EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Five members of one family and four others from Springfield pleaded not guilty in Lane County Circuit Court to poaching and racketeering charges.
An April 18 grand jury indictment accuses them of illegally transferring hunting licenses and tags and illegally killing nearly 300 deer over five years in the McKenzie wildlife management unit. Elk, antelope and bear also were killed.
Sgt. Ron Martin with the Fish and Wildlife Division in Springfield says it’s the largest poaching case ever investigated by state police.
The Register Guard reports the nine were arrested after a 15-month investigation. In raids earlier this year, officers seized 18 hunting rifles, seven spotlights, more than a ton of frozen and processed game meat and 108 antlers.
