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Fish & Wildlife Division
Oregon State Police
MONTHLY FIELD REVIEW AUGUST
Photo Courtesy of Keith Kohl, ODFW 2018
CONTENT Adminisratation and Enforcement of Wildlife Laws Animal Rescues Marine Fisheries Team Administration and Enforcement of Angling Laws Shellfish General Law Turn in Poachers F&W Recruitment Photo Courtesy of Keith Kohl, ODFW
Adminisratation and Enforcement of Wildlife Laws As part of a special operation plan, Burns and Ontario Troopers worked the 1st Antelope Season with the assistance of multiple east and northwest region Troopers. The additional help allowed for coverage throughout rural areas within multiple hunting units. Dozens of contacts were made and the enforcement presence was well received with many, positive comments from the hunting public. A F&W Trooper was contacted by a rancher east of Prineville about a deer poached and left in his cattle corral. It was determined after arrival it was an antelope. It was skinned with the front quarters, back straps, and one hind quarter taken. There is no suspect information at this time. Fish & Wildlife Troopers received information regarding an antelope buck that was shot and left to waste near Mule Valley in the Juniper unit. The buck antelope was shot in the neck and front legs, with what appeared to be a high powered rifle. The buck antelope was gutted and then moved to the location it was found. This case is under investigation. F&W Troopers received information regarding an antelope that had been shot from a county road, on private property without permission, and outside the hunt unit boundary. The subjects involved were contacted and eventually admitted to it. The antelope was taken into evidence and both were issued citations for Hunting Outside of Unit Boundary, Hunting from Motor Vehicle and Hunting on the Enclosed Lands of Another.
The Roseburg F&W team completed a lengthy investigation into the unlawful taking of black bears with the use of bait during the 2018 SW Oregon Spring Bear Season. Troopers received information of suspicious activity in the Indigo Unit during the month of May. During the investigation, Troopers located two bear bait stations. Troopers served two search warrants on trail cameras that were seized from the bear bait stations. Troopers were able to identify two subjects associated with the bear bait stations. On August 4th Troopers interviewed the two subjects and obtained confessions. The subjects were criminally cited for Unlawful Take of Black Bear with the Use of Bait, Hunting Bear with the Use of Bait and Aiding/Counseling in a Wildlife Offense. Troopers seized two black bear hides, black bear meat and a rifle as evidence.
A F&W Trooper received a call regarding five elk being shot by three male subjects. Troopers responded to the location. Subsequent to an interview, a male subject admitted he shot an elk for himself and an elk for his wife. Ultimately three male subjects killed five elk but only had three tags. It was unknown which male subject killed the fifth elk as they were all shooting into a herd of an estimated 100 elk. The Troopers seized two elk and a rifle as evidence. The male subject who killed the two elk was cited for Lend, Borrow or Sell Big Game Tag and Take/ Possession of Antlerless Elk. The female was cited for Lend, Borrow or Sell Big Game Tag. The two other male subjects were both cited for Aiding/Counseling in a Wildlife Offense. A F&W Trooper from the Lakeview office responded to a report of a bighorn sheep shot by a person with no tag. The reporting party stated that the hunter with a tag had shot and missed twice. An accompanying person then shot and killed the sheep. The Trooper arrived at the location and contacted the hunting party coming out. Upon contact he discovered the hunter had not validated her tag. The second shooter admitted to firing at it in fear of losing it but missed. The rifle and sheep were seized. Hours later, a video from an unrelated hunter group was located and it showed the sheep was killed by the first shot which was from the lawful tag holder. After discovering the video, the sheep was returned and the tagged hunter was cited for Failing to Validate Big Game Tag. F&W Troopers from the Albany office responded to a call regarding a deer hanging in a shop. The reporting party stated his son had something to do with the deer and the deer was gone when he arrived home. Troopers knew the suspect from previously citing him for fish and wildlife crimes. Subsequent to multiple interviews, the Troopers learned four people were spotlighting deer while on a side by side. A female passenger first shot at a three point buck. The male driver then grabbed the gun and shot at the buck. The female passenger walked up to the injured deer and shot it again. The girlfriend of the female passenger gutted the deer and they hung the deer in a shop. The male subject became worried about the deer and discarded the front shoulders in some brush on their property and contacted his grandfather to take the remainder of the deer. The male subject was criminally cited for Unlawful Take/Possession of Buck Deer, Hunting While Suspended, and Waste of a Game Mammal. The female subject was criminally cited for Take/Possession of Buck Deer, and Hunting Closed Season. The other female subject was cited for Aiding in a Wildlife Offense. The grandfather was cited for Unlawful Possession of Buck Deer. The firearm used to kill the deer was seized as evidence and a shoulder of the deer was seized.
