MIXED BAG
Poaching Ring Charges Spread To Oregon
T
he first sets of Oregon charges against a large ring of suspected Southwest Washington poachers were filed earlier this spring. Aaron B. Hendricks, 35, and David. R McKleskey, 59, of Woodland were charged in Clackamas County with illegally hunting with dogs in 2016, while McKleskey as well as William J. Haynes, 24, and Joseph A. Dills, 31, of Longview face charges of using dogs to chase down, kill and waste a bear in June 2017. Of note, the latter case occurred well after Haynes and Dills would have come under suspicion for other alleged illegal hunting activities. They were each initially charged with 64 counts each in Skamania County last fall. All four men also reportedly pleaded not guilty to more charges filed in Clatsop County, while McKleskey and Dills were expected to be charged in Lincoln County last month as well, according to a news report. Also charged in Clatsop County was
Dills’ dad, Eddy Dills, 58. He pleaded not guilty there to poaching, it was reported. Dills recently appeared on Seattle news station KING-5 to take aim at Washington’s timber damage prevention bear hunts to excuse his alleged actions. “They’re accusing us of these horrifying inhumane crimes, yet the game department is allowing the timber companies to do exactly the same thing. There’s no way that’s right,” Dills told reporter Alison Morrow. “Why am I being accused of this and they’re doing it and getting away with it?” The poaching charges in both states all stem from a single traffic stop during the harsh winter of 2016-17. Oregon State Police wildlife troopers investigating a string of headless buck carcasses shot and left on winter range near Mt. Hood matched a trail cam photo of a truck with one spotted in The Dalles and pulled it over. A mountain of evidence was ultimately found on the phones of Haynes and Kelso’s Erik C. Martin, 24.
JACKASS OF THE MONTH
A
southern Puget Sound beach was hit hard in early spring by clam poachers, including a “Mrs. Coat Pockets” who allegedly stuffed three times the legal limit into her jacket. Game wardens detailed three different instances of greedy shellfishers hitting Penrose Point State Park, on the south side of the Kitsap Peninsula, in a Facebook post. It started when Fish and Wildlife Officer Jeff Summit and a student officer observed a woman placing a “large bucket” worth of clams in the trunk, then heading back to the beach apparently for more. They contacted her and found she’d allegedly collected “four extra limits” above the daily limit of 40 clams. She was also cited for avoiding field inspection. A few days afterwards, a woman and another individual were spotted putting clams into small bags then jamming them into pockets. When a warden went to check on them, the woman “was very surprised to encounter an officer, and tried to do anything
By Andy Walgamott
KUDOS
Jon Horn, a South-central Washington fish and wildlife officer, was named the state’s 2017 game warden of the year earlier this spring. He was described with words such as “professional, dedicated, experienced, leader, and reliable” by fellow officers in a post announcing the award. Horn, who patrols the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla areas, is also a senior field trainer and was lauded for his work that “puts his student officers in the best position to learn and succeed.” He was recognized for good working relationships with federal, Oregon and county partners too. Great job, Officer Horn!
she could to get rid of her coat.” That might have been easier if Mrs. Coat Pockets hadn’t so loaded it down with bivalves – she allegedly was concealing 125 clams in its pockets. All totaled, 170 clams had been taken the duo, according to WDFW. Meanwhile, as officers were dealing with her, two more “Mrs. Coat Pockets” and friends allegedly harvested overlimits of clams at Penrose parties on the beach saw Point State Park. (WDFW) the officers and began “scattering like quail.” As you can imagine, they also had a few more clams than legal as well. “A dumped bucket of nearly 300 hard-shells was recovered high up on the beach, with more over-limits discovered hidden in coat pockets,” WDFW reported.
nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2018
Northwest Sportsman 35