REEDSPORT, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Hunters Association is offering a $500 reward for information on a man who reportedly shot a deer in a Reedsport boat launching parking lot and left it dead on Friday, June 17.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) says the report must lead to an arrest or citation to receive the reward. The organization also said that the reporting party could opt instead for four hunter preference points, which allows individuals to select the desired area they wish to hunt.
The incident allegedly occurred around 3 a.m. Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers responded to a report of a deer being shot in the Rainbow Plaza boat launch parking lot about 90 minutes later. They discovered the deer had been shot on-site with a handgun. Troopers obtained multiple photos of the suspect and are asking for the public’s help in tracking him down.
Oregon State Police suspect the man pictured above of shooting and killing a deer in a parking lot. (Courtesy: OSP) 
Oregon State Police suspect the man pictured above of shooting and killing a deer in a parking lot. (Courtesy: OSP)
“This is another disgusting thrill-kill of a type that seems to be increasing lately,” said Duane Dungannon, the state coordinator of the Oregon Hunters Association and publisher of Oregon Hunter magazine. “Mindless poaching and wasting by mindless individuals. The fact that this one took place at a public boat launch is even more disturbing.”
Last year, the Oregon Hunters Association gave away nearly $11,000 in rewards and ODFW awarded hunters with 178 preference points. According to the association’s president, Steve Hagan, reward programs support public input into solving poaching crimes.
“OSP has done their part in capturing visual evidence that can assist in identifying the perpetrator of this heinous crime,” Hagan said. “Please do the right thing and identify the perpetrator so that they are held accountable. This buck and perhaps future generations of deer have been stolen from the citizens of Oregon.”
“Anonymity is important to encourage reporting,” added ODFW Stop Poaching Campaign Coordinator Yvonne Shaw. “Poachers steal natural resources from all Oregonians and it’s up to us as members of the public to assist law enforcement in solving these crimes if we want to reduce that impact.”
Reedsport Police Department and Reedsport Public Works are assisting with the investigation. Anyone with information about this case can call the OSP tip-line at 1-800-452-7888, or email at TIP@osp.oregon.gov. The case number is SP22-147967.