F&W Troopers patrolled the
Antelope and Bighorn Sheep
hunts in the White Horse Unit
in Southeast Oregon. Many
contacts were made and several
hunter harvests were checked.
During the five day patrol
Troopers utilized their patrol
vehicles and a UTV to cover
remote locations along the Idaho
and Nevada borders. They also
called in a dry lightning fire near
the Idaho/Oregon border along
the Owyhee Canyon. BLM fire
crews dispatched a helicopter
with a wild land fire crew and a
BLM fire crew member told the
Troopers later that the fire was
able to be contained to just over
700 acres because of the call
in. They also contacted one of
the hunt parties that were lucky
enough to draw an East White
Horse #1 Bighorn sheep hunt. A very happy hunter had just harvested his sheep in the remote Trout Creek Mountains. The party was
pleased to see Troopers working the remote location which was approximately 35 miles in from the nearest main road.
A F&W Trooper from the Springfield office was called out for a possible poaching incident on Ham Road near SR200. A witness was able to
provide suspect vehicle information. The Trooper arrived and located a black tail doe that had a gunshot wound to its head and was deceased.
Attempts Monday night and early Tuesday morning to locate the suspect/suspects were unsuccessful. On August 16, 2018, Fish and Wildlife
Troopers provided information to Patrol Troopers regarding the above poached deer and vehicle information. A Patrol Trooper then located
the suspect vehicle on Interstate 5 and conducted a traffic stop. Through investigation, Troopers cited and released the suspect for Unlawful
Take of Antlerless Deer, Waste of Game Mammal, Hunting From a Highway, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. A consent search
of the suspect’s residence revealed a Marlin 30-30 which was used in the commission of the above crimes. The 30-30 was seized.
ANIMAL RESCUES
A F&W Trooper out of Grants Pass received a complaint
concerning an owl that had a broken wing. The Trooper
transported the bird to Wildlife Images. After several weeks
of rehabilitation the owl was healed up and was placed back
in the same place it was found.
A Trooper from the Bend office assisted Wild
Wings Raptor Rehab with responding to two
separate injured Red Tailed Hawks and one
injured Osprey. All three were successfully
captured and given to the rehab center for
evaluation.
Marine Fisheries Team
A F&W Trooper seized two Coho salmon stemming from a call from an ODFW fish sampler in Newport. The angler was contacted and admitted
to thinking the fish were Chinook salmon instead of Coho. The angler was cited for Unlawful Possession of Non Fin clipped Coho Salmon.
The fish were seized and donated to Lincoln County Food Share.
A member of the Marine Fisheries Team contacted approximately 35 anglers as they returned to the Hammond Boat Basin off the Columbia
River during the Buoy 10 angling season. Two citations were issued for Take/Possession of Undersized Chinook Salmon and Take/
Possession of Non Adipose Fin Clipped Coho. One warning was issued for Take/Possession of Undersized Dungeness Crab. Two
salmon and two Dungeness crab were seized and donated to a local food bank.
F&W Troopers from the Tillamook Office and members of the Marine Fisheries Team had been working
the Cape Kiwanda area for several weeks in regards to a complaint of illegal fishing activity that had
been occurring on a regular basis. OneTrooper was able to locate a pickup truck and boat trailer on the
beach at Cape Kiwanda that was associated with a dory boat that had been allegedly poaching halibut.
