Fish and Game searching for poacher after 2 deer killed, taken from East Boise park
When a deer was taken from an East Boise park last month, Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials thought the animal had died of injuries from an attack by a coyote or dog, and been salvaged by a resident. This week, a second deer was killed and taken from the same park, leading officials to believe that both incidents are the work of a poacher.
“The M.O. is basically the same,” said conservation officer Joey Ishida, who investigated the recent report. “On the first one, scavengers got to it and then the carcass disappeared. The second one is a pretty clear case of poaching.”
Ishida found blood and deer hair at Baggley Park, 1410 E ParkCenter Blvd., on Tuesday. Neighbors reported hearing a loud vehicle in the area between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., and Ishida said both incidents seemed to occur at night or in the early morning.
The first incident was reported on Nov. 17. At the time, Fish and Game spokesman Evin Oneale told the Statesman that investigating conservation officer Ben Cadwallader was “100% confident that this was not a poaching incident.”
On Wednesday, there were no salvage reports on the Fish and Game website for deer harvested near the park. Though it’s legal to salvage dead game animals in Idaho, all salvages must be reported to the agency.
Deer poaching at Boise park
Conservation officer Ishida said Wednesday that he found smears of blood on a sidewalk at Baggley Park while investigating the second possible poaching. He also found a clump of hair that he said is usually indicative of an animal shot with a bow and arrow.
“Of course, if people are going to poach animals within city limits, they’re probably going to use archery gear because it doesn’t make any noise,” Ishida said.
There have been no reports of gunshots from neighbors.
Ishida said he thinks the poacher is someone who has “done their homework.” Both deer appear to have died in the park near a dead-end street where they could be loaded into a vehicle.
“It’s odd that they would know exactly where those deer would be,” Ishida said. “It leads me to believe they’ve been watching the deer for a while and know their routes.”
Wildlife often spend time in the park, which is close to the Greenbelt and Boise River. Ishida said neighbors reported seeing “a really nice mule deer buck” recently.
“There are deer that take refuge in this area, and a lot of them grow to decent size,” he said. “They don’t have to worry about the predation of being out in the hills.”
Though it’s impossible to know what size the deer’s antlers were without a carcass, Ishida said he’s pretty confident that it would’ve been an older animal with developed antlers.
“With bucks, when their antlers grow to a large size, that can be tempting to individuals who don’t abide by the law and would do anything to take that animal,” Ishida said. “I know in my 15 years as a conservation officer ... people don’t do something this brazen for small animals.”
Fish and Game looking for information on poacher
Ishida said Fish and Game is asking anyone with information on the incidents to come forward. They’re also hoping to get videos or photos from things like doorbell cameras that capture the park or nearby streets.
“Without the public’s help, we’re at a dead end,” he said.
Anyone with information can contact the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Nampa office at 208-465-8465 or Citizens Against Poaching at 1-800-632-5999.
These are the third and fourth cases of poaching in the agency’s Southwest Region since November. Early last month, a cow moose was killed near Idaho City, and around Nov. 22, a cow elk and her calf were killed near Mud Flat Road.
