Poaching probe nets 6 hunters

LEWISTON – An undercover investigation spanning two states and Canada has resulted in felony and misdemeanor poaching charges against six men.

The men – one from Nezperce, Idaho, four from Washington state and one from Oregon – reportedly were members of a hunting club that flouted game laws.

Chris Witt, 32, and Bill Witt, 57, of Battleground, Wash., are accused of selling four-year club memberships for $5,000 per person. Members were allegedly allowed to hunt whitetail and mule deer, elk, bear, mountain lion and turkey on private land leased by the Witts near Nezperce. Investigators claim that potential clients were told they could kill two elk and two deer each year as well as several other species.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game started the nine-month undercover investigation on a tip from a law-abiding sportsman.

Investigators learned about the club when they booked a Columbia River fishing trip with Chris Witt and his father Bill Witt.

The Witts allegedly showed the undercover agents pictures of animals they had shot at the Nezperce property.

Officials said they also made plans to be outfitted by the Witts on a fishing trip to the Skeena River in British Columbia. There they were joined by an undercover officer from the British Columbia Conservation Service. It was on that trip, investigators claim, that Chris Witt allegedly told officers he shot two bull elk in Idaho during the 2003 hunting season.