Poaching ring suspects killed hundreds of animals for 'thrill of the kill,' authorities say

Over text messages and social media, the poaching suspects boasted about the animals they illegally slaughtered, authorities say. Some of them even called themselves the "kill 'em all boys," said Captain Jeff Wickersham from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The suspects were part of a massive poaching ring in Oregon and Washington, who were altogether charged with more than 200 misdemeanors and felonies, authorities say. They are accused of killing more than 200 animals including deer, bears, cougars, bobcats and a squirrel.

Twelve people were charged in Oregon this week. In 2017 and earlier this year, 13 people were charged with misdemeanors and felonies in the state of Washington. Some of the suspects face charges in both states.

"A part of it was the thrill of the kill," said Lt. Tim Schwartz from the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division. "For some of them, it was a competition to see who could kill the most. I think the social media aspect -- they were posting this [their kills], getting the attention."

The suspects bragged about it on Facebook and Snapchat, authorities said.

They "made de facto trophies out of these events" on social media and text messages, said Wickersham. But that ultimately became used as evidence against them, authorities say.

Investigators used the geo-tagged photos to track down the kill sites and find skeletal remains of the animals.

"There is nothing legitimate about the activities these individuals were conducting," Wickersham said. "They are simply killers. They knew what they were doing. They were not out there for recreation, but to kill things, and that's what they wanted to do."

Oregon State Police began its investigation in November 2016 after finding two decapitated deer carcasses. Officers began putting up surveillance cameras to track the suspects.

"This was one of the biggest cases in the state ever, as far as the amount of people involved, amount of violations and number of wildlife taken, "Schwartz said.

He described the case as sickening.

"One of the hardest things for me, as a hunter myself, it was the waste. They (suspects) weren't making any attempt to remove meat. These guys -- it was all about the killing. That's what was probably most disturbing to us."

At least five of the suspects appeared in court Thursday, reported CNN affiliate KOIN. They face penalties ranging from fines to jail time depending on their individual charges.