Four juveniles were arrested Wednesday for allegedly trying to shoot eagles in Klickitat County.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a Facebook post a sheriff's deputy initially detained the teens near the Klickitat River because he found a loaded rifle in their car. The deputy was going to give them a warning until he realized none of them had a driver's license. He also found fresh blood and deer hair in the car.
The deputy and a WDFW officer searched the area and found a doe deer on the hillside near where the teens parked. They discovered four deer carcasses in various stages of decay nearby.
WDFW says one of the teens admitted shooting the doe the night before. It was placed near the other carcasses to bait and shoot eagles.
It was then that the officer and deputy spotted an armed 17-year-old hiding on the hillside, according to WDFW. After he was disarmed, investigators learned he had been looking for an eagle he admitted to shooting. The eagle was not found.
WDFW says two rifles were seized and the case is being forwarded to the Klickitat County Prosecutor's Office for possible charges.
