A poacher was sentenced to 10 days in jail after shooting a branch bull elk in Eastern Oregon last fall.
42-year-old Cody Murrill of Elgin also received fines, probation, weapon forfeiture and license suspension. This comes after he pleaded guilty to poaching charges in Union County Circuit Court in January.
Murrill said he meant to poach a cow elk for the meat while hunting in the Wenaha unit near Promise, Oregon on Oct 1. He said he shot a bull on accident when it got too dark, and then left it to waste.
Hunters in the area found the carcass a couple of days later and informed Oregon State Police, and troopers then identified Murrill’s truck on surveillance footage.
Murrill received a one-year license suspension, one-year probation, and had to give up his .308 rifle with scope.
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“The ten days in jail is more jail time than we typically see in fish and wildlife cases, which is one positive outcome of this sentencing,” OSP Sgt. Hawkins said, citing shortages of both jail space and resources for prosecuting wildlife crimes. “It’s a result of DA offices being overrun, which leads to fish and wildlife cases not taking a priority.”
The person who reported the crime to OSP chose to receive hunter preference points for their reward, which will give them a better chance of drawing an opportunity to hunt in the future.
If you know of or suspect other crimes against fish wildlife or habitat, please report to the Turn In Poachers (TIP) Line. 1-800-452-7888 or *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone. Or email: TIP@osp.oregon.gov.
