Oregon wildlife officials appear to be hunting a serial poacher, and are using a K9 officer named Buck to sniff out clues.
The crimes are being committed in Lane County, and poaching victims include a black bear that had been decapitated, and several elk and deer that were left to waste.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen,” Josh Wolcott, a Senior Trooper with Oregon State Police, stated in a news release issued Friday. “Things are happening all over Lane County right now. Every day is a new report.”
Wolcott and Buck, a yellow lab and the state’s only K9 officer, have been traveling to poaching sites where the dog can sniff evidence such as shell casings and gunpowder, and detect human scent.
But State Police and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife are seeking public information that might reveal a suspect’s name or vehicle description.
The black bear carcass, discovered on private property outside Veneta, was missing its head, claws, and portions of meat. It might also have been missing its gall bladder.
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(Poachers sometimes kill bears for their gall bladders, which bring a high black-market price in Asian markets, where they’re sold for medicinal purposes.)
A partial list of animals that were poached was provided by the ODFW:
- A black bear discovered on Roseburg Forest Products property outside of Veneta. The bear was likely poached about Oct 13. The head, claws, portions of backstrap meat and portions of leg meat were removed. The remainder of the bear was left to waste.
- A doe deer discovered on National Forest Property near Fall Creek. The deer was likely poached on or about Oct 14. No meat was taken; the doe was left to waste.
- A doe deer discovered along US Forest Service Road 2118 near Hills Creek Reservoir. The deer was likely poached on Oct 14 or 15. No meat was taken; the doe was left to waste.
- A buck deer discovered on private property near Lowell. The deer was likely poached during the night of Oct 15 or early morning hours of Oct 16. No meat was taken; the buck was left to waste.
- A spike buck deer discovered near High Pass Road. The buck was likely poached on or about Oct 16. The buck was field-dressed and left to waste.
- A doe discovered in the Veneta area. It was likely poached on or about Oct 18.
Many of the carcasses were discovered after calls to the state’s Turn in Poachers (TIP) line, and it remains unclear whether the list has grown during the investigation. But authorities are exasperated and hopeful for leads.
Said ODFW Wildlife Division Administrator Doug Cottam:
“There are available and inexpensive opportunities to legally harvest a deer or bear to eat in Oregon. There is no excuse for poaching. I am very concerned about people who kill wild animals just to satisfy their desire to kill something.”
–Black bear and elk images are generic