Oregon Husband & Wife Convicted in Elk Poaching 

brown elk on green grass field

brown elk on green grass field
Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Pexels.com

Husband and wife Chris and Stephanie Lardy were convicted of multiple wildlife crimes while including elk poaching.  The couple was convicted after firing 30 to 40 shots at an elk heard on highway 395 in Oregon according to USA Today.

Surprisingly the couple did have 4 elk tags for antlerless elk in Oregon. But decided to go on this poaching spree. Throughout this poaching spree they shot and left for waste two calves, two cows and a spike bull “rotting” and they “allegedly wounded” an additional elk while on this poaching rampage. Officers could not find the wounded elk , according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.   

Photo credit: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

The Couple was sentenced to paying $2,500 in fines and restitution fees, there is also a plot twist to their sentence. Chris Lardy is required to write an apology letter and publish it in his local newspaper. He will also serve six days in jail, 18 months of probation. Plus cannot participate in any hunting activities for three years.

What did Oregon Game and Fish Have to say about this elk poaching?

“Each hunter is responsible for every round they fire,” said Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Sergeant Erich Timko. “And hunters have a responsibility to make a reasonable effort to track and retrieve potentially wounded wildlife. This is a prime example of when that is not done. These are egregious results. However, even more so on antlerless hunts, it can be difficult to pick one specific animal and stay on target. And at times, you must make that decision not to fire unless you are 100 percent positive you are shooting at that animal. If you cannot be 100 percent positive of your target, then you have responsibility not to take that shot.”

There are so many facets of wrongdoing in this case,” said ODFW Big Game Program Manager Brian Wolfer. “These people acted in blatant disregard for the elk, hunting laws and basic hunting ethics.

Brian Wolfer

What do you think do you think they got off to easy in this elk poaching case?

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Dell Oliver
Dell Oliver

Dell is an avid hunter, fisherman, and wildlife conservationist. He resides in Arizona and hunts from the Sky Islands of southern Arizona north to the Grand Mesa of Colorado and the surrounding states. Dell believes in preserving hunting for future generations and you can hear him speaking at game and fish commission meetings across the country fighting the anti hunting bills.

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