▶️ Oregon mother, son fined $15,000 for poaching 8-month-old bear cubs

An Oregon mother and son who allegedly poached two 8-month-old black bear cubs last October will be charged $15,000 and lose their hunting privileges for three years, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday.

Gail Faye Freer, 52, and Corey Douglas Loving II, 29, of Siletz allegedly poached the bears while trespassing on private land on Oct. 9. 2023 near Siletz. ODFW, citing law enforcement officials, said the pair spotted a bear cub wandering among blackberry bushes. Freer allegedly encouraged Loving to shoot the cub, which he did.

When they returned later to retrieve the bear, they allegedly spotted a second cub. ODFW said Loving shot it, thinking it was the first cub. 

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Oregon State Police found the dead bears after an anonymous tip to the Turn in Poachers (TIP) Line several days later. ODFW said both cubs were left to waste and troopers were unable to find the cubs’ mother.

ODFW said the cubs, which still had baby teeth, were only about 8 months old. Cubs usually stay with their mothers until they are 18 months old.

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ODFW says it’s illegal to hunt bear cubs under one year old, or mother bears (sows) who have cubs that are under one year old.

“There is no excuse for taking two 8-month-old bear cubs, plus the meat was not taken care of and went to waste,” ODFW District Wildlife Biologist Jason Kirchner said in a statement, “This is a loss to Oregonians and to those who respect, value, enjoy, and manage our state’s wildlife resources.”

Freer and Loving will also be on bench probation for 60 months, ODFW said.