Utah Hunter Wastes Elk

In September 2005, while on a routine inspection of a local meat storage facility, Fish and Game officers discovered the cape and antlers of a 6x6 bull elk and 66 pounds of elk meat. Realizing that this was far short of the nearly 250 pounds of boned meat harvestable from such a large animal, officers attempted to locate the hunter. After an unsuccessful search, officers seized the antlers, cape and meat from the facility. Several days later, a Utah hunter contacted officers and gave them a brief description of the area where he killed the elk. The hunter also stated that he had taken all of the meat from the animal that he thought he needed to take. Immediately following this conversation, two officers traveled to the area in which the hunter stated he killed the elk. After a short search, officers were able to locate the remains of the bull elk. Laying in the snow only two miles from the trailhead lay the remains of a mature bull elk. The elk had not been field dressed and was only partially skinned. The only meat that had been harvested from the animal were 10 small chunks of meat from the back straps and rear quarters of the animal. Approximately 184 pounds of prime elk meat had been left to waste. During the course of this investigation, officers discovered that the hunter spent two additional days in the same area where he killed the elk, but he made no attempt to retrieve any additional meat. This was truly a blatant case of "waste of game" which is a misdemeanor under Idaho Code 36-1202. This so-called "hunter" pled guilty to the charge of waste of game and received the following fines and penalties: $500 in criminal fines; $750 in civil penalties; and $561.50 in public defender fees. In addition, he was given 60 days in jail with 12 days to be served and the remainder held at the discretion of the court along with 2 years probation. He also received 16 hours of community service as well as a 3 year revocation of his hunting and fishing privileges. This revocation is honored in 19 states that participate in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. He also forfeited the right to retain the meat, cape, and antlers from the bull elk.