Readers of this blog probably recall that just last fall I wrote about a major poaching case in Washington with an individual who was charged with 27 gross misdemeanor charges. Well news broke earlier this week of an individual who had been charged with poaching of 42 elk in Yakima county in recent years.  Law abiding hunters should be outraged at cases like this, especially as we see declining opportunities.  In Yakima county where this most recent case took place, hunters are only allowed to shoot spike bulls and need to draw a permit for branch antlered bulls. The number of permits for branch antlered bulls for the general public in the 4 units surrounding this area have fallen from 625 in 2017 to a proposed 100 in 2024, an 84% drop!

A multi year investigation by the WDFW which involved a sting operation is what brought about a court summons for Braden Takheal, 42. The sting operation resulted in multiple agents purchasing elk meat in 2021 and the individual claimed he could get an elk anytime as there are a bunch that hang out near his house. Not only was this individual selling elk meat, he was also selling smelt.

Trafficking edible parts of wildlife with a value of over $250 is a class B felony in the State of Washington and punishable by up to 10 years in state prison and a fine of $20,000. 

The tip to the WDFW came from an anonymous source who told them that Takheal had killed 42 elk throughout the 2019 hunting season and sold them.  

One complicating issue with the case is that Takheal is a member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama nation. It will be interesting to see how that impacts the outcome of the case. 

We will be keeping an eye on this case as it winds through the court system, but there is no doubt that poaching and cases like this continue to take away opportunities for law abiding hunters. I can only imagine that there are many other instances of poaching that go unnoticed or unreported. The cumulative effect of these on our wildlife cannot be denied. As hunters it is important to report these to our state wildlife agencies as you never know what an investigation may turn up. In this case it led to one of the largest poaching cases in recent memory here in Washington.