The Trooper waited a lengthy period of time as the vessel was one of the last dory’s to leave the beach
that evening. The boat was finally contacted with three male subjects on board and a routine check of
catch, license, and tags was done. All three subjects were asked about the catch and all told the same
story about catching one halibut and one ling cod and how fishing was a little slow that day. The captain
was informed by the Trooper that OSP had received a tip there were occasionally extra fish hidden in
his boat. A consent search was requested and the captain stated very casually that he had nothing to
hide and that fishing had been slow and to go ahead and search the boat. The Trooper noticed one of
the three red marine gas tanks was not plumbed with fuel lines to the outboard motor. The whole top
of the red steel tank slid off revealing a big stack of 8 fresh halibut fillets on ice sitting in a handmade
plastic container with a plywood bottom. The captain was criminally cited for Exceeding the Bag Limit
Halibut, Possession of Mutilated Fish, and Failure to Validate Harvest Card. The two crew members
were each cited criminally for Aiding/Counseling in a Wildlife Offense. The gas tank and Halibut fillets
were seized. The Halibut fillets were donated to the Tillamook County Justice Facility.
Members of the Marine Fisheries Team conducted an Ocean
Patrol out of Newport. The Oregon State Marine Board Director
and Training Coordinator rode along with the patrol. Multiple
Salmon anglers were contacted. Five citations were issued for
Angling Probibited Method; Barbed Hooks, one citation for
Fail to Validate Harvest Card and one for Angling with More
than One Rod.
F&W Troopers conducted a boat patrol on the ocean off of Newport with members from
ODFW. Multiple warnings were given, two citations were given for Angling Prohibited
Method – Barbed Hooks for Salmon, and one citation was issued for Fail to Immediately
Validate Harvest Card.
Administration and Enforcement of Angling Laws
A F&W Trooper observed a subject
angling on the North Santiam River in Linn
County near a Forest Service Road. The
investigation revealed that the subject
had caught and retained 21 hatchery trout
and had a fish on his line when he was
contacted. The subject was criminally
cited for Exceeding Daily Bag Limit of
Fish and a fishing pole was seized. The
trout were seized and donated to the
Union Gospel Mission in Salem.
The Dalles F&W Team received multiple complaints regarding fishing activities at the mouth of Herman Creek in Cascade Locks. In response
to these complaints, F&W Troopers stepped up enforcement, issuing multiple angling related citations and warnings in the area.
Fish & Wildlife Troopers patrolled the East End Boat Basin in Astoria and the Hammond Boat Basin for salmon anglers returning from the
ocean and the Columbia River during the Buoy 10 season. Approximately 60 anglers were contacted and multiple warnings were issued for
Fail to Immediately Validate Harvest Card, Fail to Properly Validate Harvest Card, Take/Possession of Undersized Dungeness Crab, and No/
Improper Identifying Vessel Numbers. Two citations were issued for Take/Possession of Non Adipose Fin Clipped Coho and one citation
was issued for Take/Possession of Undersized Chinook. Three salmon were seized and donated to the Clatsop County food bank.SHELLFISH A F&W Trooper was working an evening shellfish patrol on Nehalem Bay when he contacted a group of subjects crabbing from the Wheeler City dock at dusk. The subjects were just leaving and had a white cooler with them. When asked to show their catch the subjects revealed 20 male Dungeness crab, 18 of which were measured and found to be undersize by at least an inch. Two subjects were cited for Take/Possession of Undersize Dungeness Crab. One subject gave the Trooper a Washington Driver’s license and a resident shellfish license. The subject was additionally cited for Falsely Applied for License or Tag. A Newport F&W Recruit contacted a subject crabbing in Yaquina Bay. The recruit discovered a covered container that held six undersized Dungeness crab. The subject was cited for Take/Possession of Undersized Dungeness Crab and the crab were returned to Yaquina Bay. A F&W Trooper was conducting a shellfish patrol on Netarts Bay, when he encountered subjects who were returning from clamming and crabbing. One subject was carrying a five gallon bucket with both of their crab and clams in it. The trooper inspected the crab and clams and found there were approximately 80 Cockle clams and three very small male Dungeness crab in the bucket. Both subjects had valid shellfish licenses and claimed to not know the regulations pertaining to the clams and crab they retained. One subject was cited for Exceeding the Daily Limit of Clams and for Undersize Male Dungeness Crab.
A F&W Trooper was first on scene at a brush fire south of Klamath
Falls. Farming equipment started the blaze. No structures were
damaged and no injuries. The fire rapidly grew to 5+ acres.
