“How do we get the word out to the hunting world, to ask if they might check their cameras in the areas where we know the bodies were found, to see if there is anything out there?” she asked.
“There are all kinds of hunting chat sites on the internet and hunting groups on Facebook,” McCain said.
He knew that because now part of every fish and wildlife police officer’s job was to watch those different sites and groups. In the past few years several poachers had been discovered because they couldn’t help themselves and just had to show off their ill-gotten trophies. The problem was, in many of those photos, there were things in the background that tipped off authorities to the fact that the animal was taken out of season, or in a unit that wasn’t open.
For instance, one guy McCain had run down claimed to have shot a big mule deer buck in one of the high mountain units during an early season hunt in September. McCain knew the area the unit was in was hit with an early snowstorm and there was snow on the ground for the duration of the season. Unfortunately for the poacher, the photo showed him with the deer in perfectly clear and dry country. Way in the background in the photo was a cell tower, which showed pretty much where the man had killed the deer.
“It’s worth a shot,” she said. “Let’s get the word out. Remember the Ted Kaczynski thing?”
“That’s John Krasinski,” McCain said with a laugh.
Chapter 19
McCain and Hargraves met the next morning to discuss the little issue of the Johnson brothers. If they were continuing in the family tradition of poaching black bears, they were most likely doing so in familiar territory, at least that is what McCain figured. Hargraves suggested they first take a look up in the Ahtanum, where they had discovered LeRoy Junior over a bear bait in the spring. And, he thought it would be worth checking out the area to the west too, as some bears would have headed to higher country in the summer.
Hargraves would do some checking a couple miles due west of the Johnson’s last bear baits, and McCain would check around in the area where the baits had been placed a few months earlier. The officers agreed to check in with each other at one o’clock.
Before he headed out to check on the bait sites, McCain went and picked up Jack. He figured the dog would like a little outing in the woods. After grabbing Jack, McCain drove west out of town on Ahtanum Road through orchards and small farm fields. When he hit the Tampico store he veered to the right and followed the north fork of Ahtanum Creek up into the area known as Nasty Creek. This is where the Johnsons had tried to score some bear bladders to sell on the black market, and odds were this is where they had returned.
McCain parked on an old logging two-track road on National Forest land and started walking up the trail. Jack crisscrossed ahead as McCain searched the surroundings for anything out of place. The Johnsons had used a camouflaged pop-up blind where Hargraves had nabbed LeRoy Junior during the spring, so he looked for those or the blue fifty-gallon plastic drums that were used as bait containers. McCain also looked for boot tracks in the dirt and found a few old tracks, but they could have been made weeks ago as Central Washington hadn’t had any rain in almost two months.
He searched for a couple hours, up two more two-track roads, and was just about to turn around on a third when he was startled by a rifle shot nearby. He hadn’t heard the sizzle of a bullet flying by and figured the shot wasn’t meant for him. Still, the boom of the rifle was close enough that he decided to head that way and check it out.
McCain whistled for Jack. The dog had, at the sound of the gun, gone in search of something to retrieve. With Jack by his side he moved through the trees in the direction of the rifle fire.
As they worked over the small hogback ridge toward the shot, McCain took it slowly, watching all around him as he walked. Jack stayed dutifully by his side. After a few more quiet steps, McCain heard someone walking down below. When he finally spotted the man moving through the brush and trees, he wasn’t surprised. It was none other than LeRoy Johnson Jr.
McCain decided he wasn’t up for running down another member of the Johnson family, so he snuck in closer to LeRoy who was walking with purpose and not paying much attention to what else was going on.
Because Johnson was carrying a rifle, McCain pulled his pistol. When he was within twenty yards, McCain said, “Hello, LeRoy.”
LeRoy turned, and as he did he brought his rifle up level with his chest.
“State police! Drop the rifle, LeRoy,” McCain shouted.
When LeRoy Junior saw the pistol aimed at him, he lowered the rifle.
“Put your rifle on the ground and step back three steps,” McCain ordered.
He watched Johnson put the rifle down in the grass and back up. McCain could see the young man mouthing, “one, two, three” as he took the steps back.
McCain lowered his pistol and walked toward Johnson.
“Do you have any other weapons on you?” McCain asked.
“Jest my skinnin’ knife,” Johnson said.
“Well, for now, maybe you better give that to me too.” McCain said.
The man obliged and gave McCain a folding knife which, on closer inspection, had fairly new blood on the handle. McCain then handcuffed Johnson and frisked
