Three elk that were apparently illegally shot and left to rot in a remote section of Campbell County this month were part of one of Wyoming’s few plains elk herds, making the poaching that much more enraging for legal elk hunters.
“There are just elk throughout there. It’s weird. It’s just one of those few places in the state where it’s just plains elk,” hunter Nic George of Sheridan told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
Elk tags for legal hunting during the fall in that area are few and difficult to draw, which makes the apparent illegal poaching even more egregious, he added.
Avid hunter and northeast Wyoming resident Owen Miller told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday that he’s also familiar with the area where the elk were illegally killed. He’s done some springtime shed antler hunting there.
He wondered if it was a case of “thrill killing” by shooting from a vehicle.
“It’s not uncommon to see elk from the road there,” he said, adding that “this kind of stuff just fires me up.”
Game And Fish Seeks Tips
Two dead bull elk were found April 24 by somebody “recreating on public land in the Rochelle Hills area near Mackey Road” southeast of Wright, according to a statement released early Tuesday by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
When game wardens arrived to investigate the scene, they also found the carcass of a cow elk. The three elk “were likely killed several days prior to the investigation,” according to Game and Fish.
It was evident that “the elk were shot multiple times from a distance, then shot in the head at close range,” according to Game and Fish, and the carcasses were “left to waste.”
The person or people responsible for the poaching could be charged with wanton destruction of a big game animal, which is considered a high misdemeanor in Wyoming, according to Game and Fish.
Punishment could include a revocation of hunting privileges for up to six years. Other penalties for high misdemeanors under Wyoming statutes include a fine of up to $10,000 and a year in jail for each count.
Game and Fish is seeking information on the case. Tipsters may remain anonymous and can call South Gillette Game Warden Andy Enscore at 307-687-7157, the Sheridan Game and Fish office at 307-672-7418 or the Stop Poaching Hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847).
Throw The Book At ’Em
Miller and George said they hope when the poacher or poachers are caught, the maximum penalties are brought to bear.
“That’s horrible, what happened,” George said. “I hope that they found out who it is. And I hope where they’re convicted, it’s while Mark Gordon is still our governor.”
Because Gordon “is such a sportsman,” he’d likely push for stiff penalties, George said.
Miller said the disrespect for the elk and hunting ethics in the case is appalling.
“You’d have to be completely heartless to do something like that,” he said.
Both hunters agreed that it would be almost understandable if a hungry person shot an animal out of season and took the meat. But apparently killing elk just for fun and leaving them to rot is inexcusable.
“There should almost be two categories of poaching,” Geoge said: one for people who illegally kill for meat, and another category for those who shoot big game animals merely for thrills – with much steeper penalties.
Miller said using as much of a kill as possible is fundamental to good hunting ethics.
“When I leave a carcass (after a successful elk hunt), a coyote would starve to death trying to eat it,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
