Elk hunter blames wildlife officer’s advice for illegal killing of ‘Bullwinkle’
HUNTING -- No matter how rich you are, read the hunting regulations.
That apparently is the bottomline in the saga of the wealthy big-game hunter who used a special tag to illegally kill a semi-tame trophy bull elk in an area closed to shooting branch-antlered bulls.
Here's the story posted by the Yakima Herald-Republic after the latest court hearing/postponement in Kittitas County:
ELLENSBURG, Wash. — A Lewis County hunter accused of illegally shooting a beloved Kittitas County bull elk claimed Tuesday he’s not responsible for the animal’s death. Rather, a state wildlife official is to blame.
An attorney for Tod Reichert argued in Lower Kittitas County District Court that a member of Reichert’s hunting party called state wildlife officials to make sure there were no restrictions on hunting the elk, known as Bullwinkle to local residents in whose yards and fields he wandered.
“To tell you the truth, this was a case of miscommunication, and we believe that Mr. Reichert didn’t do anything wrong,” Spokane-based attorney Steve Hormel said after the hearing. Reichert is charged with second-degree unlawful big-game hunting.
Tuesday’s hearing was convened to set a new trial date to accommodate the 76-year-old Reichert’s cancer treatments. Hormel unsuccessfully sought to have his client’s hunting privileges restored in the meantime, and offered to have a member of the hunting party testify about how Reichert took Bullwinkle.
The man would testify that a state Department of Fish and Wildlife sergeant told him by phone the elk could be hunted, Hormel explained to District Court Judge Jim Hurson.
The Kittitas County Lower District Court judge said that since the responsibility of knowing when and where a permit is valid rests solely with the hunter, Reichert would continue to be banned from hunting at this point.
Reichert has a lot at stake in the hunting ban. He paid $75,000 for the 2016 Easter Washington bull elk tag at an auction in March.
A pretrial hearing has been set for July 19. Trial could be set as early as mid-August.
And, just a parting thought:
Why did the hunter and his party reportedly load the bull and move it somewhere else before field dressing if they were sure the shooting location was OK?
