The Nevada Department of Wildlife seeks public help to solve two separate poaching cases near the Nevada-Utah border.
The first incident involves a bull elk shot in Lincoln County on Labor Day weekend. It was discovered headless around 1.5 miles from the Utah border in the Uvada area. The rest of the animal was untouched and left to waste.
It’s believed this animal was shot the night of Aug. 30 and possibly by a Utah resident or visitor. Officials report that while there were no open elk hunts in Nevada, there was an elk hunt in Utah less than 2 miles away.
In the second case, a bull elk was shot and left in the Reed Cabin Summit area in Lincoln County, less than one mile from the Utah border, between the night of Dec. 5 and the morning of Dec. 6. Investigators believe the elk died where it was shot and the antlers removed sometime between the evening of Dec. 6 and the morning of Dec. 7.
During this time frame, a rifle cow elk hunt and an archery bull elk hunt were open for the Indian Peaks hunt unit in Utah. Similarly, the elk was killed the day following the close of the 231 Resident Antlerless Elk Hunt.
“These crimes should upset everyone. It’s a waste of Nevada’s wildlife,” said Warden Lt. John Anderson of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. “Let’s be very clear: these were not legitimate hunters. In both cases, these people blatantly stole a mature bull elk from the people of Nevada and then left it to waste.”
Anderson added that it’s a Class E felony to kill a big game animal without a valid tag illegally.
These Nevada game wardens have very few leads and need the public’s help, hoping someone might have seen or heard something. To report wildlife crime, call the OGT hotline at 1(800) 992-3030 or use the new NDOW Tip app, which allows people to submit anonymous tips, photos or videos to the Nevada Department of Wildlife through text messaging.
Author: Maddi Munro
Photo courtesy of Kelly Repreza
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
outdoors@suunews.net
