New Mexico Hunters Cry Foul after “World-class” Bull Elk Poached
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.19.13
Roughly 1.5 miles east of Little Round Mountain in New Mexico, hunters found found a massive bull elk left to waste inside of a canyon. According to the state’s Department of Game and Fish (DGF), the carcass was found entirely intact and rotting where it lay, antlers and all.
DGF spokeswoman Rachel Shockley tells OutdoorHub that the animal was found on September 4 and was likely killed a day or two before that. Conservation officers are calling it a poaching incident after discovering that the elk was killed with a firearm only days after the start of archery season. As with all poaching-related crimes, the DGF is upset by the waste of the state’s natural resources. Local hunters are also incensed.
“It’s stealing,” hunter Jeff Lewis said in the DGF’s release. “The state lost a huge amount. That’s a once in a lifetime bull.”
Lewis and his hunting partner Dan Roach have been tracking the large bull for the last three years and were heart-broken when the animal was found crumpled up and left decaying in the sun.
“Up until this year, every time we would have an encounter with him he would disappear,” Lewis said. “But this year he was visible every morning and every night. We thought we would have a chance to have a stalk on him and have a chance to harvest. But the poacher must have seen him too. It’s really horrendous.”
Shockley said that a number of local hunters were aware of the bull and had been hoping for their own chance to harvest the magnificent animal. The spokeswoman adds that for years the elk was elusive and shy. Lewis and Roach managed to videotape the animal on several occasions, but most were just passing glimpses. This year, however, it seemed that the animal lost its caution. Heartened by the change in attitude, hunters eagerly awaited the hunting season. Unfortunately, the bull apparently also drew the attention of poachers.
The carcass was recovered by conservation officer KC Gehrt, who says that the cause of death appears to be a small-caliber bullet. Gehrt measured the elk’s antler length and found to his shock that the poached bull almost rivaled the state’s Safari Club International (SCI) record. The dead bull came in at 422.375 inches typical while the record held by SCI measured 437.625 inches. Since details of the incident were released, a flood of comments poured in from outraged sportsmen.
“What a waste!” A commentor wrote on the DGF’s Facebook page. “That is a once in a life time [sic] elk and would have fed a family for a few years. I hope the poacher is found and pays a heavy fine.”
It is a sentiment that wildlife officials can agree with. In addition to possible misdemeanor charges and other penalties, the poacher could face upwards of $10,000 in fines for a trophy animal.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” said Gehrt. “We are following up on every lead.”
One of these leads involves a silver Dodge pickup with New Mexico plates that had been seen in the vicinity around the time of the shooting. Gehrt says that poachers often leave carcasses behind, either out of ineptitude or fear of punishment.
“In the past, poachers have waited to return to an animal because they couldn’t find it or they were waiting to claim the animal when they had a hunting license,” Gehrt said. “That is what I suspect happened here. The wanton waste in this situation is sickening. It’s one of the reasons that trophy poaching should be a treated as a felony.”
