roaming the area recently, and officials didn't know they were connected to the Carpenters. If domesticated deer are not recovered by owners, they are destroyed to protect the wild herd from disease.

Jeff Carpenter says the DNR should apologize.