September 18, 2011
By Phil Wright, EastOregonian.com
ISLAND CITY — An Island City father and son were arrested last week on charges of poaching elk from a premier hunting unit in northeastern Oregon.
Richard “Ricky” Anderson, 24, and Richard A. Anderson, 46, face multiple charges in Wallowa and Union counties.
The state has accused the men of poaching two bull elk in the Wenaha Wildlife Management Unit in northeast Oregon. The state game department issues only 20 tags each archery season for the controlled hunting unit that has big branch-antler bull elk.
“This is a very difficult tag to obtain,” according to state police, “and for most hunters it may be a once-in-a-lifetime hunting opportunity.”
Ricky Anderson faces Wallowa County charges of exceeding the bag limit of bull elk and unlawfully taking bull elk, and Union County charges of unlawful possession of wildlife parts and borrowing another person’s elk tag.
Richard A. Anderson faces a Wallowa County charge of aiding in a violation of wildlife law and Union County charges of unlawful possession of wildlife parts (bull elk killed in Arizona in 2008) and loaning an elk tag.
All the charges are Class A misdemeanor wildlife crimes. Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division troopers have booked the duo into the Union County Jail pending appearances in court.