A Riddle man was arrested in a poached buck case in Ashland.
Information from Oregon State Police said on October 16th, an OSP trooper responded to a complaint of suspicious hunter activity within the Ashland city limits. A local resident reported observing a male loading a deer into a pickup while parked on a city street. The reporting party approached the male to inquire about the deer but the man drove off. The license number of the vehicle and information about the pickup was obtained. The trooper arrived on the scene and contacted multiple neighboring residents. The trooper found a short trail of blood leading from a bush, which was against a neighboring house, that led to a row of hedges along the city street. The report said the evidence along with the reporting party’s observations showed that the suspected deer may have been shot while bedded down next to the house, and then loaded into the pickup while it was parked on the street.
With the help of another trooper, the suspect was located and interviewed. The male eventually admitted to shooting the deer as it laid in its bed under a large bush against the house. The male admitted to shooting the animal from inside his vehicle while it was parked on a city street in Ashland. The buck deer and rifle were dumped on the Tiller/Trail Highway after the incident. They were recovered by the trooper. The deer was found to be a trophy class 4×4 buck.
38-year old Dustin McGrorty was charged with hunting prohibited within the city limits, unlawful take/possession of a buck deer, unlawful use of a weapon and for second degree criminal trespass. He was warned for hunting on a public roadway and for failing to validate a tag. A second male, who has not been identified, will also be charged with aiding in a wildlife offense and with second degree criminal trespass. The buck deer and the rifle were seized as evidence. The meat was salvaged and donated to a local charity.