Poachers could face multiple charges after ‘spotlighting’ deer in Eastern WA
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- Trail camera and campsite evidence identified two suspects in Eastern Washington.
- State officers allege spotlighting, trespass, illegal kills and multiple tag violations.
- Officers seized firearms. Multiple charges pending in Columbia County.
With the help of a trail camera, two suspects have been identified in a poaching case that allegedly included spotlighting big game at night and trespassing in Eastern Washington.
They face a long list of possible charges, according to the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife Police.
Those include trespassing, spotlighting big game, hunting big game out of season, wastage, improperly notched tag, hunting grouse out of season, hunting dove without a migratory bird permit, hunting turkey without tags, failing to tag turkey and big game, and driving under the influence.
The state agency has not released names because they have not yet been charged.
The case started with a report to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office of spotlighting and trespassing.
A trail camera caught a photo of a Jeep Cherokee one of the suspects may have driven, and Fish and Wildlife officers then located it at a county park campground outside Dayton on Sept. 7.
The SUV’s back hatch was open and blood and deer hair could be seen inside the vehicle. The driver’s side door also was open and a loaded rifle was on the passenger seat, but no one was at the campsite, according to Fish and Wildlife.
The odor of a decaying carcass led an officer to a nearby field, where he found a hind leg from a deer and two forest grouse carcasses and a dove carcass with breasts removed.
Later that evening a vehicle pulled into the campsite with a driver who appeared to have been drinking alcohol, according to Fish and Wildlife.
He said he had shot a deer with his bow, but when he showed his tag it was not correctly notched. Notches on game tags show the month and date game was killed.
When officers asked to see the meat, he showed them a plastic bag of meat and the head of a whitetail deer with five points on each side.
He took limited meat and discarded the rest of the carcass, telling officers he only eats steak.
He later admitted to shooting the deer with a rifle at night while using a spotlight and also shooting the two grouse out of season and the dove without a migratory bird endorsement, according to Fish and Wildlife.
Using a spotlight may temporarily disorient game or causes animals to freeze, which can make them easier to shoot.
He said a friend drove the Jeep while he shot the deer using his friend’s rifle, according to Fish and Wildlife.
After a search warrant was obtained for a camp trailer at the campsite, Fish and Game officers found a grouse breast and six fresh turkey breasts in a freezer powered by a generator. No turkey tag had been purchased, according to Fish and Wildlife,
Officers seized a 12-gauge shotgun, a compound bow and a .308 rifle.
Poaching violations can be reported by calling 911 for an incident in progress, calling 877-933-9847, sending an email to reportpoaching@dfw.wa.gov, filling out a report at bit.ly/4qoEvcw or sending a text tip to 847411 (TIP411) by entering WDFWTIP, followed by a space, and then entering your report.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Poachers could face multiple charges after ‘spotlighting’ deer in Eastern WA."