BIGGS JUNCTION, Ore. — Oregon State Police arrested two men on Sunday who are charged with poaching two bighorn sheep along Interstate 84 in Gilliam County.
Fish and Wildlife troopers received a tip at about 9:45 a.m. that someone appeared to be gutting a big game animal along the highway east of Biggs Junction. The area is home to a herd of about 80-100 California bighorns, which have become a popular viewing attraction for drivers.
When troopers arrived on scene, they found Justin Samora, 32, of Layton, Utah, sitting in a vehicle. While speaking with Samora, the troopers also heard from passing motorists that a second man was off somewhere hiding in the brush.
Troopers found Cody Plagmann, 37, of Albany, hiding along the railroad tracks two miles east of the scene at about 4 p.m. In the course of their search, they also found the severed heads of two bighorn sheep. An investigation later determined Plagmann and Samora worked together to shoot the animals and remove their heads.
The carcasses were later recovered, but could not be salvaged. Plagmann was booked into Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility in The Dalles on charges of illegally killing a bighorn, wasting a game animal and hunting on closed land. Samora was also charged with aiding in a game violation.
Bighorn sheep were wiped out in Oregon in the mid-1940s, and weren’t reintroduced until 1954. The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife estimates there are now roughly 4,500 bighorns statewide.
Drawing a bighorn tag is a once-in-a-lifetime hunting opportunity for Oregonians. Jeremy Thompson, district wildlife biologist for ODFW in The Dalles, said the department will offer approximately 95 bighorn tags in 2016. None of the animals in the I-84 herd are hunted due to their proximity to the highway.
“It’s an outrage that someone would poach a bighorn sheep, when hunters can wait their whole life and still never get the opportunity to hunt this iconic species,” Thompson said in a statement.
OSP continues to investigate the case, and anyone with information is asked to call The Dalles Area Command at 541-296-9646.
