A mature mountain goat, suffering from at least three crossbow-related wounds was euthanized by Fish and Game conservation officers earlier this week.
Citizens Against Poaching (CAP) is offering a reward for information in the case and callers can remain anonymous. Contact CAP at 1-800-632-5999 twenty four hours a day.
Reports of the injured female (nanny) goat came to Fish and Game via the CAP hotline and Facebook; an accurate description helped officers quickly locate the goat just off Hells Canyon Road, south of Hells Canyon Dam. After watching the nanny for more than an hour, the officers determined that the animal was suffering and needed to be euthanized.
Closer examination revealed several apparent bolt wounds, including one in the middle of the animal’s forehead. A bolt hung from the hide in the animal’s left shoulder area, having apparently worked its way out of the adjacent muscle tissue. Another bolt was firmly lodged in the animal’s throat possibly preventing the goat from feeding and drinking properly. Officers reported that the animal was extremely emaciated.
The nanny's head wound from a crossbow bolt is clearly visible as are the bolts still embedded in her left shoulder and throat (red circles).
“It’s difficult to look at the photos of this mountain goat, think about the needless suffering the animal endured and not be angry,” Fish and Game regional supervisor Jon Rachael said. “Shooting this mountain goat with a series of crossbow target bolts is one of the most egregious, cruel acts against Idaho’s wildlife that I’ve witnessed in my career.”
The goat was transported to Fish and Game’s Wildlife Health Lab facility for necropsy and further examination.
“We need the public’s help to bring these perpetrators to justice,” Rachael added. In addition to the CAP hotline, persons with information regarding this case may contact the Fish and Game Nampa office at 208-465-8465 weekdays and Idaho State Police at 208-846-7550 on weekends. An online reporting form is also available on the Fish and Game website at https://idfg.idaho.gov/cap.
One of the two six-inch bolts removed from the goat’s body. An additional bolt, possibly the one formerly embedded in the goat’s head, was found nearby.
Mountain goat hunting in Idaho is tightly regulated with only a handful of tags issued statewide each year. Harvest is limited to once in a lifetime. The mountain goat hunting season closed in early November.
Hells Canyon, with its warm temperatures and open hillsides, attracts mountain goats in the winter months, much to the delight of wildlife watchers. The phenomenon also makes goats vulnerable to illicit activity.
- IDFG -