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BOX ELDER COUNTY — Division of Wildlife Resources officials are seeking the public’s help in locating poachers responsible for killing several deer in Box Elder and Carbon counties.
The first poaching case occurred around Feb. 14 near a grain field on the Long Divide Road in Box Elder County between Fielding and Newton, according to a DWR news release. Conservation officers found three dead deer in the field and after investigating, concluded someone had chased the two fawns and a pregnant doe through the field before running them over with a vehicle, the news release said.
"Based on evidence found at the scene and necropsies performed on the animals, we concluded the deer were chased around the field and run over by a vehicle,” DWR officer Chris Schulze said in the news release. “This was a completely senseless and cruel act. It's pretty callous to chase two fawns and a pregnant doe, run them over for the fun of it and then leave them to suffer and die. Someone out there knows who did this, and we encourage them to do the right thing and reach out to us.”
The second poaching case occurred at the Mantua Reservoir in Box Elder County. A dead four-point buck was located in the reservoir and investigators found the deer had been shot with an arrow not long before it was discovered. The arrow was still in the buck, the news release said.
The third poaching case occurred Feb. 16 in Carbon County. An individual reported finding a poached 3x3 deer, located approximately a half mile north of East Carbon. The three-point buck was 23.5 inches wide and was shot in the right hind quarter with an arrow, the news release said. The buck had only been dead for a few days at the time it was discovered.
Conservation officers are unsure if the illegal killings are related.
Anyone with information about any of these deer can call the Utah Turn in a Poacher (UTiP) Hotline at 1-800-662-3337. Tipsters can remain anonymous and rewards are available to those who provide information that leads to the apprehension and successful prosecution of individuals involved in the poaching.
