Tag: poaching

Oregon hunters join effort to catch crossbow deer poacher

“The acts represent a multitude of violations including using a crossbow to kill big game animals and shooting in city limits.”

Authorities in Oregon are seeking information that could help them solve a case involving the recent poaching of two deer with a crossbow in Corvallis.

Joining in the effort is the group Traditional Archers of Oregon, which this week chipped in $500 to bring the reward in the case to $2,000.

Both deer were bucks that roamed Corvallis with arrows in their bodies before they died.

“The acts represent a multitude of violations including using a crossbow to kill big game animals and shooting in city limits,” the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stated in a news release. “Several members of the public contacted Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Troopers to report the injured deer wandering in the area.”

Traditional Archery Hunters of Oregon President Riley Savage is quoted: “As you can imagine, being traditional archers, using a crossbow to commit such heinous crimes goes against everything we hold dear.

“The operator does not need the same skills required to use a handheld, vertical bow, like getting close and knowing when to draw and when to shoot. They are an assassin, lying in wait, at long distance, with no detectable movement visible to their prey.”

The bucks were shot on or around Oct. 25 and Nov. 18 near NW Walnut and NW Witham Hill Drive.

Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to contact OSP’s Albany Fish and Wildlife office via dispatch at 800-442-2068 or *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone. Case reference number: #SP24-383408.

Arkansas deer hunter accused of ‘contest fraud’ in Louisiana

An Arkansas man faces possible jail time after allegedly poaching a 15-point deer in Arkansas and entering the animal in a big-buck contest in Louisiana.

An Arkansas man faces possible jail time after allegedly poaching a 15-point deer in Arkansas and entering the animal in a big-buck contest in Louisiana.

Andrew Riels, 27, of Crossett, Ark., was cited recently for hunting contest fraud and violating interstate commerce regulations by agents with the Louisiana Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

The agents were informed of Reils’ activities by wildlife agents in Arkansas.

“During the investigation, agents learned that Riels illegally harvested a 15-point buck during illegal hours on Sept. 8 near Crosset, Ark.,” the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries stated in a news release. “Riels then entered the buck into the Simmons Sporting Goods Big Buck Contest in Bastrop [La.] later that same day.”

Riels was cited for the illegal killing of the buck on Oct. 30 in Arkansas.

Hunting contest fraud in Louisiana is punishable by a fine of up to $3,000 and one year in jail. Violation of interstate commerce regulations is punishable by a fine of up to $950 and 120 days in jail.

Maryland hunters go the extra mile to illegally bait bears

Nine hunters were cited for violating the ban during the recent five-day season; some had spread out a virtual smorgasbord.

Authorities in Maryland cited nine hunters for illegally using bait during the state’s recent five-day season for black bears.

But it was the extent of baiting and variety of items that stood out in a news release issued Friday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

One hunter was issued two citations after he admitted to hunting from a stand overlooking an area baited with bacon grease, chicken grease, corn, molasses, vanilla icing, and licorice.

As if that weren’t enough, the hunter also possessed an illegal “bear bomb” spray to help lure bears to within shooting range.

In another case, two hunters were cited after hunting from separate stands over an area baited with cracked corn kernels and grease or lard spread onto a tree trunk near their stands.

Two other hunters, including an 84-year-old, hunted over a site baited with corn dispersed as close as 10 yards from their elevated blinds.

Another hunter was found to have used bacon grease, corn, apple peelings, and apple processing waste placed between 23 and 50 yards from his blind.

In yet another case, two hunters from Pennsylvania were cited for utilizing a site baited with dog food, animal carcasses, apples, syrup, strawberry jam, and shelled corn.

It was made clear before this year’s hunt, which concluded Oct. 26, that the use of bait or hunting near previously baited areas was prohibited. (The use of bait while hunting white-tailed deer is legal on private property in Maryland.)

According to the Maryland DNR, 950 hunters were randomly selected via lottery to participate in the annual black bear hunting season.

The nine who were cited face fines of up to $1,500 for a first violation, and up to $4,000 if there was a second violation.

Amid Montana investigation, deer left to roam with arrow in back

Authorities are requesting public assistance in an attempt to identify the person who fired the arrow.

Authorities in Montana are investigating a poaching case involving a mule deer buck that’s still carrying an arrow that somebody shot into its back.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, wardens responded to a call from a Billings Heights resident about the wounded deer on Nov. 2.

Wardens located the deer and decided that it had been shot the same day, within city limits where hunting is banned. (Montana’s archery deer-hunting season ended Oct. 20.)

An image released to the media shows the arrow deeply embedded into the top of the deer’s back, near its spine. But the deer apparently has full mobility, so FWP decided against a capture effort.

Injured mule deer. Photo: Montana, Fish, Wildlife & Parks

“FWP does not believe the arrow wound will be fatal for the deer and at this time are not planning to capture the deer to remove the arrow,” the agency stated Tuesday in a news release.

Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to call the regional warden at 406-860-7805, or submit a report via tipmont.mt.gov.

Oregon poachers are harassing, killing deer with pellet guns

Five carcasses have been discovered in one neighborhood and at least one deer died after a pellet became lodged in its lung.

Authorities in Oregon are hopeful that a newly offered $2,000 reward will help them identify and prosecute the person or persons responsible for harassing and killing deer with pellet guns.

Five black-tailed deer carcasses have been discovered so far this month in Roseburg, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. At least one deer died after a pellet became lodged in its lung.

“It was a nice, forked horn buck that ended up dying next to a resident’s barn,” said Jason Stone, an Oregon State Police/Fish & Wildlife senior trooper. “The pellet broke a rib and clipped its lung, which caused it to hemorrhage. Both lungs then filled with blood.”

The carcasses were discovered in the Meadows neighborhood. Troopers who canvassed the neighborhood were told that some residents use pellet guns to haze deer away from their gardens.

Said Stone: “People think that pellet guns won’t hurt deer, but if the pellet lodges in the right place, it can be lethal. Regardless of if they intend to harass or haze animals, if they kill the animal, it is still an unlawful take and we don’t want to see that continue.”

Several of the carcasses had decomposed in hot weather, making it difficult for authorities to determine the cause of death.

The reward was put up by the Oregon Hunters Association. A tip that leads to an arrest or citation in any of the incidents can earn the provider $2,000 or preference points toward state-sanctioned hunts.

Said the OHA’s Kelly Forney: “The wanton shooting of deer in this busy neighborhood is a serious offense that should be punished. A significant TIP reward will encourage those that know about this crime to come forward.”

Those offering tips via the Turn in Poachers line can remain anonymous.

–Black-tailed deer image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Video shows elephant snoring like a beast – remind you of anyone?

The large bull elephant had been tranquilized so vets could treat a poison-arrow wound inflicted by poachers.

A large bull elephant that was tranquilized recently so veterinarians could treat an arrow wound appears to have slept deeply throughout the procedure.

That is, if its powerful snoring was an indication.

The accompanying footage, shared via X Tuesday by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, requires high volume to appreciate the magnitude of snores issued by the pachyderm.

“Reminds me of my husband,” reads one comment beneath the post.

While many might relate to that sentiment, the operation highlighted a serious issue facing bull elephants in Kenya: poaching.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a group dedicated to conserving wildlife in Kenya, explained the decision to tranquilize the elephant:

“This big bull was darted … so that a poisoned arrow wound could be treated!

“The treatment itself cannot commence until the patient is sedated and, as here, snoring like a very big baby!

“Using his experience, the vet estimates the size and weight of an elephant to determine how much of the anesthetic drug will be needed to knock it out (too much could be fatal).

“Once down, ground teams rush in to commence treatment. The outcome of this case was positive.”

Fisherman man pleads ignorance after killing great white shark

The New Zealand man, who removed the protected shark’s head and jaw, claimed to have had an excuse.

A New Zealand fisherman who recently captured and decapitated a protected great white shark has been fined $600 – his excuse being that he did not  know what type of shark he had caught.

The nation’s Department of Conservation announced Friday that its investigation began March 15, after a Māori elder notified authorities after she spotted the headless shark carcass near the Mahia Boat Ramp.

(View a graphic image of the carcass in this link.)

The fisherman was located and confessed to catching the shark and removing its head and jaw. The man told authorities he did not know it was a white shark.

“As well as failing to report his capture of the animal, the man received the infringement for being in possession of the head and jaw of the shark without a relevant authority under the Wildlife Act,” said the DOC’s Matt Tong.

Some on social media did not believe the man’s story. The Blue Planet Society stated via X: “His defense? Claims he didn’t know it was a great white shark. Even though he kept the head.”

The shark’s head and jaw were donated to the Māori community.

Great white sharks are protected under New Zealand’s Wildlife Act 1953. Intentionally hunting and killing them is punishable by fines of up to $250,000 and two years’ imprisonment.

Fishermen are required to report unintentional white shark captures if the sharks cannot be released alive.

“Accidentally catching something is not an infringement,” the DOC explained. “But keeping, killing, or failing to report it is.”

–Top image courtesy of the Department of Conservation

Poacher faces potential judgment of over $13 million for senseless act

A 20-year-old man suspected of killing nearly 18,000 young salmon at an Oregon fish hatchery faces serious poaching and vandalism charges.

A 20-year-old man suspected of killing nearly 18,000 young salmon at an Oregon fish hatchery was charged with burglary, criminal trespass and criminal mischief, and will be charged with poaching as well.

The suspect faces a huge financial penalty and possibly a lifetime fishing ban.

