Below is a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. For 2023, Fiocchi partnered with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to increase the visibility of poaching incidents in an effort to reduce poaching nationwide.
Idaho Fish and Game is seeking information regarding a bull elk that was illegally shot and left to waste in southeast Idaho.
The bull was last seen alive in Dry Hollow in Montpelier Canyon around 8:45 a.m. on Feb. 12 by a motorist. When the motorist returned to the area in the early afternoon that same day, the bull could not be seen, but human footprints leading up to where the bull had been standing were evident. The driver left the vehicle and followed the footprints to find the bull elk dead– its antlers and ivories removed. The individual immediately contacted Idaho Fish and Game. Upon investigation, Fish and Game conservation officers discovered that the bull had been shot.
A photo provided to Idaho Fish and Game showed that the bull elk had a unique set of antlers characterized by a spike with a club-shaped drop tine on one side. Members of the public are encouraged to keep an eye out for anyone displaying or trying to sell these unusual antlers.
If anyone has information about this incident, please contact the Southeast Region Fish and Game office at 208-232-4703 or the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999. Callers may remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward for information that leads to an arrest.
(Photo credit: Idaho Department of Fish and Game)