Looks like that ram was poached.
These two guys just pulled off the highway and
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/04/passerby_sees_man_brazenly_gut.htmlsheep beside freeway, calls police
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Cody Plagmann, 37, of Albany, was accused of poaching bighorn sheep next to Interstate 84 on Sunday, April 3, 2016. The incident happened east of Biggs Junction, Oregon State Police said.
Aimee Green | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Print Email Aimee Green | The Oregonian/OregonLive By Aimee Green | The Oregonian/OregonLive
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on April 04, 2016 at 1:09 PM, updated April 04, 2016 at 5:06 PM
A driver who spotted a man shortly after he apparently killed a bighorn sheep along Interstate 84 in the Columbia River Gorge on Sunday called police, leading to the arrests of two men.
Oregon State Police responded to find the remains of two bighorn sheep, which had been beheaded. Police suspect one of the men tracked down and shot the sheep, with the assistance of his companion.
Oregon's roughly 5,000 bighorn sheep are protected by law. Last year, 21,805 hunters entered a lottery for 96 coveted tags, each allowing them to kill one of the animals.
"It's an outrage that someone would poach a bighorn sheep, when hunters can wait their whole life and still never get the opportunity to hunt this iconic species," said Jeremy Thompson, an Oregon Fish & Wildlife biologist, in a news release Monday. "This herd is also a popular viewing attraction for people driving along I-84 and has been there since 1993."
State police received a call about 9:45 a.m. about a man bending over a dead big-game animal next to I-84 at milepost 119, east of Biggs Junction in Gilliam County.
Troopers responded and found Justin M. Samora, 32, of Utah. They questioned then arrested him on a charge of aiding in a game violation. While troopers were talking to Samora, some passing drivers stopped to report seeing a man hiding in the brush to the west.
That's when troopers discovered the two severed sheep heads nearby. Lt. Bill Fugate said the animals weren't gutted -- and they might have been killed in order to mount their heads on a wall as trophies.
"It appears they left the bodies behind," Fugate said. "They took only the heads."
Troopers began scouring the region for the unidentified, second man.
About six hours later, at about 4 p.m., authorities found Cody J. Plagmann of Albany hiding along railroad tracks about two miles away. Plagmann, 37, was arrested and charged with taking or possessing a bighorn sheep, wasting of a game animal and hunting on another's cultivated or enclosed land.
Anyone who witnessed the killings or has information about them is asked to call state police in The Dalles at 541-296-9646.