The chinook salmon died after a gallon of bleach was poured into one of the four rearing tanks at the hatchery, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Joshua Heckathorn was arrested after sheriff’s deputies discovered him behind a locked gate at the Gardiner, Reedsport and Winchester Bay Salmon Trout Enhancement Program hatchery in Reedsport.

Heckathorn admitted to trespassing on the property, entering a storage location and handling the chemical bottle on Monday night.

“The killing of these fish is a real blow to the STEP Program Volunteers, ODFW, fishermen, and the community as a whole,” Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division Sergeant Levi Harris said. “In my 25 years as a game warden, this is one of the most senseless acts I have seen.”

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division are collaborating efforts to address vandalism on the property and the significant poaching incident.

From the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Poaching charges will include Unlawful Taking Chinook Salmon for 17,890 fish, which raised the charge to a Class C felony. In addition, Heckathorn faces charges of Making a Toxic Substance Available to Wildlife, which is a Class A Misdemeanor; and Criminal Mischief 1st Degree (Damaging or destroying property of another in an amount exceeding $1,000). Additional penalties could include a lifetime angling license suspension and damage suits for unlawful killing of wildlife.

The maximum civil penalty in Oregon for illegal take of a single Chinook salmon is $750. Courts have the authority to multiply that amount by the number of fish taken, with a judgment in this case potentially raising the amount to over $13 million, according to Sergeant Harris. Although it is unlikely to elevate to that level, the case represents a significant loss to the STEP program…

The estimated 18,000 fish lost contribute to the lower Umpqua River fall Chinook fishery and would have joined approximately 60,000 other fall Chinook pre-smolts that will be fin clipped and released in June.

“You get attached to those fish,” said Deborah Yates, president of the STEP program. “When nature does something, it’s crushing. But it’s nature and it happens. But when someone comes in and does something like this, you can’t wrap your head around it. We have so many hours wrapped up in those fish, to have someone come in so cavalier, and kill them, it doesn’t make sense.”

Photo caption: Hatchery Manager Tim Hooper shovels the dead pre-smolts from the bottom of the rearing pond. The fish will be frozen for future evidence in the criminal case. Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Men plead guilty to killing wild burros in California desert

The two men wore tactical gear and night-vision goggles when they set out with AR-style weapons and killed three burros.

Two men pleaded guilty Monday to federal criminal charges of shooting and killing three wild burros in California’s Mojave Desert.

Christopher James Arnet, 32, of Loveland, Colo., and Cameron John Feikema, 36, of Yorba Linda, Calif., each pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and “maliciously” killing a burro on public lands.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, both men wore tactical gear, ballistic helmets and night-vision goggles when they set out with AR-style weapons on Nov. 5, 2021, near Yermo in San Bernardino County.

At about 1 a.m. on Nov. 6 they teamed to fire 13 rounds, killing three burros.

According to their plea agreements, one burro was paralyzed in its hind quarters with a spine shot by Arnet before it eventually died.

During the Bureau of Land Management investigation, the weapons used in the shootings were seized at Arnet’s and Feikema’s residences. The firearms, including a short-barreled rifle, were not registered.

The men forfeited the weapons, tactical gear, and 4,000 rounds of ammunition.

Both men face up to 11 years in federal prison. On Monday in Riverside, U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal scheduled their sentencing hearings for July 8.

‘Rare game species’ poached in Oregon; reward set at $4,500

Authorities say the poacher removed the head and horns from the bighorn sheep ram and left the carcass to waste.

A $4,500 reward is being offered in Oregon for information leading to the felony arrest of the poacher who killed a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep for its head and horns.

The carcass was discovered last Nov. 30 on BLM land near Hibbard Creek Road south of Baker City. An investigation has turned up few leads.

“It’s so hard to believe that someone would shoot and waste such an amazing animal,” Kevin Martin, president of the Oregon Wild Sheep Foundation, stated in an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife news release.

“The Lookout Mountain herd of bighorn sheep is an area ODFW, Wild Sheep Foundation, OR WSF and our partners have been focusing a lot of resources to understand what has caused the ongoing loss of animals and this criminal act just adds to that loss.”

Oregon is home to about 800 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and hunting is strictly regulated, with only about 100 tags issued each year.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife states on its website: “Bighorn sheep tags are ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ so you can only draw the tag once. If you are lucky enough to do so, scouting and being physically prepared for their rugged country are key.”

The poacher had no tag and left the carcass to waste.

Illegally killing a bighorn sheep in Oregon carries a penalty of up to $10,000 in fines, suspension of hunting license, and forfeiture of the weapon used to kill the sheep.

“In this case, additional charges of waste of a game mammal would likely apply,” the ODFW added.

The $4,500 reward was put up by multiple groups and announced Thursday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Oregon State Police Dispatch at 1-800-452-7888, *OSP (*677), or email at TIP@osp.oregon.gov.
Tipsters can choose to remain anonymous.