10/18/2026
It’s been one week today since Angelique was shoot and killed by a hunter on opening day of deer season here in SC. Shot by a hunter whose stand did not meet the legal requirements:
Proximity to Residences: Under South Carolina Code Section 50-11-355, it is unlawful to hunt deer with a fi***rm within 300 yards (900 feet) of a residence if you are positioned less than 10 feet above the ground, unless you have the permission of the owner and occupant. This restriction does not apply to landowners hunting on their own property.
The stand was approximately 100 yards and 4 feet off the ground from Angelique’s pen and our property line, which was occupied by 5 other mini donkeys and 2 mini horses. Also there is a LARGE red shelter in their pen. The shot was also taken in direct aim of our home. Which I believe is 180ish yards. The hunter is also not a resident of the property he was shooting on, and that land is also occupied by renters, not the owner of the property.
To add to this nightmare, our volunteers were out and about taking care of the animals and they are the ones that found her. Initially, it was thought to be colic. As they found Angelique, this hunter and his wife walked up to the fence line asking if Angelique was okay. The volunteers responded that the vet was on the way, THE HUNTER WALKED AWAY. Once our vet arrived and determined she had been shot, calls were placed the Anderson County Sherrif who in turn called DNR. DNR officers were able to track down the hunter and our volunteers were able to positively identify him. According to witnesses on scene the hunter was not initially forthcoming until after our vet Dr. Kate DVM recovered the bullet and it was presented to him during questioning. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Thursday, he cooperated and turned himself in on Friday was processed and released on a PR bond of $5000. A court date in general sessions court has not been set that we know of at this time. It’s most likely going to be a long process.
There is tremendous negligence here, on the part of the hunter, renters and the property owner. Who set the stand up, who gave this man permission to hunt on the property? Lots of unanswered questions. (We are searching for an attorney)
Initially the renters were extremely unkind. Screaming at us, threatening my daughter, screaming down the street as they drove by and out there in said woods posting signs and purple spray painting the trees as though WE wronged them and accusing us of trespassing (never happened, the pictures they have shows one of our volunteers standing in front of OUR fence by the goat pen)🤦♀️ Thankfully for the past few days things have quieted down.
This has shaken us to our core. We feel unsafe in our own home. Our dream farm. Every gunshot heard has us rushing to check the herds, our people, our home. This could have been one of my daughters, my grandchildren, one of our volunteers, the children that come here! That pen is where most of the children here spend their time with the minis. Can you imagine? This is terrifying.
We are so grateful for the overwhelming support we are being shown across the country. We pray this tragedy serves as a cautionary message to hunters everywhere to be aware of your surroundings, know where that bullet is going.
We are fundraising for fencing, we desperately need to secure the back perimeter along those woods. We are looking to use logs as the fencing. It’s a large undertaking but absolutely necessary to preserve the safety of our land. Fundraising is also being done for legal fees, we need to be represented by an attorney through these proceedings. Please take a moment reflect on this tragedy and I pray you may be compelled to donate.
There needs to be better laws protecting victims of negligent hunters. They need to be held to a higher standard. We will not be quiet. We are immensely thankful to Anderson County Sheriff's Office SC and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for their thoroughness and quick response to this tragedy.
Go fund me link:
https://gofund.me/cf4f52143
All donations are tax deductible and we are dependent on private donations.
Venmo https://www.venmo.com/u/hastys_haven
Cash app https://cash.app/$Dirtyduring
PayPal https://www.paypal.me/HastysHaven
Mail check:
134 Roger Bolt Road, Belton, SC 29627
