Post by: WaHeadhunter on April 18, 2017, 01:32:51 PM
Post by: bobcat on April 18, 2017, 01:39:38 PM
Post by: bowhunterforever on April 18, 2017, 01:39:58 PM
That sort of poaching ought to be worth several years in prison. No excuse. :bash::yeah:
Post by: luv2hunt on April 18, 2017, 01:50:54 PM
That sort of poaching ought to be worth several years in prison. No excuse. :bash::yeah:
:yeah: :stup:
Post by: WSU on April 18, 2017, 01:56:19 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 18, 2017, 02:05:30 PM
Post by: huntnphool on April 18, 2017, 02:35:31 PM
Sounds like he got tired of the elk eating his farm and shot them: http://www.wallowa.com/local_news/20170413/arrest-made-in-elk-taking-case-in-wallowa
Quote
Mike Hansen, assistant district wildlife biologist for ODFW, said that the department can issue a kill permit or a hazing permit for elk that cause consistent damage to a farmer’s crops. Hansen said Harshfield had contacted ODFW about the permits. The kill permit requires the farmer to field dress and skin the animal and take it to a meat processing facility.
“He did not want to do that,” Hansen said. “We gave him a haze permit.”
I'd bet money he didn't allow hunting either.
Post by: KopperBuck on April 18, 2017, 03:58:42 PM
I wonder how many hunters he allowed onto his property last Fall? I'm betting none.
They don't congregate in the valley floor in the fall. The winter was brutal and held on late, forcing hundreds of elk into the valleys around here this winter. Hay stacks got tore up everywhere. What he did was wrong. Although I understand his frustration. I'm real surprised he wasn't issued any damage permits. Those usually aren't too hard to come by. I'm sure there's more to the story between him and the agency.
Most landowners around there are real good about hunting, if they're local. Lots of California types are the biggest offenders to keeping out any hunting. And there's quite a few of them up there.
Post by: Waycott15 on April 18, 2017, 05:32:36 PM
Post by: Badhabit on April 18, 2017, 05:39:58 PM
Post by: LeviD1 on April 18, 2017, 07:05:30 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 19, 2017, 06:58:03 AM
Reminds me of what a cherry grower in the Naches Heights area about 20 years ago. Elk would get into his orchard and top his little trees. He tried to get WDFW to help and they wouldn't or didn't so he took matters into his own hands.
Sounds to me like the ODFW was responding by offering him harvest tags and then a hazing permit. In addition, had he offered up his property to some hunters, he might have had a positive result. Anyone who dumps 25 elk and leaves them to rot is a dirtbag. He had tools and he chose not to use them.
Post by: elkinrutdrivemenuts on April 19, 2017, 08:08:02 AM
Post by: bobcat on April 19, 2017, 09:26:42 AM
Post by: JODakota on April 19, 2017, 10:13:24 AM
Reminds me of what a cherry grower in the Naches Heights area about 20 years ago. Elk would get into his orchard and top his little trees. He tried to get WDFW to help and they wouldn't or didn't so he took matters into his own hands.
Sounds to me like the ODFW was responding by offering him harvest tags and then a hazing permit. In addition, had he offered up his property to some hunters, he might have had a positive result. Anyone who dumps 25 elk and leaves them to rot is a dirtbag. He had tools and he chose not to use them.
Anybody who does this has no respect for life.
Post by: elkboy on April 19, 2017, 10:49:11 AM
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.
Post by: Allen23 on April 19, 2017, 11:03:53 AM
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..... :bash:
Bottom line, guy sound like one of lower intelligence to say the least. Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up working for ODFW!
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 19, 2017, 11:21:11 AM
Post by: Allen23 on April 19, 2017, 11:44:58 AM
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 ....
Post by: JDHasty on April 19, 2017, 01:23:53 PM
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.
Post by: KFhunter on April 19, 2017, 01:33:59 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 19, 2017, 01:39:05 PM
Yeah.......... got that part........ :tup:
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.
Post by: Allen23 on April 20, 2017, 07:47:01 AM
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.
Post by: Doublelunger on April 20, 2017, 07:51:12 AM
http://www.myeasternoregon.com/2017/04/18/wallowa-county-harshfields-release-statement-on-elk-case/
Post by: h20hunter on April 20, 2017, 08:02:39 AM
Post by: Doublelunger on April 20, 2017, 08:09:32 AM
Post by: Skillet on April 20, 2017, 08:15:25 AM
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.
Post by: KopperBuck on April 20, 2017, 08:36:40 AM
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.
Post by: JDHasty on April 20, 2017, 08:37:37 AM
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
Post by: Rainier10 on April 20, 2017, 08:51:40 AM
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on April 20, 2017, 11:56:44 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on April 20, 2017, 12:00:26 PM
Post by: JDHasty on April 20, 2017, 12:04:16 PM
BTW I don't think that the landowner press release helped their case in any way. I would be shocked if the defense thinks that was a good idea. Rookie move IMHO.
I don't see this ending well for them.
