Crosby v. State

Candler, J,

Deer are by nature wild. They are ferae naturae. While deer are sometimes domesticated and used as pets, pet deer are not used for food. They may be, of course; but seldom, if ever, are they so used. The statute under consideration refers to wild deer, that is, deer roaming at large in the forests and used for food. Consequently when the State proves that a person had in possession deer meat to be used as food, the presumption is that it was the flesh of a wild deer. If as matter of fact the deer was a pet deer, this would be matter of defense. The word “ wild ” was not used in the…