Poachers Clueless

Sun., Oct. 22, 2000

San Francisco Examiner

Wildlife enforcement

Last month, the night before the opening of California’s deer hunting season, game wardens positioned a deer decoy along a backwoods in the Mendocino National Forest.

This decoy is a full-size stuffed deer, complete with antlers, and rigged so a remote control radio can make Robo Deer turn its head and twitch its tail.

According to Lt. Rick Banko, a pick-up truck pulled up in the night. The hunters inside saw the deer in their headlights and one of the men pulled out a rifle and shot the decoy.

Right then, another vehicle pulled up, so the truck drove off. The second vehicle stopped, and a hunter stepped out and shot the decoy.

Banko emerged from his hideout and was able to stop both vehicles on the spot to issue citations.

As Banko was writing - a warden, his truck, headlights on, and two groups of hunters providing ID, all standing in the road - another rig arrived and, right in front of them, another hunter jumped out and shot the decoy. He was arrested, too.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.