Fish and Game Looking for Answers

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is looking for information to help solve two possible poaching incidents in southeast Idaho. A bull elk was apparently shot and possibly left to waste in the Winchell Creek Area of big game management unit 75. Two Caribou County residents found the elk sometime around October 17 or 18 with its antlers still attached, its carcass rotting in an open field. The reporting party later returned to the scene to discover that the antlers had been removed and noted two ATVs in the area at that time. Investigating conservation officers from Idaho Fish and Game found indications of possible bullet holes in the elk carcass. It is unclear whether the elk was shot legally during the open season. In another incident, a headless deer was discovered October 28 in Caribou County in a Conservation Reserve Program field off of Old Highway 30, about three-quarters of a mile north of Mike's Place. A bullet hole was discovered behind the shoulder of the deer indicating that this animal had been specifically targeted. The head had been removed, but no effort had been made to use any other part of the animal. The deer season had been closed for four days when the violation was reported. The animal was most likely illegally taken after the season had closed. If anyone has any information regarding these two incidents or any other possible wildlife violation, they are encouraged to contact Nathan Stohosky at 208-221-4513, the Caribou County Sheriff's Office at 208-547-2561, or the Southeast Region Fish and Game office at 208-232-4703. Callers can provide information anonymously by contacting the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999.