25 rotting elk carcasses, charges filed

[elkboy]

You know he could have asked for help field dressing elk.  How many of us would jump at the opportunity for this sort of thing?! 

I am all for farmers, and I know many operate on thin margins.  But this situation didn't need to end this way, with 25 (25!) rotting elk and criminal charges. 

[Allen23]

  I can understand his frustrations, the winter was bad over there. I am in no way saying what he did was right, but he got some attention from the ODFW didn't he!! haha. I have seen the so called "permits" the give and they are *censored*. A hazing permit just allows you to drive the elk off your property without getting a ticket, the elk get use to that and when they are having a hard time finding feed it doesn't take long for them to come back. And as far as kill permits, it sounds like he had somewhere around 200 head on his property, i am sure they would have issued 2-3 permits, it was a bad winter, the elk would have walked past you field dressing one in the snow to get to the hay stack....... would not  have done a dam thing. As far a hunters on his property this year, I'm betting those 200 head weren't parked in his barn lot during hunting season. I saw elk in places this year that I have never seen them before, a lot of snow for a long time. This just sounds like another instance of private land owners getting frustrated with the F and W processes that they have in place. I am a Washington resident from just north of Wallowa county and all I am basing my words of is our WDFW, but it sounds like the same grade of grease over there. Hard to make assumptions with out having the full story or being there first hand, but im sure he isn't the first farmer that has wanted to go on a killing spree fueled by the lack of concern by local government, to prove a point . Sometimes I think the fish and game forgets that community has to be number one. Too many times they put the needs of animals ( almost always in surplus populations) over the needs of their fellow man.
Maybe the local fish and game departments will take this winter as a learning lesson. Sooner or later bad winters happen and instead of wasting money on armor all for their tire on their brand new rigs they get every year they can start a fund for feeding animals in harsh winter conditions.....
Bottom line, guy sound like one of lower intelligence to say the least. Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up working for ODFW!

[pianoman9701]

He wasted 25 animals. They could've fed 50 hungry families for months. What he did was disgusting.

[Allen23]

Yeah.......... got that part........

 You want to see something disgusting, go over to eastern Washington or northern Idaho and look at the waist on an Indian reservation.........I'd bet all my guns that you wouldn't have a hard time finding 25 rotting animals any time of year in any of those places. This is an isolated incident by one " off his rocker " individual. Yeah it was a lot of waist and he should be punished. But its hardly a drop in the bucket compared to what's going on year after year right in our back yard that nothing is being done about ....

[JDHasty]

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/04/wallowa_man_arrested_charged_w.html#incart_most-read_

A 68-year-old Wallowa man was arrested after state fish and wildlife troopers discovered more than two dozen elk carcasses in and around his Northeast Oregon property.

Larry Harshfield was taken into custody April 8 and charged with illegally killing a dozen elk on his property. Oregon State Police said there was no indication any effort was made to salvage the meat. An "extensive investigation" from wildlife enforcement troopers determined the Wallowa man allegedly killed 13 more elk on an adjacent property.

The arrest comes as the state has stepped up enforcement of wildlife laws. In the past five years alone, troopers have averaged 764 poaching investigations a year, with most cases involving elk or deer.

[KFhunter]

merged

[pianoman9701]

Yeah.......... got that part........

 You want to see something disgusting, go over to eastern Washington or northern Idaho and look at the waist on an Indian reservation.........I'd bet all my guns that you wouldn't have a hard time finding 25 rotting animals any time of year in any of those places. This is an isolated incident by one " off his rocker " individual. Yeah it was a lot of waist and he should be punished. But its hardly a drop in the bucket compared to what's going on year after year right in our back yard that nothing is being done about ....

It sounds like you're trying to justify his acts by other wrong acts. Sorry, but I don't subscribe to situational ethics. I don't care if he's off his rocker, a lazy slob, or a psychopath. Glad they caught him and hope they throw all the books at him. You know how I feel and I know how you feel.

[Allen23]

Read the fourth sentence in my paragraph you highlighted......... I think it says something about "Yeah it was a lot of waist and he should be punished"

 I certainly wasn't defending or justifying his actions. If anything it was a prod to the DFW departments in the area. I know ( most of the time ) they are less that compassionate in situations with landowners battling wild life destruction. Here they are again basically saying " we gave him all the tools to prevent this from happening" like they can do no wrong. Look into the "tools" that they have to offer.........its a joke.

[Doublelunger]

The Harshfields released a statement on the elk case.  I would recommend that anyone with a strong opinion on the matter should read this.

http://www.myeasternoregon.com/2017/04/18/wallowa-county-harshfields-release-statement-on-elk-case/

[h20hunter]

I read it. Tough. Thet are not above the law. I get their frustration but you break the law you pay the price.

[Doublelunger]

I agree with you, sounds like a tough situation for them.  I live in La Grande and I would have been happy to head up to their place and field dress/process an elk. I would have taken a day of vacation and gone up mid week if I had to. I'm sure I could have found a number of people down here willing to do the same.

[Skillet]

I read it as well, really understand their frustration.

But I read a sense of entitlement to government protection from the same natural world that provides for thier livelihood.

If you're going to demand the government help, you need to be a little flexible.  In this case, it would mean allowing a few more depredation hunts to people other than your immediate friends & family.  Her argument for not allowing others to kill elk in-season on their land is weak, imho, and it appears some depredation tags went unfilled.  And by her own admission, the elk were there for all hunting seasons - bow and muzzy included.

Poor choices by landowner in response to depending on a typical non-responsive, bureaucratic government agecy to fulfill a sense of entitlement they adopted on their own.  Had they allowed more people to hunt, they likely wouldn't have this problem.  It was their decision, and decisions have consequences.

[KopperBuck]

Interestingly enough, if they had allowed more people to hunt, they would have soon been someone else's problem. But *censored*, you can't do it like this.

This is an isolated case, but people do funny things when it comes to wildlife, stock and the government. Look at the psychologist here that shot a up bunch of cows up in a free range area up Glass Hill.

Maybe something good will come of this, like some new thoughts on depredation and management. I know this was a brutal winter, believe me. I lived it. I hate the depredation hunts they have here in Union, Wallowa, and to some degree Baker Counties. I've participated in them several times - it can be the wild west. The valleys aren't very big and I've seen it get uncomfortable. Unfortunately, muzzleloaders aren't effective enough.

[JDHasty]

I read it as well, really understand their frustration.

But I read a sense of entitlement to government protection from the same natural world that provides for thier livelihood.

If you're going to demand the government help, you need to be a little flexible.  In this case, it would mean allowing a few more depredation hunts to people other than your immediate friends & family.  Her argument for not allowing others to kill elk in-season on their land is weak, imho, and it appears some depredation tags went unfilled.  And by her own admission, the elk were there for all hunting seasons - bow and muzzy included.

Poor choices by landowner in response to depending on a typical non-responsive, bureaucratic government agecy to fulfill a sense of entitlement they adopted on their own.  Had they allowed more people to hunt, they likely wouldn't have this problem.  It was their decision, and decisions have consequences.

True story

[Rainier10]

Read the press report from the property owner and although I understand their frustration level better I still don't agree with their actions.