Environmental
A F&W Trooper noticed that a local resident had built a
large beach out into an essential salmonid habitat stream.
The Trooper contacted the landowner who admitted to using
about five yards of sand to construct the beach. The case was
referred to Department of State Lands for civil action and the
landowner is currently working with DSL and ODFW to repair
the damage he caused.
Public Outreach
F&W Troopers assisted two families with disabled vehicles
east of Prineville in the Ochoco’s. Both vehicles had tire
issues, one with two flats. The troopers assisted the family
with changing one tire and used a portable air compressor to
inflate a slow leak in the other tire. They allowed the dad to
take the air compressor with him to ensure he could re-inflate
the tire if needed as they limped back home to Redmond. A
hand shake was exchanged for the Trooper’s equipment to
be returned after the family got safely home.
Case Dispositon
A subject had purchased 160 pounds of recreationally caught
tuna from an angler from Brookings and then sold the tuna to
others. The subject was found guilty of selling sport caught
tuna (criminal) with a fine amount of $2000 and purchasing
sport caught tuna (violation) with a fine amount of $200. The
subject who had sold the recreationally caught tuna had
already pled guilty, his angling privileges were suspended for
18 months, and he was fined $1300 of which $800 went to
ODFW as restitution for the tuna.GENERAL LAW
A F&W Trooper conducted a boat patrol on Loon Lake. A high number of paddled
vessels were contacted, with most being in violation of No Sound Producing Device.
Thirteen No Sound Producing Device warnings were given, with at least three of
those being from a livery. The livery was contacted and advised sound producing
devices were required to be equipped with all kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards.
The employee indicated the issue would be rectified. Additional warnings were given
for Improper Display of Certifying Numbers (Expired Registration Sticker – on one side
only), Operate Vessel in Excess of Slow No Wake Zone, Fail to Register Boat, and
Inadequate PFDs. Several voyages were terminated, and numerous whistles were
passed out.
While patrolling Coos Bay, Troopers responded
to a report of a sailboat that had run aground
on a mudflat in Coos Bay. The Troopers located
the vessel and its identifying information was
forwarded to the OSMB.
Salem Area Fish & Wildlife Troopers assisted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office with a boat
accident on the Detroit Reservoir.TURN IN POACHERS
What Should I Report? Rewards:
$1,000 Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat & Moose
POACHING (otherwise known as the illegal take of wildlife), $500 Elk, Deer & Antelope
trespassing, littering, theft, destroying of property and road
closure violations. Poaching affects all Oregonians. When $300 Bear, Cougar & Wolf
making a report, provide as much of the following information $300 Habitat Destruction
as possible: $200 Illegally obtaining Oregon hunting/angling license / tags
$100 Game Fish & Shellfish
- Nature of violation or activity observed or advised about $100 Upland Birds & Waterfowl
- Location of activity (Road, Milepost, GPS, etc.)
- Date and time of violation/activity $100 Fur Bearers
- Description of any vehicle involved
- Name and/or description of violator
The TIP reward is paid for information leading to an arrest
or issuance of a citation for the illegal killing or taking of
wildlife and/or for illegally obtaining Oregon hunting/angling
licenses or tags.
People who “work” the system and falsely apply for resident
license or tags are not legally hunting and/or angling and are
considered poachers.
TIP rewards can also be given for the illegal taking, netting,
snagging, and/or dynamiting of salmon, steelhead, sturgeon,
and/or large numbers of any fish listed in Oregon statue as
a game fish.
1-800-452-7888 or *OSP(677)
TIP@state.or.us
Oregon State Police work hand in hand with OHA and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to ensure
that present and future generations have a hunt-able wildlife resource. OHA sponsors the Turn In Poachers (TIP)
program, which rewards individuals who help catch poachers.OREGON STATE POLICE
Interested in becoming an Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Trooper?
For information, please visit our website at:
www.osptrooper.com
Questions? Please call 503-378-4931 or email OSP Training Division:
Senior Trooper Tiffany Lynn
Tiffany.lynn@state.or.us
FISH & WILDLIFE DIVISION
“Assuring compliance with the laws which protect and enhance the long-term health and
equitable utilization of Oregon’s fish, wildlife, and habitat resources.”
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