Wayne County Man Charged With Poaching Michigan Elk
OutdoorHub Reporters 12.17.18
A Michigan man is facing 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine for illegally poaching Michigan elk in Otsego County, officials with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced.
The man, a 60-year-old Taylor resident, has been charged with a misdemeanor, carrying a penalty of up to 180 days in jail and $2,000 fine. Additional penalties include a $5,000 restitution charge and his hunting privileges revoked for 15 years.
“Without the public’s help, this case might not have been solved,” Sgt. Mark DePew of the DNR stated in an emailed press release.
According to The Detroit News, Otsego County dispatchers received a tip reporting possible elk poaching around 9:50 a.m. on Saturday, December 8. A short while later, a deputy with the Otsego County Sheriff’s Department and a Michigan State trooper tracked down the carcass of the illegally poached elk, along with the crossbow used and the suspect responsible.
The elk population in Michigan is not huge, so any hunter selected for a tag should feel extremely fortunate to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime hunt. That’s why – especially for a Michigan resident like myself – it’s so frustrating to hear stories like this.
Conservation officers are still continuing their investigation into two elk poaching cases from Nov. 17 in Montmorency County.
Anyone with information regarding the November elk poaching should call the DNR Gaylord Customer Service Center at (989) 732-3541 or the 24-hour DNR Report All Poaching line at (800) 292-7800. Information can be left anonymously; monetary rewards may be offered for information that leads to the arrest of violators.
