Caught on Camera in Oregon: Poacher’s Illegal Angling on Walla Walla River Sparks Reward Hunt
A person unlawfully angling on the Walla Walla River near Milton-Freewater on December 13 and December 16 last year was captured on camera. The Oregon State Police (OSP) Fish and Wildlife Division asked the public to help identify the angler and significant rewards were offered.
Report Illegal Fishing on Walla Walla River
Trout and warmwater fish angling on the Walla Walla River had been closed since October 31, 2024, and steelhead angling was prohibited in 2024. Despite this, a person was photographed angling with what appeared to be trout/steelhead fishing gear.
If you have any information about the incidents, please get in touch with OSP Dispatch using reference case number #SP25-014838 at 1-800-452-7888, *OSP (*677), or send an
email to [email protected].
Points Rewards For Reporting Wildlife and Habitat Law Violators
The Turn In Poachers (TIP) program offers preference point rewards. The information must lead to an arrest or issue of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of big game mammals.
The TIP Preference Points Rewards for information on wildlife and habitat Law violators (which must result in an arrest or citation for the unlawful taking, possession, or waste of big game mammals) are:
- Bear: 4 points
- Bighorn Sheep: 5 Points
- Cougar: 4 points
- Deer: 4 points
- Elk: 4 points
- Moose: 5 points
- Pronghorn Antelope: 4 points
- Rocky Mountain Goat: 5 points
- Wolf: 5 points
TIP Cash Rewards For Reporting Illegal Wildlife and Habitat Law Violators
TIP is a collaboration between the OSP, the Oregon Hunters Association (OHA), the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFF), the Oregon Wildlife Coalition (OWC), the Oregon Outfitter and Guides Association, and the Oregon State Marine Board.
Cash rewards, similarly for information leading to an arrest or citation, can also be awarded for habitat destruction, illegally obtaining an angling or hunting license or tag, borrowing or lending big game tags, spotlighting, or snagging. The cash rewards include:
Rewards From Oregon Hunters Association (OHA):
- Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, or Moose: $2,000
- Elk, Deer, or Antelope: $1,000
- Bear, Cougar, or Wolf: $600
- Habitat destruction: $300
- Obtaining Oregon hunting or angling license or tags illegally: $200
- Unlawful borrowing or lending big game tag(s): $200
- Shellfish and Game Fish: $200
- Game Birds or Furbearers: $200
- Spotlighting: $200
- Snagging/Attempting to Snag: $200
Rewards From Oregon Wildlife Coalition (OWC):
- Species listed under state or federal Endangered Species Acts as “threatened” or “endangered” (excluding fish): $1,000
- Cougar, Bobcat, Beaver (only on public land), Black bears, Bighorn Sheep, Marten, Fisher, Sierra Nevada Red Fox: $500
- Hawk, Falcon, Eagle, Owl, Osprey: $500
Rewards From Oregon Outfitters & Guides Association (OOGA):
A reward of $200 is offered for:
- Acting or offering to act as an Outfitter Guide for killing wildlife illegally
- as set out in ORS 704.010 and 704.020.
- Securing Oregon hunting or angling licenses or tags illegally.
To report a wildlife and/or habitat violation or any suspicious activity:
- Call the TIP hotline at 1-800-452-7888 or *OSP (*677)
- Email TIP at [email protected]
For more information, visit the TIP webpage.