Poachers in Eastern Washington Face Multiple Charges After Illegal Spotlighting of Deer
Two individuals in Eastern Washington are under investigation following allegations of spotlighting big game at night and trespassing, with evidence gathered from a trail camera. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police have listed several potential charges tied to the case, emphasizing the serious nature of these violations.
Range of Possible Charges Detailed by WDFW
- Trespassing
- Spotlighting big game
- Hunting big game out of season
- Wastage of game
- Improperly notching hunting tags
- Hunting grouse and turkey out of season
- Hunting dove without a migratory bird permit
- Failure to tag turkey and big game
- Driving under the influence
As of now, the suspects’ identities have not been released since formal charges have yet to be filed.
Investigation Origin and Evidence Collection
The case began after the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office received a report of spotlighting and trespassing in the area. Officers placed a trail camera that captured an image of a Jeep Cherokee believed to be linked to the suspects. WDFW officers subsequently located the vehicle at a campground just outside Dayton on September 7.
Inside the SUV, investigators found the rear hatch open, with visible blood and deer hair, and a loaded rifle resting on the passenger seat. No one was found at the campsite at the time.
Discovery of Illegally Harvested Game
Following the strong odor of a decaying carcass, enforcement officers found a deer hind leg and two forest grouse carcasses nearby, along with a dove carcass missing its breasts. These findings support claims of illegal and out-of-season hunting.
Limited portions of the deer meat and the head were preserved, indicating selective retention of meat by the suspect, a practice linked to “wastage,” which is both illegal and detrimental to wildlife conservation efforts.
Confession and Method of Illegal Harvest
Later that evening, a vehicle arrived at the site with a man appearing intoxicated. This individual initially claimed to have taken the deer with a bow, but his hunting tag was not properly notched—a violation that compromises legal tracking and management of harvested game.
He displayed a plastic bag containing meat along with the head of a whitetail deer sporting symmetrical five-point antlers. The suspect admitted to shooting the deer at night with a rifle while using a spotlight, a method that temporarily disorients deer, making them more vulnerable to illegal take.
The suspect also confessed to shooting the two grouse out of season and taking a dove without the required migratory bird permit. He attributed the Jeep’s driving to an acquaintance, who allegedly operated the vehicle during the illegal activity.
Additional Violations Uncovered at Campsite
Under a search warrant, officers inspected a nearby camp trailer and found a grouse breast and six fresh wild turkey breasts stored in a freezer running on generator power. There was no record of a turkey tag purchase, adding to the list of infractions.
During this investigation, WDFW officers also confiscated a 12-gauge shotgun, further suggesting multiple illegal hunting activities within the group.
Wildlife and Legal Implications
Spotlighting disrupts normal deer behavior by exploiting their sensitivity to light, which can immobilize or disorient them. This practice undermines ethical hunting and threatens sustainable wildlife management.
Proper game tagging and respecting hunting seasons are critical components of regulated hunting that ensure population health and ecological balance in regions like Eastern Washington, where white-tailed deer and forest grouse are important species.
Additional reporting and sources from: Poachers could face multiple charges after ‘spotlighting’ deer in Eastern WA
