Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact OSP Senior Trooper Scott Sogge or Senior Trooper Aaron Roth through the Turn in Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-452-7888 or 541-388-6213.
The Fish and Wildlife branch of the Oregon State Patrol is offering a reward of up to $500 for information leading to the citation of the individual, or individuals, responsible for a pair of poached mule deer earlier this month.
On Dec. 2, the OSP was alerted to a mule deer found south of Pine Mountain in Deschutes County. Responding troopers found a buck deer on BLM land in Kotzman Basin that had been shot in the head. Only the deer’s back straps were harvested while the rest was left to waste. Investigators believe the animal was most likely killed around Oct. 29.
On Dec. 3, the OSP learned of another mule deer found dead in the Three Rivers community near Lake Billy Chinook in Jefferson County. Evidence at that scene showed the deer was likely shot with a centerfire rifle before fleeing and dying in the yard of a local resident.
“Poaching wildlife and damaging habitats affects present and future generations of wildlife, impacts communities and the economy, and creates enforcement challenges,” read a press release from the OSP.
A reward has been promised for any information leading to the issuance of a citation to a person, and, or an arrest related to the case. The $500 maximum reward is being offered through the Oregon Hunters Association Turn-in-Poacher program.
The TIP program offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information related to the poaching of bighorn sheep, mountain goat or moose, $500 for elk, deer or antelope, $300 for bear, cougar and wolf as well as habitat destruction, $100 for game fish, shellfish, upland birds, waterfowl and furbearers.
Anyone with information regarding the poached mule deer are asked to contact OSP Senior Trooper Scott Sogge or Senior Trooper Aaron Roth through the TIP hotline at 1-800-452-7888, or by email at TIP@state.or.us.
