November 2, 2022 3:50 a.m.
Staff with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is offering a $1,000 reward or five hunter preference points for information that leads to an arrest or a citation regarding two elks poached within 100 yards of Interstate 5 near Glendale, around 6:30 p.m. October 25th.
A release said multiple drivers along the freeway contacted authorities on October 26th to report seeing elk carcasses west of the road. Responding troopers found the carcasses of two elk, one of which was a cow, the other a bull, in an open field. It is likely that both elk were shot from the interstate, according to law enforcement officials.
The bull was left entirely to waste, although troopers were able to salvage the meat and donate it to charity. The poachers processed and removed the meat from the cow, which would have taken considerable time by flashlight or lantern.
Anyone who saw activity involving artificial lights that night, in the field west of the freeway near milepost 84, can call the Turn in Poachers TIP line at 800-452-7888 to qualify for the reward or the hunter preference points. All calls are anonymous.
The release said OSP Fish and Wildlife troopers are also looking for a person seen earlier in the day on October 25th, driving a silver-colored midsized pickup slowly in the southbound lane. The person of interest had a rifle.
ODFW Wildlife Division Deputy Administrator Brian Wolfer said, “There is no excuse for this disgusting behavior”. Wolfer said for many people it is a thrill just to see an elk, and “…these people not only poached two elk but wasted one”. He said it is also illegal and dangerous to shoot from a public road, let alone a highway. Wolfer said, “I hope someone out there can help bring them to justice”.
The Oregon Hunters Association is offering the cash reward and ODFW is offering the hunter preference points as an incentive to hear from a member of the public who might know who poached the elk. The cow and bull were part of a local herd of about 80 animals, according to law enforcement officials.