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CEDAR CITY — Utah wildlife conservation officers are asking for the public's help as they investigate a pair of trophy big game that they say were killed and illegally left to waste over the past couple of months.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officials said their investigations began in September when a Garfield County landowner reported finding a bull elk dead by the edge of their hay field near Henrieville.
The elk, with six points on each side, had a pair of wounds that appeared to be caused by arrows. Based on the state of the carcass's decomposition, officers believe that it died sometime around the week of Sept. 4, within range of a limited-entry archery hunt happening in the region at the time, agency officials said Thursday.
The animal's location and its wounds indicated to officers that the animal was killed and left to waste, which is illegal.
While the investigation in that case continued, conservation officers received a report from a hunter who came across a trophy buck deer that had been killed and left to waste close to Bald Knoll Waterline Road near Glendale, Kane County, on Oct. 21. Officers say it appears the deer was shot and left to waste either on Oct. 20 or Oct. 21.
While illegally killing a trophy animal can lead to a felony case, wildlife officials note wasting any protected wildlife may result in a class B misdemeanor. State conservation officers also asked for the public's help last week as they investigate a case where an elk was illegally left to waste in eastern Utah back in September.
Anyone with information regarding either of the two southern Utah cases is encouraged to call a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officer at 801-386-1363.
People can also provide tips about any poaching or illegal wasting in Utah by calling 800-662-3337, reporting it online or using the division's law enforcement app.
