CRANE, Ore. — Poachers left two pronghorn antelope dead and two more to suffer on the night of Jan. 16 in a thrill kill near the eastern Oregon town of Crane. OSP Fish and Wildlife Division would like to hear from anyone who saw unusual activity on Hwy 78 near milepost 33.
The Turn in Poachers (TIP) reward stands at $1,000 cash or seven ODFW hunter preference points for information that leads to an arrest or citation in this case. The Oregon Hunters Association manages the TIP reward fund.
A landowner noticed two pronghorn antelope does behaving strangely on the morning of Jan. 17 in his field along Hwy 78. When he reached the does, he could see the animals were badly injured. The landowner contacted OSP Fish and Wildlife Division and Senior Trooper Dean Trent, from the Burns office, responded.
Senior Trooper Trent could tell right away that the injuries were not survivable and a result of intentional criminal activity. The injured does were euthanized immediately. Senior Trooper Trent then located two additional does that had been killed outright, clearly during the same incident. OSP F and W Sergeant Erich Timko said the dead does had been partially devoured by predators, indicating the kills likely happened sometime the previous evening of Sunday, Jan. 16 to the early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 17
A large herd of about 30 pronghorn antelope had been visible in the landowner’s field for the past week or so, making them easy targets, according to Sergeant Timko. This time of year, pronghorn can graze on winter hay and alfalfa fields in areas that allow pronghorn to use their superior eyesight and speed to avoid predators as well as provide the food and water necessary to support large numbers of animals, according to ODFW Malheur
