Question on poaching

[boneaddict]

I was researching some areas in Oregon last night on the net and ran into a fresh study that had poaching higher than legal harvest.   It actually shocked me.   

I think the study was a bunch of collared animals and how they died.  Predators was the biggest chunk, roadkill, then poaching, then legal harvest.   If I stumble into it again, I'll post the link.   I cant recall the year but think it was 2017.   Poaching was higher in South Central Oregon than the Blues. 

[Henrydog]

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2010/11/study_show_ssurprising_rate_of_mule_deer_poaching.html


I think this is the one

[boneaddict]

Probably the data from the study Bob was referring....

[Macs B]

I imagine agriculture takes a pretty good toll on the deer and elk population.  Between keeping wildlife out of orchards, gardens, feed bunks, and crops agood many elk and deer get put in the freezer. 

[Southpole]

lotta animals poached in rural areas. There are alot of people who live almost off the grid or barely surviving shoot alot of animals when given the chance.

  Like Tracker said, LOTS of poaching in rural/depressed areas. I’ve spent a lot of time around the curlew area cruising the private timber, forest service and state roads and have seen on many occasions people heading in at dark when I’m heading out. You know darn well what they’re up to. They’re not afraid to get caught, there’s nobody around to bust’um  . Growing up in Oso/Darrington area, before the state started locking gates, the “local” young boys would make some late night beer cruises, mixed with a little spot lighting. I would believe the 1:1 ratio legal vs. poaching for sure.

[OutHouse]

I think 1:1 is probably a realistic starting point. The thing about poachers is a lot of them take numerous animals. So three legal hunters get their deer in a season and the poacher took 6. There was a guy up in the Nile and Cowiche units years ago who was taking as many deer as he could and selling the gutted carcasses for $60. No joke, I saw the video with the informant where they discussed that on top of a stolen property scheme.

[Stein]

Yeah, I bet there aren’t many poachers that take 1 animal and stop.


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[Fishhunt223]

I have to wonder about the results of these studies, and whether they capture a realistic picture of the amount of poaching. Most of the deer I see that are wearing collars are does and a few small(often yearling) bucks. I am guessing that they trap these deer in groups to apply the radio collars. Since the majority of these deer are not legal to harvest during general modern firearm season, I think it skews the results of the poaching study.

[Henrydog]

Very Good point Fishhunt223.  I also would think it has a lot to do with the area as well.

[Mudman]

Really think it is dependant on what area.  I know of a few areas where I feel more animals are killed illegally then legal.  Other areas I doubt much poaching takes place.  It seems poaching follows a pattern.  People, often struggling low income, close to population/towns, convenience, closed lands containing high populations of animals.  Then the hunters who fudge rules so to speak or cant help themselves?  The 2pt in a 3pt area or the big buck in elk season or the cougar without a tag etc.  Then there is the ones who aren't exactly in their unit or wandered into closed lands etc.  All kinds of "poachers" and if ya add it up I think it is a significant #.  I also feel as we pass more restrictions and laws we help create illegal activity through honest mistakes and resentments.  I don't know about you all but I find it rather hard to research an area to be 100% legal.  Boundaries, regs, open lands, permit applications etc.  It isn't easy and in some areas I felt less than confident I was 100% legal to hunt as lack of info or ambiguous regs confused.  1 of reasons I haven't been hunting much Wa lately.  Not to make excuses or stir up trouble but I think all contributes to the problems and a blanket term of "poacher" shouldn't be used lightly for all illegal actions.  An ol timer told me a story once, it goes sumthing like this.  He was stopped by Warden coming out of woods.  Warden was edgy and demanded to know weapon wasn't loaded before he made it to road.  Thus showing how worried LEO are about this these days, rightfully so.  He showed his Lic and permits and was 100% legal.  Old handicapped hunter was angry for being "harassed" he felt.  Warden explained he had reports of poaching in area thus the stop.  Old man replied if I saw a blonde haired blue eyed guy poaching I would walk by and say "Blue eyed Indian" and keep walking, not report it.  Warden was incredulous!      Now lets not drag up tribal issues but I think this story shows another variable in hunter resentments and could contribute to issues as well.  It is a complicated problem.  Hunt regs and laws and access could be simplified and changed to reduce poaching as well.  Public loses respect for laws as the restriction increase!   

[pianoman9701]

It’d help if the enforcement cared more about the wildlife than the fish. I called in a poached buck I found just the other day, no warden responded and now it’s gone. The best part is the deer left a trail running right back to the “mountain man’s” house. I hate those kind of people now because they claim to be “living off the land” and then they don’t preserve any of the meat so they only eat on it for a week and then they get another. Or they take hind quarters only. Or they go for moose and elk which are scarce enough up here. *censored*. I know more poachers than legal hunters right now. No lie. I tried talking to fish and game to become a warden and was told they wouldn’t put me back here everyone has to go to the port of Seattle first usually. So if you hunt ferry county just now these animals are getting the squeeze year round. Oh and most poachers and “mountain men” aren’t the old timers or ones that have been here. Most are the ones from the big cities or east coast that find out our land is cheap and get here. Once here they usually have to start making or dealing drugs to get by and few survive winter without committing some sort of crime- poaching deer, making some meth/BHO/or robbing someone else. So yeah, poached to legally taken in my area would be like 4:1 more than likely. Here’s the missed head shot during an archery only season.

The enforcement in the field are excellent protectors of our resource. Much of the rest of what you say may or may not be actually  representative of wildlife harvest as a whole in WA.

[Ironhead]

Near Bonners Ferry one year we were hunting just before Thanksgiving. It snowed all day long from dark to dark about a foot of fresh snow we started heading down the mountain and must have passed 20 -30 rigs coming up the mountain. We were wondering where every body was going in the dark back up the hill. The next morning we counted 22 blood trails and drag marks along the side of the same  road. There were tracks everywhere from Deer migrating down out of the high country and it looked like a slaughter had gone on.

[Buckhunter24]

I dont think they care more about fish than game. Its definitely easier to regulate since theres only so many places to fish. Ive been checked once when hunting in over 20 years. Ive probably been checked 20 times in 25 years of fishing. Realistically there needs to be more wardens if poaching accounts for this much mortality

[pianoman9701]

I dont think they care more about fish than game. Its definitely easier to regulate since theres only so many places to fish. Ive been checked once when hunting in over 20 years. Ive probably been checked 20 times in 25 years of fishing. Realistically there needs to be more wardens if poaching accounts for this much mortality

The administration puts more resources on Fish than Game because of the income and taxes fishing produces. Commercial fisheries require monitoring, as well as sport fishing. Economics.

[ghosthunter]

on the last day of modern this year. two young men pulled up to talk to me as I came out of woods.
Asked what I had seen. Nothing.

Its over today.
They said," the local's season starts tomorrow" and laughed.