IRON COUNTY – A cow and calf elk were found dead on Cedar Mountain in Iron County, the apparent targets of poachers, state wildlife officials announced Tuesday.
The two elk were found shot and left to rot in the Kolob Pasture area of Cedar Mountain, according to a statement from the Utah Division of Wildlife.
The incident took place on private property in an open meadow where the two elk had been standing side-by-side.
The two are believed to have been shot on Sept. 30 during the muzzleloader deer hunt.
“There was no attempt by the poachers to salvage any meat,” DWR officials said in the statement. “From the bullet wounds, and from how close they were together, they both died immediately, so the shooter or shooters knew they had killed them and left.”
The incident occurred about 15 miles from Cedar City, Utah.
The last poaching reported in Southern Utah occurred in Iron County in December 2015.
More recently a buck deer poaching was also reported near Beaver in September. In May and August, cases of deer poaching were reported on the Arizona Strip.
While no arrests have been announced in these cases, an Iron County resident was arrested in August in connection with a 2015 poaching in Lincoln County, Nevada.
Over 200 deer were poached in Utah in 2015, according to the DWR.
Anyone with information about this or any other wildlife violation is asked to contact the DWR law officials listed below, or call the Utah Turn in a Poacher (UTIP) hotline at 1-800-662-3337.
Information will be kept confidential and you may be eligible for a reward if the suspects are identified and charges are filed.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @MoriKessler
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.
This is absolutely heartbreaking seeing things like this happen. hopefully someone will know or say some thing and justice will prevail.
There are few behaviors as insidious as poaching. If apprehended these cretins should have to serve time in prison, not jail, and pay restitution, after they are released, for the value of the animals poached. Furthermore they should be barred from owning a hunting license for the remainder of their lives.
u sound like a leftist liberal, big gov’t loving, animal-loving treehugger. what changed ol’ man?
u sound like a leftist liberal, big gov’t loving,
animal-loving treehugger.what changed ol’ dumbob ?