Post by: Skillet on April 20, 2017, 01:38:20 PM
BTW I don't think that the landowner press release helped their case in any way. I would be shocked if the defense thinks that was a good idea. Rookie move IMHO.
I thought the same thing, but their attorney released it for them. They must be feeling pretty ostracized by the press, forums like this and/or their community to do something like that.
Post by: hunter399 on April 20, 2017, 01:54:55 PM
Post by: WSU on April 20, 2017, 02:00:26 PM
Post by: hunter399 on April 20, 2017, 02:07:58 PM
Post by: idahohuntr on April 20, 2017, 02:16:06 PM
In answer to the accusations that we don’t allow hunters, that is not correct. We have allowed people we know, who can utilize the meat, to purchase depredation tags. Often times they are working during the week and can only hunt on weekends or evenings. This limits the time that the tags allow. Another reason we have limited hunters coming on our property, if the hunters come from outside Wallowa County, they are not familiar with our fence lines. We do not have permission from adjoining landowners to kill elk on their ground. Yes, we are particular who hunts on our property as we feel responsible if shots are fired towards neighbor’s homes and an elk is killed off of our property.
I have no sympathy for them. Don't charge fees and limit hunting and the elk problem would not be as severe. If they allowed enough hunting they may even reduce the overall population.
If folks can't deal with wildlife on their property I suggest they sell and move to town where they won't be "burdened". :twocents:
Post by: sumpnz on April 20, 2017, 02:20:56 PM
Hang em ,I have asked a lot of land owners for permission to hunt.And these are the types that tell you no.I have no remorse for anything they have coming,and do agree allowing hunting may have help there case,and to lazy to gut, skin, and take it to local butcher , so local low income family's can benefit,what a $@#@ these people are.
On some level I can appreciate that they may have felt too busy with other critical farm duties to take the time to gut and skin the animals and drive them to a local butcher. Even for a pro, not counting driving time that could be half an hour per elk by the time they get the rifle, shoot the elk, get the tractor out there to string it up, and gut/skin it. If it really took removal of 20 elk to solve their problem, that's a huge effort.
That said, their excuses are still overall lame. If the elk are that bad they could have gotten damage permits and allowed hunters to do it all for them. I can understand a reluctance to let strangers onto your land for that, but now the dude is likely to go to jail and/or pay massive fines. Best case they're going to be out $10-30k for their lawyer, even if the lawyer gets them off Scot free. I'm guessing that even if the hunters did some damage in the process of dealing with the elk that would have been FAR less of a burden to them in the end.
And if they were that worried they could require the hunters be placed in a specific location with clearly defined fields of fire rather than being allowed to wander all over. Or some other means of minimizing potential for damage. It's not that hard.
Post by: hunter399 on April 20, 2017, 02:23:33 PM
Ya then they say they paid for 7,000 in fencing , but we can't afford to haul the elk to butcher shop with kill permits,give me a break.
Post by: getreal711 on April 20, 2017, 02:33:32 PM
Post by: Allen23 on April 21, 2017, 08:35:59 AM
Yeah I do not think its going to be pretty for these folks. I hope all the people that here of this will learn from it, most of all I hope the ODFW takes something away from this.
Post by: idaho guy on April 21, 2017, 04:09:18 PM
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
I agree they could have alleviated the problem just allowing more hunters. Sounds like the elk were there during the rut long before the big snow hit. If they would have allowed a lot more hunters problem would have been solved
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on April 21, 2017, 04:31:47 PM
Post by: Biggerhammer on April 21, 2017, 05:36:04 PM
Post by: Bullkllr on April 21, 2017, 08:54:44 PM
From the landowner press release:
In answer to the accusations that we don’t allow hunters, that is not correct. We have allowed people we know, who can utilize the meat, to purchase depredation tags. Often times they are working during the week and can only hunt on weekends or evenings. This limits the time that the tags allow. Another reason we have limited hunters coming on our property, if the hunters come from outside Wallowa County, they are not familiar with our fence lines. We do not have permission from adjoining landowners to kill elk on their ground. Yes, we are particular who hunts on our property as we feel responsible if shots are fired towards neighbor’s homes and an elk is killed off of our property.[/color]
I have no sympathy for them. Don't charge fees and limit hunting and the elk problem would not be as severe. If they allowed enough hunting they may even reduce the overall population.
If folks can't deal with wildlife on their property I suggest they sell and move to town where they won't be "burdened". :twocents:
Says the guy who wastes 25 elk and has 1/2 of them die on neighbors' property.
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 21, 2017, 09:45:14 PM
Speculation, many hunters are slobs. If the allegations are in fact true, letting people hunt the property the years prior would have absolutely no effect on the end result.
Yeah, but most aren't slob enough to leave dozens of dead elk rotting all over the place. I call BS on his claims. He's trying to justify killing an entire herd of elk. He'll say anything.
Post by: Allen23 on April 26, 2017, 12:24:56 PM
Post by: Don_D on May 02, 2017, 06:39:52 AM
Too bad they chose to take things into their own hands. Hope they don't lose their ranch over it but boy that was a pretty huge mistake on their part.
Post by: MadMooner on May 02, 2017, 07:16:02 AM