A reason for aphrodisiac antler poachers to think twice
OLYMPIA – Going onto private property to collect antlers prized in some places for boosting sex drive or other valuable qualities will carry extra sanctions from now on.
A bill signed Friday by Gov. Jay Inslee means people who trespass to collect antler "sheds" and other animal parts will get more than a citation for going on someone else's private property. Law enforcement officials will also confiscate the ill-gotten gains.
Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, sponsored the bill after a constituent along the Grande Ronde River reported problems with people using their dogs to chase elk back and forth from state property onto private land until the elk lost their antlers in contact with trees or brush. The dogs’ owners would then trespass onto the landowner's property to retrieve the antlers.
A good pair of antlers can fetch up to $3,000 in some Asian countries, where they sometimes are sought as an aphrodisiac, Schick said. They can also bring a good price for use in decorating and furniture making.
Current trespassing laws aren’t enough to deter poachers, Schmick said. If caught on private property, they will pay the trespassing ticket as a small cost of doing business because they can keep the antlers and sell them later.
Under the new law, they'll lose all the antlers, too.
