Document text
Poacher in bass nationals By MARK FREEMAN Oregon will be represented in a national bass-fishing tournament by a Medford man who admitted joining his father in an illegal guiding venture that brought out-of-state clients to poach trophy big-game animals here. Jason F. Dungey, 21, is Oregon's entrant in the 1998 Bassin' Big Bass World Championship finals Oct. 9-10 in Missouri. Dungey will be one of 50 anglers trying to catch the biggest bass in the tournament, which offers a $50,000 cash prize, a bass boat and a return to next year's finals. Dungey is set to be sentenced Nov. 5 in U.S. District Court in Portland on a federal misdemeanor for his role in the poaching operation that involved as many as a dozen animals between 1993 and 1996. Dungey's father, Donald "Scott" Dungey, will be sentenced Oct. 21 in the same court on 11 felony counts stemming from the same case. A federal wildlife agent called the case one of the worst he has ever seen. Both men pleaded guilty this summer in plea agreements, says U.S. Attorney Bob Ross, who prosecuted the case. The younger Dungey is likely to receive probation, and his father likely will get a one-year federal prison term, Ross says. Scott Dungey said many of the allegations against him and his son are untrue, and that he wants to put the past behind him. "Sure, I broke some laws," Scott Dungey says. "I'm not going to say I didn't. But there's a lot of things in there that are complete untruths." Tournament spokeswoman Jill Thompson, based in Tulsa, Okla., says she was unaware Wednesday if BBWC rules preclude Jason Dungey's participation. Thompson says she was unaware of the federal case against the Dungeys. "Oregon news," Thompson says, "is not reaching Oklahoma." If Jason Dungey participates, it will be the third straight year a Dungey represented Oregon in the tournament. Scott Dungey qualified in 1996 and '97. This will be Jason Dungey's first trip to the BBWC finals. The Dungeys both pleaded guilty to violations of the federal Lacey Act, which bans selling, buying or transporting across state lines any fish or wildlife taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of state law. Under the act, it is also illegal to sell or buy guiding services for the purpose of violating state hunting and fishing laws. Investigators said Scott Dungey, his assistant guides -- including Jason -- and clients were responsible for the illegal killing of at least nine blacktail deer, one Roosevelt elk, one cougar and a bobcat between 1993 and 1996. Some of the animals allegedly were killed by hunters illegally spotlighting at night, hunting during closed seasons or without licenses or while shooting from vehicles, according to the Oregon State Police. The Dungeys also face separate state misdemeanor charges stemming from the same investigation. Jason Dungey was originally indicted on two federal felony charges but pleaded Aug. 11 to the one misdemeanor, Ross says. Scott Dungey pleaded July 8 to the 11 felony counts on which he was indicted, Ross says. In Jason Dungey's case, prosecutors have agreed to accept the minimum sentence based on federal sentencing guidelines, Ross says. A report detailing the range of penalties has not yet been completed, but Ross expects it to lead to probation and no jail time, he says. For Scott Dungey, Ross is recommending a one-year sentence -- the minimum he faces under sentencing guidelines, Ross says. "For virtually any defendant, we'll recommend the bottom of the guideline range if he'll plead out," Ross says. To qualify for the bass world championships, anglers pre-register and pay an entrance fee. They then fish for largemouth bass anywhere in the state from Jan. 1 through Aug. 15. Contestants measure the fish they catch, then plug those numbers into a formula to estimate the fish's weight. Most of the fish are then released. The angler whose fish nets the largest computed weight in his state wins a free trip to the national finals. Jason Dungey's fish qualified as 14.22 pounds, the largest ever to qualify from Oregon. It was caught in Lake Selmac in Josephine County. Scott Dungey said he expects his son to win the tournament. Outdoor Journal main page Copyright � interRogue & The Mail Tribune 1997, Medford, Oregon USA