In an unusual deal between Lane County, Oregon prosecutors and the defense lawyers for two men convicted of 130 counts of poaching, Rory Donoho and his son Shane will spend the next four hunting seasons in jail. The men will serve 90-day jail sentences beginning on October 1, the first day of Oregon’s deer hunting seaon, each year for the next four years. Prosecutors say the Donohos undertook what is likely the largest poaching operation in Oregon state history. The pair have admitted to killing as many as 300 deer since 2006, in a state where most hunters are allowed one kill per season. The Donohos broke , including forging permits and using spotlights to hunt at night, and almost wiped out the deer population in their prefered hunting ground. Wildlife officials had long been puzzled by the near absence of deer in the Gate Creek and Hagen Mountain area, which has similar tophography and resources as nearby areas but no animals. As part of their punishment, the Donohos handed over 19 rifles, trophy antlers worth as much as $400,000, and 1,600 pounds of meat, which wildlife officer Marc Boyd plans to donate to local zoos.
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