A single mule deer doe was shot and left to waste in a farmer’s field near Smith Lake in Baker County on the evening of July 27 or early morning hours of July 28.
The Oregon State Police is asking the public’s assistance in solving the crime.
A landowner contacted Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division (OSPFWD) about 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday, July 28 after discovering the doe’s carcass while bailing hay. The carcass had not been there the previous night when the landowner finished working in the field.
Poaching the doe, then leaving it to waste is yet another example of thoughtless, wanton wildlife destruction. Hunters can wait for years to draw a tag to hunt mule deer in Oregon, according to Duane Dungannon, editor of Oregon Hunters Magazine.
“This adds insult to injury for honest sportsmen,” Dungannon said.
The Oregon Hunters Association will give a $500 reward, or hunters may choose to receive four hunting preference points, for information leading to a citation or arrest in the case.
Because of the prevalence of poaching across the state, Oregon legislators designated an anti-poaching campaign to raise awareness of the issue. Campaign coordinator Yvonne Shaw says this particular crime is all too common.
“This is poaching,” she said, “Killing this animal steals the opportunity of other Oregonians to experience this animal while recreating in the outdoors, or in hunting one of her male offspring. This is shameful.”
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Turn In Poachers (TIP) Line at *OSP or 1-800-452-7888.
