What would you do if you discovered poachers and their truck on your land and the police refuse to respond? For “Tractor Man,” the answer was simple — hop in the tractor and ram it into the truck.
Unfortunately for “Tractor Man” — a moniker given to him by authorities — by the time he rammed the truck, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police officers were arriving on scene and witnessed him ram the parked pickup truck and push it down an embankment.
Authorities detained the man in the tractor and found a .44 Magnum revolver on him.
The poachers turned out to be a 16-year-old neighbor and his grandfather. The were new to Washington state and had killed a closed season cow elk that was recovered and donated to the Orting Food Bank.
It’s likely that the poaching case could bring charges to the boy and his grandfather and will be moved to the county prosecutor. The landowner, or “Tractor Man,” will also likely face charges for totaling the truck.
As justified as it may feel in the moment to get back at a poacher in every imaginable, it’ll most likely only ever make things worse for the one dishing out their own justice.
Kristy Rae, one of the landowners took to Facebook to clarify and elaborate on a few points, specifically about the poor response time of police which made “Tractor Man” feel like he had to do something. WDFW Police also elaborated and further apologized for the poor response on their part.
