Wednesday, November 22, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
HUNTING: OSP has
jurisdiction over
wildlife crimes
Continued from page 30
PHOTO PROVIDED
The intriguing panhyderm will be the fonus of Don Miller’s Sisters Snienne
Club talk at The Belfry.
ELEPHANTS: Club
stages series of
educational events
Continued from page 3
a special interest in elephants,
prompted when he first pho-
tographed them in 1983 at the
Washington Park Zoo (now
Oregon Zoo) in Portland. In
addition to his photography,
he has volunteered for des-
ert elephant conservation
work for Elephant Human
Relations Aid (EHRA) in
Namibia, Africa.
A life-size replica of an
elephant foot will accompany
Miller when he visits Sisters
Middle School on Monday,
November 27. Elephants use
their feet to convey informa-
tion by sending and receiving
seismic transmissions, Miller
explains, enabling commu-
nication that extends among
widely separated family
groups.
A selection of Miller’s
photos will be available for
purchase at The Belfry event,
with part of the proceeds sup-
porting the Sisters Science
Club. Social hour begins at 6
p.m. with light fare, beer and
wine available. The lecture
begins at 7 p.m. Admission
is $5; Science Club donors,
teachers and students are
admitted free.
The Belfry is located at
302 E. Main Ave., Sisters.
attention
Health
numbers of elk in a week-
end,” he said.
According to OSP figures,
394 deer and 255 elk were
illegally harvested statewide
in 2016. That compares to
492 deer and 231 elk in 2015,
and 504 deer and 222 elk in
2014.
Poaching will always
be an issue wherever there
is wildlife, Gardner said,
though he is quick to point
out the difference between
poachers and ethical hunters
who sometimes make mis-
takes. If a hunter mistakenly
takes an animal out of season,
he said they should report the
incident so at least the meat
can be salvaged.
“If they call in, we’ll do
everything we can for them,”
Gardner said. “If they don’t
and leave it to waste, we’ll do
everything we can to catch
them.”
OSP Fish and Wildlife
is the state’s main line of
defense to uphold hunting
and fishing laws. Troopers
like Gardner are out on patrol
year-round across the state,
checking tags, gathering tips
and generally making their
presence known.
“Really, you just hope
you’re visible so somebody
will think twice before they
make that bad shot or bad
decision,” he said.
By mid-afternoon, the
radio crackles to life as
Gardner is alerted to a mor-
tally wounded branch bull
elk not far from Mushroom
Camp in the Umatilla
National Forest.
It takes some time navigat-
ing the uneven Forest Service
roads, but Gardner eventually
meets with Sponseller, fellow
OSP Trooper Ryan Sharp and
Deputy Rick Carter with the
Umatilla County Sheriff’s
Office. Carter was first tipped
to the gut-shot elk by another
hunter, and was forced to
euthanize the animal.
The four men convened
around the dead bull, and
the dirty work began as they
field-dressed the elk, remov-
ing its organs and dragging it
out of the thick woods behind
Carter’s four-wheeler. It
would eventually be skinned
and butchered, and the meat
distributed either to CAPECO
in Pendleton, Agape House
in Hermiston, or the Ukiah
School District.
“Luckily someone called it
in,” Gardner said. “Otherwise
it would have been left here
to rot.”
Despite the fact that
someone clearly committed
a crime, Gardner said there
is very little evidence to pur-
sue a case. Without finding a
bullet or even a footprint, it is
unlikely they will be able to
catch the culprit.
“ R e a l l y, w e ’ v e g o t
37
nothing,” he said. “I don’t
even have a reason to believe
they tracked it that far.”
Carter, a retired OSP Fish
and Wildlife trooper, said it
is unlikely an experienced
hunter would mistake the
three-point bull for a spike.
It is a maddening situation,
Gardner agreed, compounded
by the fact that it was nearly
left to waste.
“Somebody rushed a shot
before they knew what was
on its head,” Gardner said.
“And it happens every year.”
Hunters are the number-
one wildlife management tool
in Oregon, Gardner said, and
most of the people he meets
are more than happy to help
him catch those who break
the rules.
“Out here, I come in con-
tact with really super nice
people,” he said.
In fact, Gardner was
recognized Oct. 17 with
an award from the Oregon
Hunters Association
Columbia Basin Chapter for
his work investigating two
recent poaching cases, one
in Baker County and one in
Umatilla County, that both
ended in convictions.
Dean Groshong, chapter
president, said the goal is to
preserve the hunting tradition
for future generations.
“Everybody is basically
responsible to help out and
prevent any wrongdoing,”
Groshong said. “It’s just not
fair and not acceptable for
people to break the law.”
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