Poachers hit local deer

Fish and Wildlife officials are seeking information about poachers who killed five whitetail deer near the Rosenberg Ranch in Lincoln County.

The department was alerted to the poaching by an Electric City man who had been in the area shooting coyotes and stumbled across the deer carcases.

Fish and Wildlife biologist Eric Braaten said only the back straps and rear quarters of the deer were taken, and the remainder of the deer were left behind.

He said that entry to the property, which overlooks Lake Roosevelt, was through two gates. Those responsible left tire tracks and footprints, Braaten stated.

He said there were three does and two bucks killed, and he thought the parties responsible might have done the poaching after dark using a spotlight.

Curt Wood, an enforcement officer with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, is investigating the matter.

The carcasses were found last Saturday, Feb. 9, and were all in one place. Braaten stated that you could see where some of the deer had obviously been shot somewhere nearby and then dragged to the site.