This was a very bad year as far as illegal kills during the deer and
elk seasons, according to Senior Trooper Amos Madison, an Oregon State
Police fish and game officer based in Prineville.
A lot of the poaching started a week before the deer season, he said.
Trespassing on private ranches was a common violation. Spotlighting and
hunting after hours were other top violations. Five elk were shot during
the deer season that Madison was aware of, including one person who shot
two elk. Some of the violators were caught and cited while other cases
are still being investigated.
Madison helped with two decoy operations in the Ochocos during the deer
season. During one operation, seven vehicles drove by the decoy and all
seven stopped and one to three of the occupants shot at it illegally.
During the second operation, about 80 percent of the vehicles stopped
and shot illegally. Madison said the other 20 percent apparently had
prior knowledge that the decoy was out.
To help catch violators, Pond suggests that more people use the TIP
hotline (Turn in Poachers) at 800-452-7888. There are substantial
rewards for turning in a poacher...
Fair Use Notice: This document may contain copyrighted material
whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. We believe
that this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes
a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section
107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted
material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must
obtain permission from the copyright owner.
