ENTERPRISE, Ore. — Poachers shot a white-tailed buck deer in NE Oregon and a bull elk in SW Oregon in a one-week timespan. Rewards stand at $500 (or four hunter preference points) in each instance for a call to the Turn in Poachers (TIP) Line that leads to a citation or arrest.
Poachers shot the 3×3 white-tailed buck in the early morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 25, in the Sled Springs Wildlife Management Unit, which is near Enterprise. A member of the public discovered the deer and called the TIP Line to notify OSP Fish and Wildlife Troopers. Troopers believe the poacher took the shot near the intersection of School Flat Ln and School Flat Rd. They used a large-caliber firearm to drop the animal about 30 yards from the road. Then left the scene and left the deer to waste.
Poachers shot the 5-point bull elk through its spine on or about Saturday Oct. 2, in Douglas County. Troopers found the large bull Oct. 5 on a gravel BLM road between Turkey Creek and Upper Cow Creek Rd, just east of I-5 and Canyon Mountain. Authorities are looking for a vehicle of interest with large mud terrain tires. Again, poachers left the scene and left the animal to waste.
There is no known connection between the two incidents, but Oregon hunters are taking both cases personally, according to Duane Dungannon, editor of Oregon Hunter Magazine. The Oregon Hunters Association (OHA) manages the TIP Line reward fund.
“Northeast Oregon’s whitetails have seen some tough times lately – a harsh winter not long ago, and disease outbreaks more recently,” Dungannon said. “OHA coordinated efforts with Wallowa County landowners to help save deer in Wallowa County during that severe winter when this buck might have been a fawn, so we take this
