A northeast Oregon man who legally obtained a permit to haze elk, faces charges of killing at least a dozen of them.
After a February search of his ranch in Wallowa, authorities arrested Larry Harshfield because they found 12 elk dead on his ranch. They found 13 more dead elk nearby. The Wallowa County district attorney will determine if Harshfield faces additional charges.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) issues kill or hazing permits for problem wildlife. A kill permit requires a landowner to skin an animal, field dress it and transport the meat to a processing facility.
“He did not want to do that,” Mike Hanson, ODFW assistant district wildlife biologist, told the East Oregonian. “We gave him a haze permit.”
An attorney representing the Harshfields accused the ODFW of trying to convict the family in the court of public opinion. The Harshfields also released a lengthy statement detailing their side of the story.
(Photo source: Necole Ontko)