NATIONAL

OREGON Poacher with a number of excuses

A judge sentenced a poacher to 10 days in jail, fines, probation, weapon forfeiture and license suspension for shooting a branch bull elk on opening day of deer season in the last fall.

Cody Murrill, 42, pleaded guilty to poaching charges after admitting to Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife troopers that he had intended to poach a cow elk for the meat, but mistakenly shot a bull as darkness set in. He then left the bull to waste.

Hunters who came across the carcass on Oct. 3 notified troopers of their discovery.

Troopers investigating the crime identified Murrill’s truck after reviewing footage from area game cameras. When they interviewed him at his home, Murrill denied having anything to do with the incident. But later that evening he contacted troopers to confess to the crimes.

Murrill told troopers he intended to poach a cow elk, and mistakenly shot the large 5x6-point bull in near darkness. He said he abandoned the carcass, intending to recover the meat and antlers later that night. When he returned well after dark, the carcass was partially scavenged. Fearing wolves in the area, Murrill abandoned the carcass again. He said he returned the next day to remove the antlers but was unable to do so because he broke his saw. Leaving a game animal to waste is also a crime.

In addition to jail time and a one-year license suspension, Murrill received one-year probation, according to Union County District Attorney Kelsie McDaniel. He also forfeited his .308 rifle with scope, likely worth about $1,400 and paid $440 in fines.

—OSPFW

MINNESOTA Man runs over three deer

A 20-year-old man admitted that he used his truck to intentionally hit three deer while driving within the Ely city limits.

The incident occurred in daylight hours of March 21 on Highway 21 by the golf course. All three deer were paralyzed but still alive and had to be euthanized by an Ely police officer.

Department of Natural Resources officers began receiving tips on who the driver may have been. The driver, Casey Meadows admitted he hit the deer on purpose. Matthews had a heavy-duty bumper guard on his truck, which sustained no damage in the incident. He was cited for chasing or injuring wildlife by use of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor with a $300 penalty, and also issued state restitution orders for $500 for each deer, for a total penalty of $1,800.

—Staff report

MISSOURI Record fliers caught

Tyler Goodale, of Doniphan, caught two record-worthy fliers, a small member of the sunfish family, from the Duck Creek Conservation Area on March 26. The two 11-ounce fish broke the 10-ounce record, caught in a private pond in 1991.

Both of Goodale’s fish were identical in weight and length, and one was chosen as the state-record fish.

Fliers are a species of conservation concern in Missouri. The state’s largest populations are found at Duck Creek Conservation Area and nearby Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, where extensive areas of standing-water habitat remain. Fliers prefer quiet, clear bodies of water with little current and considerable aquatic vegetation and mud bottom.

—MDC