Good hunting, Robo-Elk

We feel no sympathy for poachers.

But if anything were capable of eliciting from us even a smidgen of pity for these scofflaws, it would be Robo-Elk.

This decoy, deployed for the first time this fall by the Oregon State Police, is the most irresistible lure yet set to catch wildlife thieves.

But Robo-Elk is different from its predecessors. Better, too.

Its head moves. So does its tail.

(OSP has been using a movable deer decoy, Robo-Buck, for the past four years.)

The decoys’ swiveling body parts are manipulated by remote control. The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust donated the elk decoy, worth about $4,000, to OSP.

The remote-controlled decoys are designed to fool poachers who are wise to the old-fashioned, statue-like decoys.

According to OSP, some people have learned to hold off on pulling the trigger until they see movement from the “animal.”

And don’t worry about entrapment.

OSP officers set up the decoys only at a time (night, for instance) or a place in which it’s illegal to hunt that species (elk or deer).

In other words, no lawful hunters are being tricked into shooting at a decoy — they’re breaking the law simply by shooting, whether the target is Robo-Elk or a real elk.

All ethical hunters should support the decoy program, and be thankful that the Human Society Wildlife Land Trust donated Robo-Elk.

Poachers are the bane not only of hunters, but of people who would rather look at or photograph wildlife.

Besides besmirching the reputation of legitimate hunters, poachers kill animals that, by state law, belong to the public.

We hope Robo-Elk bags his limit every time he goes out.