HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. — New Hampshire Fish and Game has fined the man who said he accidentally kicked a seagull on Hampton Beach.
Nate Rancloes was charged with a violation level offense of taking a protected bird during a closed season.
Rancloes, a decorated veteran who received a Purple Heart in 2005, told NH1 he was sitting in the sand eating a cheeseburger and fries, when the seagull got to his meal.
“I spun around in a circle with my leg out to shoo it away, and unfortunately, did strike the seagull hard,” Rancloes said. “It was a one in a million bad luck kick that couldn’t be repeated. This is no more than a simple mistake. But social media has blown it into something it is not.”
New Hampshire Fish and Game still moved forward with a $124 fine because seagulls are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
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