SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An Eastern Oregon couple has been sentenced for hunting offenses after shooting into a fleeing herd of elk and leaving five animals to rot, according to state Fish and Wildlife Department officials.
Chris and Stephanie Lardy, residents of Hines, were sentenced last week to jail time, fines and suspended hunting licenses for killing five elk including two calves, two cows and a spike bull and leaving them to decompose, Fish and Wildlife officials said in a statement. Two other cow elk were tagged and taken.
Chris Lardy was convicted of taking a bull elk out of season and exceeding the bag limit of elk. Stephanie Lardy pleaded guilty to aiding/counseling in a game violation. He must also write and publish an apology letter in the Burns Times-Herald as part of his sentence.
Witnesses said that on Dec. 11, 2021, they saw the driver of the vehicle stop twice to fire dozens of shots into the fleeing herd. An investigation showed the couple fired into the herd, continued a short distance, shot again and then gutted and collected two cow elk before leaving the scene, officials said.
The case is frustrating to wildlife managers, hunters, and troopers, officials said. Not only was it a disregard for wildlife, but also for the safety of others in the field, Fish and Wildlife Sergeant Erich Timko said.
